Series 3638
District Court (Sixth District : Sanpete County) Civil case files, 1893-
85.00 cubic feet and 9 microfilm reels
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
This series contains the documents filed in each civil case brought before the court. The case files document the legal process and the administration of justice in civil proceedings, settling disputes between parties. Civil cases often involve enforcing and protecting rights or preventing and redressing wrongs. Common civil matters include divorces, disputes over payment of debts, property disputes, and injury or property damage claims.
Case files typically include such documents as an initial complaint of the plaintiff, summons, demurrers, answers of the defendant, motions, affidavits, the judge's findings of fact and conclusions of law, final decrees, judgments, and executions of judgments.
Demurrers, pleas, and exceptions for insufficiency were abolished in 1953. Transcripts (an official and certified copy of what transpired in court or at an out-of-court deposition) and exhibits (items of real evidence) are not typically included in the case files but do appear occasionally.
When Utah became a state in 1896, the territorial district courts ceased operation and the state district courts took over their functions. The territorial 1st District Court, Southern Division, based in Provo, sent the case files for cases from Sanpete County to the new state district court in Manti. The new district court followed through to resolve any outstanding cases from the territorial court. Those cases are included in this series.
Research Note
The case files that were inherited by the state district court from the territorial district court had been assigned case numbers by the territorial court. These cases are listed in the registers of actions from the territorial 1st District Court, Southern Division. The state district court assigned new numbers to the cases and the cases are listed by those numbers in the state district court registers of actions and the index. The territorial court numbers are also noted in the state court registers.
In the case files the territorial court-assigned number is given in the middle of the folder tab, while the state court-assigned number is at the left of the tab. On the microfilm all cases, both territorial and state, are arranged by state court-assigned number. Some state cases are found on microfilm in the territorial court series and some territorial court case files will be found on microfilm in the state court series, depending on what number the state court assigned them.
Arrangement
Numerical by case number and generally chronological by initial filing date.
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 court transferred the earliest case files in this series to the State Archives in 1995. These early case files included files from the Territorial First District Court, Southern Division, headquartered in Provo. After the territorial courts ceased operation in 1896, the district court in Provo apparently pulled civil case files involving parties in Sanpete County and sent them to the new state district court in Manti. The court in Manti continued unfinished cases to their resolution and kept all the territorial cases in their files, assigning them new numbers. Case files dating from 1927-1956 were transferred in 2007. Records from 1957-1958 came to the Archives in 2009. The court transferred case files dating from 1959-1975 to the State Archives in May 2024.
Acquisition Information
These records were acquired from the creating agency through established retention schedules.
Processing Information
This series was initially processed by Jim Kichas in October 2010. The series was reprocessed by Elizabeth Schiess and Alan Barnett in December 2024, after the court transferred additional case files to the Archives.
When this series was reprocessed in 2024, the case files from the Territorial First District Court, Southern Division were segregated from those handled by the State District Court in Sanpete County, in an effort to reconnect the records with their original creator. Cases that were finalized in the territorial court were removed from the series, while cases that were initiated in the territorial court, but finalized in the state court were left in the series under the state district court. It is hoped that this will facilitate better access to the case files from the territorial court. Since the early case files were microfilmed prior to this segregation, the files are somewhat mixed in the microfilm copy. This mixing is explained in a reference note.
Other Finding Aids
Indexes: A name index from the Sanpete County Clerk is available, covering from 1890 thru 1898, and from Case 1 thru Case 239.
Related Material
Judgment record books from the District Court (Sixth District : Sanpete County), Series 21849, contains the text of judgments rendered in court cases in this series.
Civil registers of actions from the District Court (Sixth District : Sanpete County), Series 26691, contain a log of all documents filed in each case in this series.
