Utah Territorial Records: Difference between revisions

[[United States]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Utah]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] Utah Territorial Records<br>  

The [[Utah]] Territory lasted longer than most territories because of political issues between the local residents and the federal government. The territory began in 1850 and continued until 1896, when Utah became a state.  

[[Utah]] began keeping birth and death records in 1898, two years after statehood. Finding birth and death records in the territorial period can be difficult. The territorial government authorized cities to record births and deaths in 1860. Alternate sources for vital record events are county probate court records, federal district court records, church records, and newspapers.  

County clerks in [[Utah]] started recording marriages in 1887. Finding a marriage record before 1887 can be as difficult as births and deaths. Check the same alternate sources listed for births and deaths.  

Federal laws, territorial statutes, and local events affected the families and records of [[Utah]]. The following events highlight these milestones.  

The [[Utah]] territorial government kept many records that are useful to family historians. The major sources include court records, land records, military records, and mining records.  

Three district courts were created in 1850 at the same time that [[Utah]] became a territory. The territorial legislature granted county probate courts jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases and over chancery matters. The clerk of the probate court, also known as the county clerk, attended all sessions of the court and kept records of the court until 1878. The federal government restricted the probate courts to matters of estates and guardianship, removing all civil, chancery, and criminal jurisdiction. Probate courts maintained concurrent jurisdiction with the district courts over suits of divorce until 1887. Probate courts were abolished entirely at statehood in 1896.  

From 1847 to 1869, land ownership was based on the [[Utah]] territorial land policies, which did not comply with federal laws. In 1869 Congressional legislation called for the establishment of a land office in Utah and reconciliation of land titles. Because of conflict between Utah Territory and the federal government, the first land office did not open in Utah until 1869. For the first 22 years after settlement, the national land system did not extend to Utah Territory, but the Utah Territorial Assembly governed land ownership in Utah. The territorial government established methods of surveying and acquiring title. These practices and the documents they created were recognized in Utah Territory, but they did not provide Utah settlers with federally recognized legal title to land. The territorial government also established county recorders as keepers of land records, and in 1888 the Territorial Assembly defined certain indexes and finding aids, which county recorders were required to keep. Reconciliation between the territorial and federal land distribution systems required Congressional legislation to establish a land office in Salt Lake City, integrate Utah Territory into the national land system, and provide relief to the inhabitants of cities and towns on the public domain. Subsequent legislation provided the additional opportunity to acquire land through the Desert Land Act.