Washington County, Utah Genealogy

United States

Utah

Washington County

Guide to Washington 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 1852, when the county was formed.

The Subway, Zion Ntl. Pk., WA County, UT

Quick start:

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Washington County, Utah
Map
Location in the state of Utah
Location of Utah in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	March 3, 1853
County Seat	St. George
Courthouse
Address	197 East Tabernacle St. George, UT 84770
Website: www.washco.utah.gov
Named for: George Washington
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 first President of the United States, George Washington. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse

Washington County Courthouse
197 East Tabernacle Street
St George, Ut 84770
Phone: 435-634-5712

County Clerk has marriage records from 1887, divorce records from 1878 probate and court records from 1874.
County recorder has land records.

Washington County, Utah Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1898	1887	1898	1874	1856	1874	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

Washington County, Utah Genealogy was created 3 March 1852 from unorganized territory. See also Utah Territory and Green River County

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 Washington County, Utah Genealogy from "UT: Index of Counties," Newberry Library's Utah Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

Neighboring Counties

Washington County, Utah Genealogy is surrounded by: Iron | Kane | Arizona counties: Mohave | Nevada county: Lincoln

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
Enterprise Hildale Hurricane	Ivins La Verkin Santa Clara	St. George Toquerville Washington
Towns
Apple Valley Leeds	New Harmony Rockville	Springdale Virgin
Unincorporated communities
Gunlock Pinto	Pintura	Shivwits
Native American communities
Paiute Reservation‡
Census-designated places
Central Dammeron Valley	Pine Valley	Veyo
Ghost towns
Adventure Duncan's Retreat Fort Harmony	Grafton Hamblin Harrisburg	Hebron Northrop Silver Reef

‡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 Washington 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

• Washington County Utah Biographies (Personal and Family Histories) at [sites.rootsweb.com/~utgenweb/ UTGenWeb] - free.
  

Business Records and Commerce

See United States Business Records
See also Utah Business Records

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
FindAGrave	Family History Library	FindAGrave
UTGravestones	WorldCat	Tombstone Project
BillionGraves (name)	Utah Periodicals	Utah Cemeteries and Burials
BillionGraves		Linkpendium
USGW Cemeteries		Genealogy Trails
Utah Cemetetries		Hometown Locator
		Epodunk
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 level (space, then select the town) or the county level (select Cemeteries).

Dr. Craig's Cemetery/Death Indexes (1852-1996): Washington County, Utah is the place to start Washington County cemetery searches.

Additional resources:

• Utah Cemeteries and Burials Database at Utah State History

Census

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: 1852, 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940.
• See statewide printed indexes, including 1856.

Churches and Religious Groups

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

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the 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

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

Stake(s): Parowan Stake, Utah  · St. George Stake, Utah  · Zion Park Stake, Utah Central  · Enterprise  · Grafton · Gunlock · Hamblin · Harrisburg · Hebron · Hurricane · Ivins · La Verkin · Leeds · Little Pinto or Pinto · Pine Valley · Rockville · Santa Clara · Springdale · St. George · Toquerville · Veyo · Virgin · Washington List of Washington County stakes and wards to about 1948.

Roman Catholic Church

History timeline:

• 1878 - Built a chapel in Silver Reef.
• [year?] - Chapel abandoned when Silver Reef became a ghost town.

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  · Land  · Naturalization  · Probate

Directories

See Utah Directories

Emigration and Immigration

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

Funeral Homes

Hurricane Valley Mortuary
140 North Main Street
Hurricane, UT
Phone:(435) 635-9922
Fax: 435-635-3200

Metcalf Mortuary
288 West St George Blvd
St George, UT 84770
Phone: 435-673-4221
Toll Free Phone: 888-673-4221
Fax: 435-674-0209

Pine VIew Mortuary
566 North Mall Dr
St. George , UT 84790
Phone: 435-986-4222
Fax: 435-986-4223

Spilsbury Mortuary
110 South Bluff St
St George, UT 84770
Phone:435-673-2454
Toll Free Phone: 888-673-2454
Fax: 435-673-0911

Gazetteers

See Utah Gazetteers

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

Named for George Washington, the first President of the United States.

• Alder, Douglas D. and Karl F. Brooks. A History of Washington County: From Isolation to Desolation online at Marriott Library Digital Collections.

History Timeline

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

Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Wikipedia for Washington County. 

• 1852. 3 March. Washington County founded.  Named after George Washington, first President of the United States.
• 1854. City of Santa Clara settled by Jacob Hamlin.  Location of Jacob Hamblin home.
• 1861. St. George founded as a cotton mission under direction of Brigham Young.  Named after apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints George A. Smith. County seat.
• 1862. Springdale settled as Latter-day Saint farming community. Now thriving tourist industry. Located just outside Zion National Park.
• 1891. City of Enterprise founded by Orson Welcome Huntsman. Early residents were Latter-day Saint settlers.
• 1896. City of Hurricane settled.  Received its name after a whirlwind blew top off buggy that Erastus Snow, early apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was riding in.
• 1963. City of Hildale founded.  Headquarters of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Local Histories

• Stout, Wayne. A History of Rockville, Utah 1862-1972. Salt Lake City, Utah, 1972. Digital version at Internet Archive.

