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Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy

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Guide to Wasatch County, Utah ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Heber City
Organized: January 17, 1862
Parent County(s): Salt Lake, Sanpete, Summit, Utah, Green River
Neighboring Counties
Duchesne • Salt Lake • Summit • Utah
See County Maps
Courthouse
Utah, Wasatch County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Ut-wasatch.png

US-40 scenic overlook, Wasatch County, Utah

County Information

Description

The county was named for a Ute Indian word meaning mountain pass or low place in the high mountains. The county is located in the north center area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse

Wasatch County Courthouse
1361 South Highway 40
Heber City, Ut 84032
Phone: 435-654-4676
Wasatch County Courthouse

County clerk has birth and death records 1898-1905, marriage records from 1879, divorce and court records from 1898, probate Records from 1897, and land records from 1862.[2]

Wasatch County, Utah Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[3]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1898 1879 1898 1898 1862 1897 1851
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1905. General compliance by 1917.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]

Cities
Towns
American Indian Communities
Census-designated places
Ghost towns
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

History Timeline

NOTE: Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia for Wasatch County.

  • 1850's. Heber City was founded by English emigrants who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the late 1850s, and is named after the apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Heber C. Kimball.
  • 1858. A wagon road was completed through Provo Canyon, which brought the first settlers to the area. Two small communities were established: Mound City and a lower settlement sometimes referred to as Smiths Grove. Smiths Grove was first settled by the Robey, Epperson, Bronson, McCarroll, and Smith families. Indian hostilities grew, and territorial governor, Brigham Young, encouraged settlers to build forts for protection. The two settlements built a fort, "midway" between the two communities.
  • 1859. The first house was built by William Manning late in the year. Manning and George Noakes were the only residents until 1863. Heber City was first settled in 1859 by Robert Broadhead, James Davis and James Gurr. John W. Witt built the first house in the area. The area was under the direction of Bishop Silas Smith who was in Provo.
  • 1860. Joseph S. Murdock became the bishop over the Latter-day Saints in Heber City and vicinity.
  • 1860's/1870's. A large number of Swiss immigrants arrived, including the Gertsch,Boss, Huber, Kohler, Probst, Zenger, Durtschi, Krebs, Murri, and Abegglen families. Descendants of some of these families still live in Midway. The finding of silver, gold and lead sparked the first silver mines in Park City.
  • 1861. John H. Van Wagoner constructed the first commercial gristmill. Bonner Mercantile Store was the first retail store.
  • 1862. Wasatch County was created 17 January 1862 from Davis and Green River Counties (old). There is no longer a Green River County. County seat: Heber City [7]
  • 1862. Wallsburg was established.
  • 1877. The Charlston Ward was formed in July, with Nymphus C. Murdock as bishop.
  • 1898. Once the site of the largest silver-mining camp in the country, Park City was virtually destroyed by fire.
  • 1900's. The basin at the top of the canyon in Park City was good for grazing, and a few families settled there. Early on, the area was deeded to Samuel Snyder, Heber C. Kimball and Jedediah oGrant. The settlers named it "Parley's Park City", which was shortened to "Park City" in the early 1900s.
  • 1902. Tragedy struck when 34 miners were killed in an explosion in the Day West Mine in Park City.
  • 1947. Midway Swiss Days brings thousands of people to the town. The event was started through the efforts of Luke's Hot Pots Resort owners, Joseph B. and Pauline S. Erwin and was originally called Harvest Days.
  • 1950's. While silver was thriving in Utah, other mines across the world were depleted, drawing many of these miners to Park City. The town flourished with crowds of miners and wealth. However, the city nearly became a ghost town by the end of the 1950s because of a drop in the price of silver, and the determent of World War I and the Great Depression.

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Wasatch County, Utah online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County

 

Census Records

  • See Utah Census for databases to territorial and federal Censuses.
Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1870 1,244 —
1880 2,927 135.3%
1890 3,595 22.8%
1900 4,786 33.1%
1910 8,920 86.4%
1920 4,625 −48.2%
1930 5,636 21.9%
1940 5,754 2.1%
1950 5,574 −3.1%
1960 5,308 −4.8%
1970 5,863 10.5%
1980 8,523 45.4%
1990 10,089 18.4%
2000 15,215 50.8%
2010 23,530 54.7%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)

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The usage of "Mormon" and "LDS" on this page is approved according to current policy.


Historically, most people in Utah were Latter-day Saints. Their records are, therefore, very important for early Utah research. For additional information, see Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors and Utah Church Records.

Guide to history and records of wards and branches of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Stake(s): Wasatch Stake, Utah

Places: Charleston · Daniel · Heber · Midway · Wallsburg List of Wasatch County stakes and wards to about 1948

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Online Court Indexes and Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

UTGenWeb has an index to pedigrees found in "Bookcase A."

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

Named for a Ute Indian word, meaning mountain pass or low place in the high mountains. The county seat is Heber City. It is largest city in the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

Migration

Military Records

Civil War

World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers

Wasatch Wave, covering 1889 - 1922 is included.

Obituaries

Other Records

Prisons

Periodicals

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

Vital Records

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Voting Records

Research Facilities

Archives

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Wasatch County Library
465 East 1200 South
Heber City, UT 84032-3943
435-654-1511
Website

See also Utah Public Library Directory, which provides links to library web pages, addresses, phone numbers, hours, and maps. Does not mention holdings.

Museums

Societies

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Wasatch, Utah" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasatch_County,_Utah accessed 5 Dec 2018
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wasatch County, Utah Page 688 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wasatch County, Utah . Page 686-688 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 676-677.
  4. ↑ Wasatch County, Utah Newberry Library
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FSC Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Wasatch County, Utah," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasatch_County,_Utah, accessed 17 February 2019.
  7. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
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