Beaver County, Utah Genealogy

United States

Utah

Beaver County

Guide to Beaver County, Utah ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage and death records, cemeteries, census, church records, probate records, and obituaries—resources to find parents and family history since 1856, when the county was formed.

Parowan Gap, Iron County, Utah

Utah Online Genealogy Records

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Beaver County, Utah
Map
Location in the state of Utah, United States Genealogy
Location of Utah in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	January 10, 1856
County Seat	Beaver
Courthouse
Address	County Administration Building Post Office Box 392 105 East Center Beaver UT 84713
Website: www.beaver.utah.gov
Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: Utah Genealogical Association who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Facts

Description

The County was named for the abundance of beavers in the area. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Court House

Beaver County Courthouse
105 E Center, PO Box 392
Beaver, Ut 84713-0392
Phone: 435-438-6463

County Clerk has birth records 1897-1905, divorce records from 1871, probate records from 1872 and court records from 1856. The Beaver City Office has burned records.

Beaver County, Utah Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1897	1887	1900	1856	1867	1872	1851
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1905. General compliance by 1917.

Records Loss

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

Parent Counties

Beaver County, Utah Genealogy was created Jan 10, 1856 from: Iron and Millard Counties.

Boundary Changes

For animated maps illustrating Utah County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Utah County Boundary Maps" (1849-1960) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

See BEAVER UT: Index of Counties... from Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, for a timeline of boundary changes for Beaver County, Utah Genealogy.

Neighboring Counties

Beaver County, Utah Genealogy is surrounded by: Garfield · Iron · Millard · Piute · Sevier counties in Utah and Lincoln County, Nevada

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:

Cities
Beaver (county seat)
Towns
Milford	Mindersville
Unincorporated communities
Adamsville	Greenville	Manderfield
Ghost towns
Cunningham Hill Frisco	Newhouse	Sulpherdale

Resources

The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to Beaver County, Utah Genealogy entries with names, images, or information.

Bible Records

The term "Bible records" refers to the practice of keeping family dates and events in a family Bible. This was a common practice in many European countries and carried over to America. Many of these family Bible records are still in existence and preserved by the descendants of the immigrants. In some cases these family Bibles have found their way into libraries and other repositories.

For an explanation of how to find Bible records and for helpful links see Utah Bible Records. See also United States Bible Records.

Biography

Pioneers of Beaver County, Dorigatti, Barbara Thompson. Salt Lake City, Utah: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 2002

Business Records and Commerce

See United States Business Records
See also Utah Occupation and Business Records

Mining Industry

The mining industry in Beaver county created several boom towns, most of which are now ghost towns.

• List of Mines in Beaver County

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
FindAGrave	Family History Library	FindAGrave
UTGravestones	WorldCat	Interment
Billion Graves (name)	Utah Periodicals	Utah Cemeteries and Burials
Billion Graves (cemetery)		Linkpendium
		Genealogy Trails
		Hometown Locator
		FamilySearch Places
See Utah Cemeteries for more information.

Cemetery records often reveal birth, death, relationship, military, and religious information. The spouse and children who died young are frequently buried nearby.

More than tombstone inscriptions, cemetery records include sextons (caretakers) records and interment (burial) records, each with slightly different information. See Utah Cemeteries.

• Beaver County Interment Register, 1865–1986, part of Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001, a FamilySearch digital images collection.
• To 1966 - Utah, Veterans with Federal Service Buried in Utah, Territorial to 1966 at FamilySearch — index and images

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	785	—
1870	2,007	155.7%
1880	3,918	95.2%
1890	3,340	−14.8%
1900	3,613	8.2%
1910	4,717	30.6%
1920	5,139	8.9%
1930	5,136	−0.1%
1940	5,014	−2.4%
1950	4,856	−3.2%
1960	4,331	−10.8%
1970	3,800	−12.3%
1980	4,378	15.2%
1990	4,765	8.8%
2000	6,005	26.0%
2010	6,629	10.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Census records 1850 and later list names, ages, and places of birth (state or nation) for everyone in the household. Censuses locate the family and have other clues to find more records about them.

