Grand County, Utah Genealogy

United States

Utah

Grand County

Guide to Grand County, Utah ancestry, family history, and genealogy. marriage and death records, cemeteries, census, church records, probate records, and obituaries—resources to find parents and family history since 1890, when the county was formed.

Double Arch OF Arches National Park, Grand County, Moab, UTah

Utah Online Genealogy Records

Quick start:

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Grand County, Utah
Map
Location in the state of Utah, United States Genealogy
Location of Utah in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	March 13, 1890
County Seat	Moab
Courthouse
Address	County Courthouse 125 E. Center St. Moab, UT 84532
Website: www.grandcountyutah.net
Named for: Grand River (now Colorado River)
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 Colorado River, which at the time of statehood was known as the Grand River. The County is located in the east center area of the state.

County Courthouse

Grand County Courthouse
125 East Center Street
Moab, Ut 84532-3449
Phone: 435-259-1321

County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1890, divorce and court records from 1896 and land records.

Grand County, Utah Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1898	1890	1898	1896	1890	1890	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

Grand County, Utah Genealogy was created March 13, 1890 from: Emery and Uintah

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

Neighboring Counties

Grand County, Utah Genealogy is surrounded by: Carbon | Emery | San Juan | Uintah | Wayne | Colorado counties: Garfield | Mesa | Montrose

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
Moab (county seat)
Towns
Castle Valley
Unincorporated communities
Crescent Junction
Native American communities
Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation (portions in adjacent county)
Census-designated places
Thompson Springs
Ghost towns
Castleton Cisco	Dewey Miners Basin	Sego

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 Grand 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
Billion Graves (cemetery)		Linkpendium
Interment		Genealogy Trails
UTGenWeb Archives		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.

• 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 (space, then select the town) or the county level (select Cemeteries).

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	541	—
1900	1,149	112.4%
1910	1,595	38.8%
1920	1,808	13.4%
1930	1,813	0.3%
1940	2,070	14.2%
1950	1,903	−8.1%
1960	6,345	233.4%
1970	6,688	5.4%
1980	8,241	23.2%
1990	6,620	−19.7%
2000	8,485	28.2%
2010	9,225	8.7%
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 Grand 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?)

Guide to history and records of wards and branches of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Stake(s) San Juan Stake, Utah Places: Moab Linked below are the ward and stake records for Grand County, Utah on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library. Click on a ward for records (up to about 1948). Green River Ward • Moab Ward • Monticello Utah Stake • San Juan Stake • For a timeline history and boundaries of wards that existed in 1930, click to the appropriate stake (above). For later records, check with the Church History Library.

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

Spanish Valley Mortuary
386 North 100 West
Moab, UT 84532
Phone: 435-259-3980
Fax: 435-259-3987

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

• Firmage, Richard A. A history of Grand County, Utah Centennial County History Series
• National Register of Historic Places - Grand County, Utah
• Pioneer: Utah's Online Library includes a brief history of Grand County.

History Timeline

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

NOTE: Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia for Grand County

• 8000 BC. Humans have occupied the region since the last ice age.
• 1300. Fremont people and Ancient Pueblo People lived in the area.
• 1775. Spanish missionaries encountered Ute and Paiute tribes in the area.
• 1855. First European-Americans to attempt settlement in the area were the Latter-day Saints.
• 1890 March 13, Grand County was created from Emery and Uintah Counties.
  
• 1910-20’s.Moab area settled and the economy, originally agriculture, gradually shifted to mining of Uranium and Vanadium.
• 1923. Arches area considered as a National Park.
• 1939, 1949. Western movie director John Ford filmed Stagecoach and then Wagon Master in Moab.
• 1950s The uranium boom brought the first real population expansion to the area

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 Grand County
  
• 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
• USGenWeb Archives, Grand County, Utah.; Draft Cards - Birth Information 1917-18 - Grand County,Utah;BIRTH INFORMATION: RESIDENTS OF THIS COUNTY IN 1917-18;

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.)

• 1906-1930 - Utah Naturalization Records, 1906-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1908–1929 - Utah, State Archives Records, 1848-2001, a FamilySearch digital collection (free)

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 Grand County, Utah Genealogy.
  • Grand Valley Times and Times Independent - 1896-1966 
• Existing copies of newspapers. newspapers for Grand 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 Grand 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
  

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
• Utah, Probate Records, 1851-1961 in FamilySearch Historical Collections. Check back if this county is not listed.

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.

Birth

Below are the best sources to find birth information (dates and places of birth and names of parents) for Grand 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 1890

Grand County, Utah Genealogy was formed on 13 March 1890.

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

Birth 1890 - 1897

No birth records were created for Grand 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 #83886 at Utah State Archives. Not online, no online index. There are no names of children in the records.
  • Idea: use censuses and church records to learn those missing children's names.
  • There is no copy available through FamilySearch Library.

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

• Southeastern Utah District Health Department Grand County, 575 S Kane Creek Blvd, PO BOX E, Moab, UT 84532. Phone (435) 259-5602.

Marriage

• 1805-1992 - Utah, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1887-1940 - Utah, County Marriages, 1887-1940 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1890-1925 - Western States Marriage Index.

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 Grand 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, birthdate, parents, gender, marital status, spouse and place of residence.

• 1904 - 1964 Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1964 at FamilySearch — index and images
• Pre-1904 Utah State Burial Index for death before 1904.

Voting Registers

Websites

• Grand County, UT History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Utah Genealogy Network Group on Facebook

Archives, Libraries, etc.

Resources for Grand 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: Grand County, Utah Genealogy items in FamilySearch Library (Utah) or Allen County Public Library (Indiana). When you find items you'd like to access, see Get a Copy

See Courthouse · FamilySearch Centers · Libraries · Museums · Other Repositories · Societies sections.

Courthouse

[http://www.grandcountyutah.net www.grandcountyutah.net County Courthouse, 125 E. Center St., Moab, UT 84532. Phone: 435-259-1346.

County seat: Moab

FamilySearch Centers

• Introduction to Family History 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

• Castle Valley Utah Family History Center
• Moab 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.

• Grand County Library - Castle Valley Branch; Castle Valley Community Center, Town Building, 2 Castle Valley Drive, Castle Valley, UT 84532. Phone: 435-259-9998.
  • Collections:
• Grand County Library - Moab; 257 East Center Street, Moab, UT 84532. Phone: 435-259-1111.
  • 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

• Castle Valley
• Moab
• Cisco (ghost town)
• Brendel
• Thompson Springs

References