Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy

United States UtahWasatch County

Dates for major county records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Census	Land	Probate
1898-present	1887-present	1898-present	1870, 1880...	1862-present	1883-present
For earlier dates, try...Church | Obituaries | Cemeteries | Parent counties

Wasatch County, Utah
Map
Location in the state of Utah
Location of Utah in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	January 17, 1862
County Seat	Heber City
Courthouse
Website: www.co.wasatch.ut.us
Named for: [1]
Template:Adoption Utah Genealogical Association

County Courthouse

Wasatch County Administration Building
25 North Main Street
Heber City, Ut 84032
Phone: 435-654-3211

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.

Parent Counties

Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy was created January 17, 1862 from: Davis | Green River (old)

Neighboring Counties

Wasatch County, Utah Genealogyis surrounded by: Duchesne | Salt Lake | Summit | Utah

Resources

Biography

• Biographies (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch LibraryCatalog for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see public libraries.

Cemeteries

• Cemetery Records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch LibraryCatalog for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see public libraries.

Wasatch county cemeteries at the Utah State Historial site

USGenWeb Archives contains names of individuals buried in the Heber City Cemetery.

• Midway City Cemetery, Midway BillionGraves

Census

The 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 U.S. federal population schedules of Wasatch County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Utah Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in national indexes, try checking local indexes. Created by experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than nationwide indexes.

See Utah Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.

• 1870
• 1880
• 1890
• 1900
• 1910
• 1920
• 1930

Church Records

• Church Records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch LibraryCatalog for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see public libraries.

LDS Ward and Branch Records

• Buysville
• Center
• Charleston
• Daniel
• Daniel's Creek
• Elkhorn
• Heber
• Heber 1
• Heber 2
• Heber 3
• Heber 4
• Heber E.
• Heber W.
• Midway
• Midway 1
• Midway 2
• Wallsburg

Early church records, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for Wasatch County Wards and Branches can be found on film and are located at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The film numbers, for each ward, can be locate through the Family History Library Catalog at https://www.familysearch.org/. Or by refering to Jaussi, Laureen R., and Gloria D. Chaston. Register of Genealogical Society Call Numbers. 2 vols. Provo, Utah: Genealogy Tree, 1982. (FHL book 979.2258 A3j; fiche 6031507). These volumes contain the film numbers for many (but not all) membership and temple record films.

Court Records

• Court Records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch LibraryCatalog for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see public libraries.

Funeral Homes

Olpin-Hoopes Funeral Home
288 North Main St.
Heber City, Utah 84032
Phone: 435-654-1161

Genealogy

A FamilySearch Community Tree is available for this place.

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

History

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.

• Histories (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch LibraryCatalog for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see public libraries.

History Timeline

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

• 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 Mormon apostle 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
• 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 Grant. 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.

Historical Facts

Wasatch county was named for a Ute Indian word meaning mountain pass or low place in the high mountains

Land and Property

• Land and Property Records(microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch LibraryCatalog for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see public libraries.

Herdsmen branded their cattle to keep track of stray animals. A 1913 directory displays the marks used by various Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy cattle owners:

• Peterson, H.F. Brand Directory, Comprising Davis, Weber, Summit, Morgan, Wasatch, Part of Utah and Part of Uintah Counties. Wanship, Utah: H.F. Peterson, 1913. Digital version at Internet Archive.

Maps

Google highway map of Wasatch County 2012

Military

• Military Records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch LibraryCatalog for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see public libraries.

Naturalization and Citizenship

• Wasatch County, Utah Naturalization Record Books, 1896-1906 Ancestry.com ($) Cites as its data source: Utah State Archives and Records Service. Series 84056.
  
• Wasatch County, Utah Citizenship Certificate Stubs, 1907-1924 Ancestry.com ($) Cites as its data source: Utah State Archives and Records Service. Series 85182.
  
• Naturalization and Citizenship Records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch LibraryCatalog for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see public libraries.

Newspapers

• Utah Digital Newspapers Project presents newspaper images online. Search All Newspapers by name or keywords, or Browse by County to view all newspapers digitized for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy.
  • Wasatch Wave, covering 1889 - 1922 is included.
• Existing copies of newspapers. newspapers for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy] are listed in Chronicling America by Library of Congress (LOC).
  • The list by dates and towns (from Chronicling America)

Obituaries

Obituaries may mention birth, marriage, spouse, parents, and living family members. See Utah Obituaries for state level compendiums and United States Obituaries for tips and insights regarding this record type.