• See Utah Census for online indexes and images of US federal censuses. of: 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940.
• See statewide printed indexes, including 1856.
• Check county indexes when online indexes fail. Created by people who knew the families of the area, they are often more accurate and they may have added insights. See periodicals and local libraries or other record holders.

Churches and Religious Groups

The information given in church records depends upon the practices of each religious group. Most include the names of members, often with ages and birth places. Several give birth, christening, or blessing dates for infants. See Utah Church Records for details about various denominations.

• Church records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed for Beaver County, Utah Genealogy at the town level (space, then select a town) or county level (select Church topics) in the FamilySearch Library Catalog.

Catholic

Episcopal

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.

Early church records, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for Beaver County Wards and Branches can be found on film and are located at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

• 1877-1918 - Utah LDS Mission Calls and Recommendations 1877-1918 at FamilySearch — index

Beaver County wards and branches: history and records

Stakes: Beaver Stake, Utah (covers the entire county) Places: Adamsville · Beaver · Frisco · Grampton: See Frisco · Greenville · Manderfield · Milford · Minersville · Newhouse · North Creek ·

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Court Records

Many of your ancestors may be found in court records as defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, or jurors. Court records can establish family relationships and places of residence, occupations, and other family history information. See Utah Court Records for the various courts through the years.

For specialized court records, see Divorce  · Guardianship  · Land  · Naturalization  · Probate

Directories

See Utah Directories

Emigration and Immigration

• 1847-1868 - Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1847-1868 at FamilySearch — index

Ethnic and Other Groups

Funeral Homes

Southern Utah Mortuary
195 North 90 East
Beaver, UT 84713
Phone: 877-438-2201
Fax: 435-438-2323

298 South 100 West
Milford, UT 84751
Phone: 435-5886-4040
Toll Free Phone: 888-586-4040
Fax: 435-586-4343

Gazetteers

See Utah Gazetteers

• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Genealogy

A FamilySearch Community Tree is available for this place.

Guardianship

Guardianship of orphans or adults unable to manage their own affairs were handled by the probate and the Federal District courts. See Utah Court Records.

History

• Bradley, Martha Sonntag. A history of Beaver County, Utah Centennial County History Series of Utah State Historical Society.
• Histories are listed in the FamilySearch Library catalog for Beaver County, Utah Genealogy.

History Timeline

See UT: Index of Counties... from Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, for a timeline of boundary changes for Beaver County, Utah Genealogy.

Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia for Beaver County, Utah and towns within the county.

• 1776. Southern Piute Indians inhabited the area when the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition visited the area.
• 1856 January. Beaver County created by the Utah Territorial Legislature from Iron and Millard Counties.
• 1856. Latter-day Saint settlers from Cedar City founded the city of Beaver, Utah. By 1869, there were enough people to organize a stake.
• 1873. Ft. Cameron was established by the U.S. Army and abandoned after World War I (1914-1918).
• 1880. Arrival of the Utah Southern Railroad increased development.
• 1880s. Mining increased development. Mining declined after World War I (1914-1918).
• 1918-. After World War I ended, Ft. Cameron was abandoned and mining declined.

Land and Property

Land records (especially deeds) often give the name of a spouse, heir, other relatives, or other clues for further research. They often have other clues for further research, such as witnesses or the other parties who may be relatives or in-laws. See Utah Land and Property for more.

• County Recorder's Office: check deeds, file mining claims, get assistance in finding ownership of a particular property, and obtain copies of county plat maps. This office has county plat records dating back to 1878, prior records having been destroyed in a fire.

