Wayne County, Utah Genealogy

United States

Utah

Wayne County

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

Utah Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Loa Organized: March 10, 1892 Parent County(s): Piute Neighboring Counties Emery • Garfield • Grand • Piute • San Juan • Sevier • See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Blue John Canyon, Wayne County, Utah

County Information

Description

The county was named from Wayne County, Tennessee. The county is located in the south center area of the state.

County Courthouse

Wayne County Courthouse
18 South Main Street
Loa, UT 84747
Phone: 435-836-1301
Wayne County Courthouse

County Clerk has some birth and death records 1898-1927 and marriage, divorce, and probate records from 1898.
County Recorder has land records from 1898.

Wayne County, Utah Record Dates

Known Beginning Wayne for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1898	1898	1898	1898	1898	1898	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

Parent County(s): Created from Piute County on Mar 10, 1892. County Seat:Loa Utah Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Utah Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Utah 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:

Towns
Bicknell Hanksville	Loa (county seat) Lyman	Torrey
Unincorporated communities
Caineville	Grover
Census-designated places
Fremont	Teasdale
Ghost towns
Fruita	Giles

History Timeline

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

• 1853-54 Fremont was named after the explorer John C. Fremont, who passed through on his last and near fatal winter expedition to the west. It lies along State Route 72 just northeast of the town of Loa.
• 1879 A.K. Thurber, built the first house in Thurber.
• 1880s Torrey is established as a town by Latter-day Saint settlers, and initially known as Youngstown, after John Willard Young. Located on State Route 24 in, eight miles from Capitol Reef National Park.
• 1881 More cattlemen settled along Fish Creek. These early settlers referred to their settlement as Carcass Creek (now Grover).
• 1885 Hanksville took the name, after Ebenezer Hanks, who was the leader of the group of pioneers who established the small Latter-day Saint settlement.
• 1887 The Latter-day Saint residents in Carcass Creek were organized into a congregation called the Carcass Creek Branch.
• 1890s The growing town of Carcass Creek was granted a post office, and the name was changed to Grover in honor of U.S. President Grover Cleveland.
• 1892 Wayne County was created 10 March 1892 from Piute County. Most of its towns were settled after 1880 because of the remote location and limited resources. County seat: Loa
• 1893 Lyman was originally known as East Loa and became a distinct place from Loa.The original townsite was changed to the present location at the advice of Apostle Francis M. Lyman and was named in honor of him.
• 1897 The town of Thurber moved to a new location due to sandy soil and poor water conditions and became Bicknell, a town along State Route 24 in Wayne County, Utah, United States.
• 1900 The first log school/church/community building was built in Grover.
• 1914 Thomas W. Bicknell, a wealthy eastern author, historian, and Education Commissioner for Rhode Island, offered a thousand-volume library to any Utah town that would rename itself after him. The town of Grayson also wanted the library prize, so in a compromise in 1916, Grayson took the name of Blanding, Mr. Bicknell's wife's maiden name, as a tribute to her parents. The two towns split the library, each receiving 500 books.

Resources

Bible Records

• See Utah Bible Records for more databases and information.

Biographies

• See Utah Biography for more information.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• See Utah Business and Occupations for more databases and information.

Cemeteries

• See Utah Cemeteries for more databases.

Cemeteries of Wayne County, Utah online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find a Grave UTGravestones BillionGraves USGW Cemeteries Tombstone Project Utah Cemeteries and Burials
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find a Grave FamilySearch Places
See Utah Cemeteries for more information.

• Territorial-1966 Utah, Veterans with Federal Service Buried in Utah, Territorial to 1966 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Cemetery Records -- Wayne County, Utah, by Genealogical Society of Utah. (FS Library US/CAN Book #979.254, V3c)

Census Records

• See Utah Census for databases to territorial and federal Censuses.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	1,907	—
1910	1,749	−8.3%
1920	2,097	19.9%
1930	2,067	−1.4%
1940	2,394	15.8%
1950	2,205	−7.9%
1960	1,728	−21.6%
1970	1,483	−14.2%
1980	1,911	28.9%
1990	2,177	13.9%
2000	2,509	15.3%
2010	2,778	10.7%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

• See Utah Church Records and United States Church Records for databases and more information.

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

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

• 1877-1918 Utah, LDS Mission Calls and Recommendations, 1877-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

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.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
  

Court Records

• For county court records such as land, naturalization, and probate, see corresponding headings listed below.
• For additional information on Utah court records, see Utah Court Records, Utah Land Records, Utah Naturalization Records, and Utah Probate Records.

Directories

• See Utah Directories for more databases and information.
• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Emigration and Immigration

• See Utah Emigration and Immigration for databases and more information.

• 1847-1868 Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1847-1868 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & links to images

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

• See Utah Cultural Groups for more information.

Genealogies

• See Utah Compiled Genealogies for more information.

Land and Property Records

• See Utah Land and Property and United States Land and Property for more information.
• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

• See Utah History for more information.

