Sevier County, Utah Genealogy

United States

Utah

Sevier County

Guide to Sevier 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 1865, when the county was formed.

Cathedral & Needle Mountains, Sevier County, UT

Utah Online Genealogy Records

Quick start:

• Census
• Birth
• Marriage
• Death
• Church

Sevier County, Utah
Map
Location in the state of Utah, United States Genealogy
Location of Utah in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	January 16, 1865
County Seat	Richfield
Courthouse
Address	250 North Main Street Richfield, Utah 84701
Website: www.sevierutah.net
Named for: [1]
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 Sevier River, which winding path forms its western boundary. The County is located in the center area of the state.

County Courthouse

Sevier County Courthouse
250 North Main P O Box 517
Richfield, Ut 84701
Phone: 435-893-0401

County Clerk has birth and death records 1898-1905, marriage records, naturalization records 1850-1898.
State court has divorce, probate and court records, military discharge records from 1942.

Sevier County, Utah Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1898	1850	1898	1865	1942	1865	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

Sevier County, Utah Genealogy was created January 16, 1865 from: Sanpete

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.

• Boundary changes timeline for Sevier County, Utah Genealogy from "UT: Index of Counties," Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

Neighboring Counties

Sevier County, Utah Genealogy is surrounded by: Beaver | Emery | Millard | Piute | Sanpete | Wayne

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
Aurora Monroe	Richfield (county seat)	Salina
Towns
Annabella Central Valley Elsinore	Glenwood Joseph Koosharem	Redmond Sigurd
Unincorporated communities
Burrville	Sevier	Venice
Native American communities
Paiute Reservation‡
Ghost towns
Prattville

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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 Sevier 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

Business Records and Commerce

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

Cemeteries

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

Sevier County cemeteries at the Utah State Historical site 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.

• To 1966 - Utah, Veterans with Federal Service Buried in Utah, Territorial to 1966 at FamilySearch — index and images
• Published transcripts of cemetery records are listed in the FamilySearch Library Catalog at the town level (space, then select the town) or the county level (select Cemeteries).

• Glenwood Cemetery 1960 transcription digitized by FamilySearch (free). Notes each plot and what the tombstone (if any) says.
• Richfield has one cemetery located at about 850 North Main.

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	19	—
1880	4,457	23357.9%
1890	6,199	39.1%
1900	8,451	36.3%
1910	9,775	15.7%
1920	11,281	15.4%
1930	11,199	−0.7%
1940	12,112	8.2%
1950	12,072	−0.3%
1960	10,565	−12.5%
1970	10,103	−4.4%
1980	14,727	45.8%
1990	15,431	4.8%
2000	18,842	22.1%
2010	20,802	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.

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 Sevier County, Utah Genealogy at the town level (space, then select a town) or county level (select Church topics) in the FamilySearch Library Catalog.

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 — 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.

Click a church unit name in the chart below for its history, boundaries, and availability of records, which are often in microfilm format

(Section In process. Want to help?)

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

Sevier County Courthouse
250 N Main St
Richfield, Utah 84701
Phone:435-893-0400
Fax: (435-896-8888)

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

Magleby-Buchanan Mortuary
50 South 100 West
Richfield, UT 84701
Phone: 435-896-5484
Toll Free Phone: 866-MAGLEBY
Fax: 435-896-8526

150 North State St.
Salina, UT 84654
Phone:435-529-3840

Spring Turner Funeral Home
260 North 400 West
Richfield, UT 84701
Phone: 435-896-6333
Fax: 435-896-1727

150 East Main St.
Salina, UT 84654
Phone: 435-529-3821
Fax: 435-529-7604

Gazetteers

See Utah Gazetteers

Local biographical histories can be found at "Utah Geneology Trails": [2]

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

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

• Bishop, M. Guy. A history of Sevier County, Utah Centennial County History Series. Also available at Marriott Library Digital Collections.