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Google highway map of Beaver County 2012
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Migration

Early migration routes to and from Beaver County, Utah Genealogy for emigrant settlers included:

• Mormon Trail 1846 to 1869 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah
• Mormon Trail to Southern California 1847 from Salt Lake City, Utah to Los Angeles, California
• Union Pacific Railroad 1869 Ogden, Utah (among others) to Omaha, Nebraska

Military

• To 1966 - Utah, Veterans with Federal Service Buried in Utah, Territorial to 1966 at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War

• 1861-1865 - Utah, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index

World War I

• 1914-1918 - Utah, World War I Army Servicemen Records Abstracts, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — index
• 1914-1918 - Utah, World War I Service Questionnaires, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — index
• 1917-1918 - Utah, World War I County Draft Board Registers, Name Index, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — index
• 1917-1918 - Utah, World War I Militia Lists, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — index

World War II

• World War II (1941–1945) army enlistments at the county GenWeb site has about 400 entries, mostly from Beaver and Salt Lake Counties. Key (at end of the list)explains codes and columns. Gives year and state of birth. Free.
• 1929-1954 - Utah, World War II Index to Army Veterans of Utah, 1939-1945 at FamilySearch — index
• 1940-1945 - Utah, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1947 at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship

Declarations of Intent before 1906 often include the nation of origin, his* foreign and "Americanized" names, residence, and date of arrival. See Utah Naturalization and Citizenship for more information.
* 'Note:' Women were not naturalized until 1922 in the United States.)

• 1874-1942 - Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001, part of Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001, a FamilySearch digital images collection.
• 1906-1930 - Utah Naturalization Records, 1906-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

Small town newspapers contain obituaries, birth or death notices, community news (such as the visit of someone's relatives), legal notices and provide historical content. See Utah newspapers for tips, resources, and details.

Resources include:

• 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 Beaver County, Utah Genealogy.
  • The Southern Utonian and Beaver City Press, covering 1881-1929 are included.
• List of existing copies of. newspapers for Beaver 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:

• Newspapers of Beaver County, Utah Genealogy
• Local Funeral Homes, Societies, Libraries, or in family records.
• Obituaries of neighboring counties: Garfield, Iron, Millard, Piute, and Sevier counties in Utah and Lincoln County, Nevada
• Newspapers of major cities: Deseret News and/or The Salt Lake Tribune both in Salt Lake City

Online Records

• 1850 – 2005 Utah, Obituaries from Utah Newspapers, 1850-2005 at FamilySearch — index

Periodicals

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 cases include court actions regarding property and estates of individuals who have died. Records may locate relatives, provide death dates, and identify property. See Utah Probate Records for more information.

Online Probate Records

• 1800 – 1985 Utah Wills and Probate Records 1800-1985 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• 1851 – 1961 Utah Probate Records 1851-1961 at FamilySearch — images

Public Records

Taxation

Vital Records

Vital records of birth, marriage, death, and divorce are created by civil (state, county, or city) officials. See Utah Vital Records for details and history of the records.

See also How to order Utah Vital Records or download an application for Utah Birth Certificate, Marriage or Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Applications to mail.

• Vital records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch Library Catalog for Beaver County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see Archives, Libraries, etc.

Birth

Below are the best sources to find birth information (dates and places of birth and names of parents) for Beaver 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:

Birth before 1856

Beaver County, Utah Genealogy was formed in January 10, 1856.

      If your records show the person was born here before the county was formed,
      search Parent Counties.

Birth 1856 - 1897

No birth records were created for Beaver 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.

Birth 1898 - present

County clerks became responsible for recording births beginning in 1898. In 1905, the State Department of Health assumed responsibility and required the counties to forward copies of the records to them.

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.

• 1897 - 1905 -Online index to births 1897–1905 Series 83773 for Beaver County, Utah Genealogy by the Utah State Archives. (Free) Search by names of parents, as many entries do not give the child's name. Each entry includes date of birth, sex, residence, etc. There is one record of birth for December 1897.

• 1903 - 1914 - Utah, Birth Certificates, 1903-1914 at FamilySearch — index and images
  • FamilySearch Library copy: FHL film 485235 item 1-2 .
  • Idea: use censuses and church records to learn those missing children's names.
• 1906 - 1910 - 1906-1910 online images for Beaver 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.