• Murphy, Miriam B. A history of Wayne County, Utah Centennial County History Series
• Grit Enough to Stick With It Stories from Blue Valley, edited and introduced by Kent Davis & Kristen Rogers Utah Historical Quarterly Summer 2000 vol. 68 no 3 pg 223
  
• A History of Wayne County online at Marriott Library Digital Archives.
  
• Wayne County Histories

The FamilySearch Library has two Wayne County histories in its collection in Salt Lake City, Utah which can be accessed by visiting the Library. These books may also be available through interlibrary loan.

• A History of Wayne County, by Mariam B Murphy (a Utah Historical Society publication) 979.254 H2m. It can also be purchased at the County Clerk's office in Loa.
  
  
• Rainbow Views: a History of Wayne County, by Anne Snow (a Daughters of Utah Pioneers publication) 979.254 H2s 1977.
  

Hanksville was a supply post for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch, who would hide out at Robbers Roost in the desert southeast of town.

Maps and Gazetteers

• See Utah Maps and United States Maps for more information.

See Utah Gazetteers

• Google highway map of Wayne County 2012
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration

• See Utah Migration for more information.

Military Records

• See Utah Military Records and United States Military Records for more databases and information.

• Territorial-1966 Utah, Veterans with Federal Service Buried in Utah, Territorial to 1966 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Civil War

• 1861-1865 Utah, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images at Partner site

World War I

• 1914-1918 Utah, World War I Army Servicemen Records Abstracts, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1914-1918 Utah, World War I Service Questionnaires, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1917-1918 Utah, World War I County Draft Board Registers, Name Index, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1917-1918 Utah, World War I Militia Lists, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1917-1918 USGenWeb Archives Wayne County, Utah lists approximately 426 names of WWI draftees from 1917 to 1918 and approximately 149 names of WWII Army enlistments.

World War II

• 1939-1945 Utah, World War II Index to Army Veterans of Utah, 1939-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• USGenWeb Archives Wayne County, Utah lists approximately 426 names of WWI draftees from 1917 to 1918 and approximately 149 names of WWII Army enlistments.

Naturalization and Citizenship

• See Utah Naturalization and Citizenship and United States Naturalization and Citizenship for more databases and information.

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1848-2001 Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1906-1930 Utah Naturalization Records, 1906-1930 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1906-1930 Utah, Federal Naturalization Records, 1906-1930 at Ancestry- index & images ($)

Newspapers

• See Utah Newspapers and United States Newspapers for more databases.

• 1800s-Current Utah, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1850-2003 Utah Newspapers, 1850-2003 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Obituaries

• See Utah Obituaries and United States Obituaries for more databases.

• 1850-2005 Utah, Obituaries from Utah Newspapers, 1850-2005 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & links to images
• 2010-2013 Utah, U.S., Obituary Index, 2010-2013 at Ancestry - index ($)

Other Records

Prisons

• 1892-1949 Board of Pardons Prisoners' Pardon Application Case Files, 1892-1949 at Utah Division of Archives and Records Service – index & images

Periodicals

• See Utah Periodicals

Probate Records

• See Utah Probate Records for more databases and information.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1800-1985 Utah Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1851–1961 Utah Probate Records 1851-1961 at FamilySearch — images
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

• See Utah Taxation for more databases.

Vital Records

Birth

• 1898-1905 Series #84084 at Utah State Archives. Not online, no online index. The child's name is written in the remarks column in the records.
• 1903-1914 Utah, Birth Certificates, 1903-1914 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1906-1910 1906-1910 online images

Marriage

• 1805-1992 Utah, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
• 1887-1937 Utah, County Marriages, 1887-1937 at MyHeritage - index ($)
• 1871-1941 Utah, County Marriages, 1871-1941 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1887-1999 Utah, Marriages, 1887-1999 at MyHeritage — index ($)
• Western States Marriage Index at BYU-Idaho — includes some divorces and alternative sources

Death

• 1904-1965 Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Pre-1904 Utah State Burial Data Base This site includes information on many Utah residents, who died before 1904.

Voting Records

• Utah, Voter Registrations at MyHeritage — index ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

• See Utah Archives and Libraries for more information.

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

• Boulder Utah FamilySearch Center
• Circleville Utah FamilySearch Center
• Escalante Utah Ward FamilySearch Center
• Loa Utah FamilySearch Center
• Monroe Utah FamilySearch Center
• Panguitch Utah FamilySearch Center
• Tropic Utah FamilySearch Center

Libraries

• See Utah Archives and Libraries for more information.

• Tri-County Bookmobile
  79 N 100 W
  Bicknell, UT 84715
  Phone: 435-425-3170
  Website
  

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

Societies

• See Utah Societies for statewide societies.
• Wayne County Historical Society
  Facebook Page

Websites

• 1848-2001 Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Wayne County UTGenWeb, Utah GenWeb
• Wayne USGW Archive, Utah USGW Archive

• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

County boundary maps are currently unavailable. Download information instead.

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