Series 1666
District Court (Fourth District) Plaintiff's index, 1880-ca. 1895.
1 microfilm reel
These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.
Historical Note
See history of the records' creator.
Summary of Records
Scope and Content
The territorial PLAINTIFF INDEX records the names of plaintiffs and defendants involved in court actions and provides assigned case numbers, facilitating clerical management of and access to the civil case files. The single volume carries the imprint "Plaintiff's Index to Fee Books, A, First Judicial District Court, Utah" on the spine. First created when Ogden, Weber County, was established as the seat of the newly formed northern division of the First District Court, the volume continued to be used after the creation of the Fourth Judicial district in 1892.
Primarily an index to civil cases, the volume includes fewer than 30 criminal cases filed between 1880-1886 listing the "United States" as the plaintiff. Misdemeanor violations of municipal ordinances (e.g., "Ogden City vs. John Doe") are included. Information about cases is limited to the name of the plaintiff, the name of the defendant, and the case file number (cases 1-5,782). The district court is restricted to adjudication ofactions involving real property located within the judicial district, those in which the defendant resides in the judicial district, and those involving incidents occurring in the judicial district.
Research Note
The case number assigned by the court clerk is essential to locate the desired case file. Researchers should first consult the index to plaintiffs to find the unique case number corresponding to the appropriate case file. Case numbers were assigned when documents initiating the case were filed with the court. Not all plaintiffs and defendants are indexed. In cases where multiple plaintiffs and/or defendants are listed in the original document initiating the legal action, only one plaintiff and/or defendant name (the first listed) is entered in the index. A desired case number may also be found using the REGISTERS OF ACTION.
Arrangement
Alphabetical by initial letter of the surname or corporate name of the plaintiff.
alphabetical by first letter of plaintiff surname or corporate name
Additional Forms
This series is available on microfilm.
Access Restrictions
This series is classified as Public.
Use Restrictions
These records are available for reproduction and use.
Preferred Citation
Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.
Custody History
The PLAINTIFF INDEX was created and maintained by the clerk appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the judge of the territorial district court. At statehood, the Weber County Clerk was constitutionally designated as ex-officio clerk of the Second District Court in and for Weber County. The county/district court clerk maintained custody of the index until being transferred to the Utah State Archives.
Acquisition Information
These records were acquired from the creating agency through established retention schedules.
Processing Information
These records were archivally processed by W. Glen Fairclough, Jr., in April 2003. Microfilming for reference use is pending.
Other Finding Aids
Other: A research guide entitled "Judicial/Court Records at the Utah State Archives" is available for patron use.
Related Material
Northern division civil and criminal case files from the District Court (First District), Series 1529, are indexed by the plaintiff index.
Minute books from the District Court (Fourth District), Series 5062, document proceedings in these court cases.
Criminal case indexes from the District Court (Second District : Weber County), Series 17463, also cover the later territorial period.
Civil and criminal registers of actions from the District Court (Fourth District), Series 17825, provide an alternate way to obtain a desired case number.
Plaintiff index from the District Court (First District), Series 21018, provides an alternate way to obtain a desired case number.
Civil case indexes from the District Court (Second District : Weber County), Series 21933, provide an alternate way to obtain a desired case number.
Indexing Terms
Container List
| Reel | Box | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1892-1895 |