• Southwest Utah Public Health Department (Beaver County) PO BOX G Beaver, UT 84713 Phone: (435) 438-2108

____________________

Marriage

• 1805-1992 - Utah, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1887-1940 - Utah, County Marriages, 1887-1940 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1887-1937 - Western States Marriage Index. Includes Beaver County 1887-1937. See also Statewide collections.
  

Divorce

Divorce records give the names of the parties and may give the date and place of their marriage. See Utah Vital Records for excellent information.

• Divorce records (microfilmed originals or published transcripts) are listed in the FamilySearch Library Catalog for Beaver County, Utah Genealogy. For other libraries (local and national) or to gain access to items of interest, see Archives, Libraries, etc.

Death

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, birth date, parents, gender, marital status, spouse and place of residence.

• Before 1900 - Utah State Burial Index (Free)
• 1900-1905 - Beaver County Death Registers (1900-1905) online at Utah State Archives. (Free)
  • Beaver County, Utah Deaths, 1900-05 at Ancestry.com. ($)
• 1904 - 1964 Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1964 at FamilySearch — index and images

Death Record Substitutes

• 1870 - U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 at Ancestry ($). Includes 1870 Beaver County, Utah Genealogy mortality schedule.
  

Voting Registers

Websites

Links to indexes or images of records:

• FamilySearch.org. Collections are growing at record rates.
  • Also see Utah to search items that include Beaver County, Utah Genealogy.
• Beaver County, UT History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Utah Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• UTGenWeb
• Ancestry.com ($) Card Catalog likely lists Beaver County records.

Links to Beaver County, Utah Genealogy collections:

• FamilySearch Library Catalog
  • Beaver County, Utah Genealogy (Select topics)
  • Towns in Beaver County, Utah Genealogy (Space, then select town)
• Worldcat (FamilySearch Catalog will be incorporated in oclc)

See also Archives, Libraries, etc. and Utah Archives and Libraries for other catalogs to search.

Sites that gather links to the Internet

• Linkpendium
• CyndisList

Archives, Libraries, etc.

Resources for Beaver County, Utah Genealogy are available in libraries, archives, and other repositories at all levels: the town, the county, the state (including universities), and the nation.

• Check websites and catalogs, such as items in FamilySearch Library (Utah) or Allen County Public Library (Indiana) for Beaver County, Utah Genealogy. When you find items you'd like to access, see Get a Copy

See these headings for Beaver County, Utah Genealogy details: Courthouse · FamilySearch Centers · Libraries · Museums · Other Repositories · Societies

Courthouse

Beaver County, Utah Website
County Administration Building
Post Office Box 392
105 East Center
Beaver UT 84713 Beaver County doesn't have a main switchboard, and each department has its own mailing address. To get individual phone numbers, fax numbers, and mailing addresses, go to that department's page or check the Officials page.

FamilySearch Centers

Family History 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 family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

• Introduction to Family History Centers

• Beaver Utah Family History Center
• Milford Utah Family History Center
• Minersville Utah Family History Center

Libraries

Local public libraries usually have histories, genealogies, indexes of cemeteries, copies of local newspapers, or other records for the area they serve. Many libraries in Utah have an area dedicated to local collections and manuscripts.

• Beaver Public Library; 55 W Center Street, Beaver, Utah 84713-1092; Phone 435-438-5274; Fax 435-438-5826
  • Collections:
• Milford Public Library; 100 W 400 S, Milford, Utah 84751; Phone: 435-387-5039; Fax: 435-387-5027
  • Collections:
• Minersville Public Library; 40 W. Main, Minersville, Utah 84752-0250; Phone: 435-386-2267; Fax: 435-386-1813
  • Collections:

Museums

Other repositories

• List of Utah Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

Societies

Towns and Communities

The mining industry in Beaver county created several boom towns, most of which are now ghost towns.

References

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