UTAH’S FIRST LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY The first legislative assembly in Utah’s history was convened in Salt Lake City on September 22, 1851. Over the course of six months, 13 members of the Territorial Council and 26 members of the Territorial House of Representatives passed a series of acts and bills that formally codified the first laws of the Utah Territory. The Utah …
Legislative Publications
As the 2013 session of the Legislature gets underway, we’d like to highlight some relevant publications that have been updated recently. It’s always best to start with the Research Guide, such as Legislative History or Legislative Records Overview. The Unannotated Code is the complete, codified law statutes reflecting changes in the most recent session. It has been published since 1982, …
World War II Casualty Lists from National Archives
In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the Department of War and the Department of the Navy both published national lists of casualties for the U.S. Army and Army Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. The intent was to disseminate the information to the general public in a timely manner, for the benefit of next of kin, …
Birth and Death Research Guides Updated
Research Guides related to finding birth and death records for Utah both historical and current have been updated, including confirmed contact information and records availability. Birth Records Obtaining Birth Records (less than 100 years old) Death records Obtaining Death Records (less than 50 years old) On a related note, the Utah State Archives is currently finalizing free online access to …
Court Record Guides Updated
What began as an effort to update some county probate court information, eventually overhauled two research guides: Probate Records – List of records updated and separated by originating courts with concurrent jurisdiction (during the territorial period). Adoption Records – Expanded to include a list of records based on descriptions and appropriate dates (more than 100 years ago), also linked Utah …
Marriage Records Research Guide updated
The Research Guide to Marriage Records at the Utah State Archives has been updated. Historical background has been added to the introductory text related to how civil registration of marriage came to be in Utah, which helps explain why there are generally no government records of marriage before about 1888. The list of record series has not been comprehensively updated, …
Military Records guide updated
Just in time for Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, 2009*, the research guide for military records organized by wars and conflicts has been updated. The text now includes more historical context for such key records as those of the Territorial Militia (or Nauvoo Legion) which are some of the earliest records at the Utah State Archives, as they …
Recent Naturalization Records
Naturalization records after 1906 are available from the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, as explained in our Research Guide on Naturalization. The records discussed as part of the Genealogy Program, however, end in 1956. If you were naturalized in the time since, you may be able to request a Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document from BCIS. Submit Form N-565 which is …
Post-1906 Naturalization records moving to U.S. National Archives
Naturalization records maintained by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services since 1906 will be transferred from the Department of Homeland Security to the National Archives and Records Administration beginning in 2010. Public access will be available if the immigrant has passed away or turned 100 years old. Previously, these files were available through a laborious Freedom of Information Act …
New Supreme Court Research Guide
While looking for some related information, I discovered a research guide for Supreme Court records written probably around 1997, when several relevant records series were processed (such as Abstracts & Briefs and Opinions). It has now been adapted for online use and checked for anything obviously overlooked in the time since its writing. Utah Supreme Court Records research guide