History Timeline

• Boundary changes timeline for Sevier County, Utah Genealogy from "UT: Index of Counties," Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

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

• 1776. The first non-Native Americans to see the Sevier River were most likely the Catholic fathers Silvestre Vélez de Escalante and Francisco Atanasio Domínguez as they passed through on their expedition to California.
• 1863. Glenwood was established by Mormon Pioneers. It was named for an early pioneer, Robert Wilson Glenn. The settlement's original name was Glencoe or Glen Cove, but was changed in November 1864 when Orson Hyde (a Church leader) visited the settlement and recommended Glenwood.
• 1864. The first permanent settlers (about 30 families) moved into the area at the direction of leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They found abundant salt deposits nearby so they named the area "Salina".
• 1864. Richfield was colonized by Latter-day Saint settlers on 15 June 1864. Much of the area was populated by newly immigrated converts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Scandinavian countries, and because of the growth in this small community they officially created Sevier County in early 1865.
• 1865. Sevier County was created 16 January 1865 from Sanpete County.
• 1865. Work began on a fort to provide protection for both the Setters and their stock. The fort was completed and contained several homes, a blacksmith shop, along with a corral and stockyard for the animals.
• 1866. A stone fort was constructed in Glenwood in April.
• 1867. In April, the Settlers of Alma were evacuated. Most of the evacuees made temporary homes in Sanpete County, until they could return home.
• 1868. The Black Hawk War of 1867 between settlers and local Indians left Glenwood deserted for one year, but was later resettled in 1868 after peace resumed.
• 1871. The first two families to settle Anabella were those of Harry Dalton, a member of the Mormon Battalion, and Joseph Powell. The first name given to the settlement was Omni Point, and Richfield was called Omni. The town name was later changed to Annabella, after two of the first two children born in the area: Ann S. Roberts and Isabella Dalton.
• 1871. The town of Joseph was settled and named for Joseph A. Young, a local leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• 1871. The settlers returned to Salina from Manti, organized a militia, and constructed a fort and buildings for a school and a church. At that time they discovered coal deposits in "almost inexhaustible quantities" in the canyon east of the settlement.
• 1872. The town of Alma applied for a Post Office under the city name of Monroe, in honor of U.S. President James Monroe.
• 1874. The community was first settled in the spring of 1874 by James C. Jensen, Jens Iver Jensen, and others. The area was settled by Danish converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and named after Kronborg Castle, known as Elsinore in Hamlet. The town was given its official name at the suggestion of Church Stake President Joseph A. Young. Previously, the town was named Little Denmark because many of the early settlers were immigrants of that country.
• 1875. Aurora was founded by Ezra White (or Ezra Curtis, according to some accounts) and three other families along the banks of the Sevier River. Originally named Willow Bend, the name was changed to Aurora due to the presence of the Northern Lights. The city was moved west two to three miles along the Rocky Ford Canal to avoid the spring flooding that accompanied life along the Sevier. While growth occurred more rapidly in the accompanying communities of Salina and Richfield, Aurora grew largely due to the settling of children of many of the large families in the city. Most current residents are able to track their lineage to one of the four founding families of the city.
• 1875. Redmond was first settled.
• 1882. The Michelsen Family immigrated from Denmark and moved to Monroe where they had seven children as well as their oldest daughter who was born in Denmark.
• 1890. One of the town's leading citizens, George Staples (1834–1890) was gored to death by a Jersey bull on his farm outside town on October 30. Staples was the English immigrant who adopted Sioux and who is widely credited with opening the way for peaceful settlement of southern Utah by negotiations with Native American tribes in the area.
• 1891. The coming of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad opened the valley for expanded agricultural commerce and mining.
• 1900. The Michelsen Family was called on a mission to help build an irrigation canal and establish the community of Stirling, Alberta.
• 1945. During WWII, Salina contained a POW camp, housing 250 German prisoners. On July 8, Private Clarence Bertucci climbed one of the guard towers and took aim at the tents where the prisoners were sleeping. He fired 250 rounds and managed to hit thirty tents in his fifteen-second rampage. By the time a corporal managed to disarm Bertucci, six prisoners were dead and an additional twenty-two were wounded (three would later die of their injuries).