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 listing the names of landholders locate where an ancestor lived. The Family History Library has a plat map for St. George:
• Pioneer Map: City of St. George, Washington County, Utah. N.p.: 1982?. (Family History Library FHL map 979.248/S1 E7p.) This map lists the names of land owners on the map and the designation of the ward where they lived. The index to this map has St. George wards listed in: Hardesty, Patricia N. Pioneer Map, City of St. George, Washington County, Utah Index with LDS Wards. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1982. (Family History Library FHL fiche 6031575; book 979.248/S1 E7p index.)
• Washington County Document Search at Washington County Recorders office, Deed from 1983, Maps and Surveys earlier. Older documents require visit to Recorders Office, 87 North 200 East STE 101, St. George, UT 84770. Phone: (435)634-5709

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Google highway map of Washington County 2012

Migration

Early migration routes to and from Washington 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

• 1929-1954 - Utah, World War II Index to Army Veterans of Utah, 1939-1945 at FamilySearch — index

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.
  
• 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 Washington County, Utah Genealogy.
  • Washington County News, covering 1908-1923 are included.
• Existing copies of newspapers. newspapers for Washington County, Utah Genealogy] are listed in Chronicling America by Library of Congress (LOC).
• Color Country Spectrum (Saint George, Utah) Ancestry.com ($) This database is a fully searchable text version of the newspaper for the following years: 1974 and 1976-77.
  
• The Spectrum  On-line issues available from 4/24/2006 to present.
  

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 Washington 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

USGenWeb Archives of Washington County, Utah contains the obituaries of 2004 - 2005

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

Schools

• Since 1913 - Dixie High School Yearbooks since 1913 at Skalooza - free.
  

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 Washington 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 1852

Washington County, Utah Genealogy was formed on 3 March 1852.

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

Birth 1852 - 1897

No birth records were created for Washington 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 - Inventory of originals, Series #3166 at Utah State Archives. Not online, no online index. There are no names of children in the records.
  • FamilySearch Library copy: FSL film 1730426 .
  • 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 Washington 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.

• Southwest Utah Public Health Department Washington County, 620 South 400 East, St. George, UT 84770. Phone (435) 673-3528

____________________

Marriage

• 1805-1992 - Utah, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1855-1936 - Western States Marriage Index. Includes Washington County 1855-1936.

• 1862-1919 - Craig, Dr. Wesley W. Early Marriages (1862-1919) in Washington County, Utah: Male and Female Surname Indexes at UTGenWeb - free.

• 1887-1940 - Utah, County Marriages, 1887-1940 at FamilySearch — index and images

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.

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.

Websites

• Washington County, UT History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Utah Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• 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 Washington County, Utah Genealogy.

Links to Washington County, Utah Genealogy collections:

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

Sites that gather links to the Internet

• Linkpendium
• CyndisList

Archives, Libraries, etc.

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

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

Courthouse

87 North 200 East, 3rd Floor
St. George, Utah 84770
p: (435) 634-5728
f: (435) 656-3003

County Clerk/Auditor

Washington County Utah
197 East Tabernacle
St. George, UT 84770
Clerk/Auditor's phone (435) 634-5712

County Seat: St. George

FamilySearch Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

• Bloomington Utah Family History Center4461 Country Club Dr, St. George UT 84790 United States Location Map

• Enterprise Utah Family History Center88 S Center St, Enterprise UT84725 USA Location Map

• Ivins Utah Family History Center

• New Harmony Utah Family History Center12 S Main St,New Harmony UT 84757 USA Location Map

• St George Utah FamilySearch Library 162 N 400 E Bldg B Ste 200,St.George UT 84770 United States Location Map

• St George Utah Green Valley Family History Center

• St George Utah Large Multi-stake Family History Center

• St George Utah Morningside Family History Center

• Washington Utah Buena Vista 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.

• Washington County Library (Administration / St. George / 8 branches); 88 W 100 S, Saint George, Utah 84770. Phone: 435-634-5737. Fax: 435-634-5741.
  • 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

Cities

Enterprise | Hildale | Hurricane | Ivins | La Verkin | Santa Clara | St. George | Washington

Towns

Apple Valley | Leeds | New Harmony | Pintura | Rockville | Springdale | Toquerville | Virgin

Unincorporated Communities

Central | Dammeron Valley | Gunlock | Pine Valley | Veyo

Ghost Towns

Duncan's Retreat | Grafton | Hamblin | Harrisburg | Hebron | Little Pinto | Silver Reef