Obituaries for residents may be found in:

• Pre-1960 - Wasatch County Pre-1960 Obituary Index at UTGenWeb - free.
• Newspapers of Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy
• Local Funeral Homes, Societies, Libraries, or in family records.
• Obituaries of neighboring counties
• Newspapers of major cities: Deseret News and/or The Salt Lake Tribune both in Salt Lake City

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

In Utah, such records may be difficult to find. Try records of the church they may have attended. Realize, however, that such records may have not been preserved, and would not be in the typical records of membership.

It is possible there were records kept by civilian authorities. Ask town or county officials and local librarians and the State Archives. Also try National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (online).

Probate Records

• Probate Records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch LibraryCatalog for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see public libraries.

Resource Repositories

Courthouses

www.co.wasatch.ut.us/
Wasatch County Courthouse
25 North Main
Heber City, Utah 84032
Clerk/Auditor phone (435) 657-3190

Libraries

• Archives and Libraries - Inventories, registers, catalogs(microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch LibraryCatalog for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see public libraries.

Vital Records

• Vital Records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch LibraryCatalog for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see public libraries.

Birth

Below are the best sources to find birth information (dates and places of birth and names of parents) for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy. Also available: How to Find Birth Information in Utah.

Follow the suggestions under the year span that matches when your ancestor was born:

Before 1862

Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy was formed on 17 January 1862.

     If your records show the person was born here before the county was formed, 
      search parent counties

1862-1897

No birth records were created for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy by either by county or state civil authorities in this time period.

Follow these suggestions to find birth information for this time period:

• Utah Death Certificates 1904-1961 give birth date and place (recorded at the time of death), names of parents, and name of spouse. Search by names or by exact death date.
• Church records usually give birth date and place and names of parents.
• See also other records that give birth information, such as Death records, Census, Cemeteries, Obituaries
• See also neighboring counties for birth information, due to family members living in that area, religious preferences, convenience, and other reasons.

1898-present

Records open to the public

Birth records created more than 100 years ago State Department of Health Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates page. are open to the public.

• 1898-1905 Series #83881 at Utah State Archives. Not online, no online index.
  • FamilySearch Library copy: FSL film 483507 . There are no names of children in the records.
  • Idea: use censuses and church records to learn those missing children's names.
• 1906-1910 online images for Wasatch County, Utah Genealogy at the State Archives. Browse the "not yet indexed" area by year and county. Most entries do have names of children.
  
  • Later records open to the public are housed at the Utah State Archives, but not online.
• Online Utah, Births and Christenings, 1892-1941, a FamilySearch Historical Records Collection. .

Restricted records

Access to official birth records within 100 years is restricted to those who meet certain requirements. Order copies:

• Office of Vital Records and Statistics, 288 North 1460 West, Salt Lake City, Utah, Phone: (801) 538-6105. How to order online, by mail, or in person.

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Marriage

• 1887-2001 - Wasatch County Marriage Licenses Index (1887-2001) at UTGenWeb - free.
  

• 1887-1906 - Western States Marriage Index. Includes Wasatch County 1887-1906.

• 1916-present - Marriage License Lookup (Beta Version at Wasatch County Government site - free.
  

Death

Utah Death Certificates 1904 - 1956 -A free internet access to the 1904-1956 death certificates can be viewed on the https://www.familysearch.org/ . Utah requires a death certificate before a burial is completed. A death certificate may contain information as to the name of the deceased, date of death, and place of death, as well as the age, birthdate, parents, gender, marital status, spouse and place of residence.

Utah State Burial Index for death before 1904

USGenWeb Archives contain the vital records of births in Wasatch County 1917-1918

Towns and Communities

• Cities: Heber City | Midway

• Unincorporated Communities: Bryants Fork | Buysville | Center Creek | Charleston | Cranmer | Daniel | Hailstone | Jordanelle | Keetley | Mound City | Mountain Spa | Parkview | Soapstone | Soldier Summit | Three Forks | Timber Lakes | Wallsburg

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

A national directory from the Library of Congress that lists of libraries around the country that have the newspapers in their collections.