In 1852 the Utah Territorial Legislature provided that the Probate Court should have jurisdiction not only in estate and guardianship matters, but original jurisdiction in civil, criminal, and chancery cases. The Probate Court could act as an appellant court to the Justice of the Peace Courts in the County, and decisions made in the Probate Court could be appealed to the District Court.

Civil case files from Cache County’s territorial probate court, not including estate cases, is now online. A total of 149 cases dating from 1860 to 1880 are available to view. There is also a full name index to search (we’re working on linking them together more directly).

You can find more civil cases from Cache County or other counties both before 1896 and afterwards at the Utah State Archives.