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 Sevier County 2012

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

Migration

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

• 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.    (*Women were not naturalized until 1922 in the United States.)

• 1848-2001 - Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001, a FamilySearch digital collection, contains certificates of naturalization, 1878-1896 and 1896-1933; declaration of intentions 1874-1896 and a1904-1906; petition and record 1907-1942.
  
• 1865-1880, 1896-1929, 1931-1965 - Utah, State Archives a collection digitized by FamilySearch (free), includes naturalization records 1865-1880, 1896-1929, 1931-1965
• 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.

• 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 Sevier County, Utah Genealogy.
  • Richfield Reaper, covering 1906-1940 is included.
• Existing copies of newspapers. newspapers for Sevier County, Utah Genealogy] are listed in Chronicling America by Library of Congress (LOC).

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:

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

• Newspapers of Sevier 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

Officials and Employees

• Henry Mining District, Sevier County, Utah, 1883-1896 Ancestry.com ($) This index provides the name of the miner, the name of the mine, the date the mine was recorded, and the page number the original record is located upon.
  

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
• State and County Probate Records

Public Records

Taxation

Vital 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.

Birth

Below are the best sources to find birth information (dates and places of birth and names of parents) for Sevier 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 1865

Sevier County, Utah Genealogy was formed on 16 January 1865.

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

Birth 1865 - 1897

No birth records were created for Sevier 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.

• 1898 - 1905 - Series #84238 at Utah State Archives. Not online, no online index.
  • Copies available through FamilySearch Library: FSL film 482273 It. 2-3. There are no names of children in the records.
  • Idea: use censuses and church records to learn those missing children's names.

• 1903 - 1914 - Utah, Birth Certificates, 1903-1914 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1906 - 1910 - 1906-1910 online images for Sevier 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.
• 1892 - 1941 - 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.

• Central Utah Public Health Department, Sevier County, 70 Westview Drive, Richfield, UT 84701. Phone (435) 896-5451.

____________________

Marriage

• 1805-1992 - Utah, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1887-1940 - Utah, County Marriages, 1887-1940 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1887-1917 - Western States Marriage Index. Includes Sevier County 1887-1917.

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.

• Sevier County Archives public libraries.

Death

• 1904-1964 -Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1964 at FamilySearch — index and images . 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.

• Pre-1904 - Utah State Burial Data Base This site includes information on many Utah residents, who died before 1904.

• On USGenWeb Archives Sevier County, Utah you will find 44 bios of Sevier County residents.
  

Voting Registers

Websites

• Sevier County UTGenWeb
• Sevier County, UT History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

• Utah Genealogy Network Group on Facebook

Links to indexes or images of records:

• FamilySearch.org. Collections are growing at record rates. If the county is not listed, check later.
  • Utah State Archives records, 1848–2001
  • Also see Utah to search items that include Sevier County, Utah Genealogy.

Links to Sevier County, Utah Genealogy collections:

• FamilySearch Library Catalog
  • Sevier County, Utah Genealogy (Select topics)
  • Towns in Sevier County, Utah Genealogy (Space, then select town)

Sites that gather links to the Internet

• Linkpendium
• CyndisList

Archives, Libraries, etc.

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

Check websites and catalogs of archives and libraries for items for this county. Examples: Sevier County, Utah Genealogy items in FamilySearch Library (Utah)). When you find items you'd like to access, see Get a Copy

See these headings for Sevier County, Utah Genealogy details: Courthouse · FamilySearch Centers · Libraries · Societies

Courthouse

County seat: Richfield

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

• Monroe UT Seminary - Release Time
• Monroe Utah Family History Center
• Richfield Utah Family History Center
• Salina 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.

• Monroe City Library ; 55 South Main Street, P.O.Box 120, Monroe, UT 84754. Phone: 435-527-4019
  • Collections
• Richmond Public Library;38 West Main Street, Richmond, UT 84333-1409 Phone: 435-258-5525
  • Collections
• Salina Public Library;90 West Main Street, Salina, UT 84654. Phone: 435-529-7753
  • Collections

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 also a List of Utah Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

Towns and Communities

References

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.