Indexing Terms
Container List
| Reel | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cases 67-93 (includes some Territorial 1st District Court cases); 1893 Nov 15-1895 Sep 6 |
| 2 | Cases 94-120 (includes some Territorial 1st District Court cases); 1895 Aug 26-1896 Apr 18 |
| 3 | Cases 121-155; 1896 May 2-Oct 17 |
| 4 | Cases 156-174; 1896 Oct 21-1897 May 11 |
| 5 | Cases 175-203; 1897 Jun 7-Dec 9 |
| 6 | Cases 204-239; 1898 Jan 10-Aug 5 |
| Box | Description |
|---|---|
| Original Paper Files | |
| 1 | Cases 69-133; 1893 Dec 20-1896 Jul 1 |
| 2 | Cases 134-194; 1896 Jul 3-1897 Nov 9 |
| 3 | Cases 195-271; 1897 Nov 9-1899 May 18 |
| 4 | Cases 272-343; 1899 May 23-1900 Sep 26 |
| 5 | Cases 344-424; 1900 Nov 27-1902 Nov 6 |
| 6 | Cases 425-512; 1902 Nov 14-1904 Dec 19 |
| 7 | Cases 513-586; 1904 Dec 19-1906 Apr 18 |
| 8 | Cases 587-670; 1906 Apr 18-1908 Feb 6 |
| 9 | Cases 671-766; 1908 Feb 12-1909 Sep 20 |
| 10 | Cases 767-809; 1909 Sep 21-1910 Jul 8 |
| 11 | Cases 810-886; 1910 Jul 19-1911 Jul 3 |
| 12 | Cases 887-987; 1911 Jul 7-1913 Mar 19 |
| 13 | Cases 988-1057; 1913 Mar 19-1914 Jun 1 |
| 14 | Cases 1058-1135; 1914 Jun 2-1915 Jun 4 |
| 15 | Cases 1136-1220; 1915 Jun 4-1916 Jun 12 |
| 16 | Cases 1221-1292; 1916 Jun 14-1917 Apr 26 |
| 17 | Cases 1293-1394; 1917 May 1-1919 Mar 1 |
| 18 | Cases 1398-1515; 1919 Mar 14-1920 Dec 10 |
| 19 | Cases 1516-1597; 1920 Dec 13-1922 Jan 5 |
| 20 | Cases 1598-1684; 1922 Jan 7-1923 Feb 19 |
| 21 | Cases 1685-1783; 1923 Feb 20-1924 May 12 |
| 22 | Cases 1784-1844; 1924 May 17-1925 Jan 8 |
| 23 | Cases 1845-1908; 1925 Jan 10-Jul 13 |
| 24 | Cases 1909-1971; 1925 Jul 31-1926 Jan 18 |
| 25 | Cases 1972-2019; 1926 Jan 20-Jun 4 |
| 26 | Cases 2020-2082; 1926 Jun 5-1927 Jan 10 |
| 27 | Cases 2083-2146; 1927 Jan 10-Aug 18 |
| 28 | Cases 2147-2199; 1927 Aug 19-1928 Apr 7 |
| 29 | Cases 2200-2256; 1928 Apr 13-1929 Jan 26 |
| 30 | Cases 2257-2295; 1929 Jan 26-Jun 3 |
| 31 | Cases 2296-2353; 1929 Jun 7-1930 Feb 7 |
| 32 | Cases 2354-2420; 1930 Feb 20-Sep 2 |
| 33 | Cases 2421-2474; 1930 Sep 8-1931 Apr 7 |
| 34 | Cases 2475-2533; 1931 Apr 15-Oct 5 |
| 35 | Cases 2534-2595; 1931 Oct 7-1932 Jun 6 |
| 36 | Cases 2596-2659; 1932 Jun 8-Aug 20 |
| 37 | Cases 2660-2729; 1932 Aug 23-1933 Mar 27 |
| 38 | Cases 2730-2790; 1933 Mar 28-Oct 30 |
| 39 | Cases 2790-2850; 1933 Nov 1-1934 May 15 |
| 40 | Cases 2851-2906; 1934 May 19-Nov 16 |
| 41 | Cases 2907-2966; 1934 Nov 21-1935 Jul 10 |
| 42 | Cases 2967-3033; 1935 Jul 13-Dec 18 |
| 43 | Cases 3034-3096; 1935 Dec 18-1936 Jul 29 |
| 44 | Cases 3097-3146; 1936 Jul 29-Dec 23 |
| 45 | Cases 3147-3206; 1936 Dec 23-1937 Jun 24 |
| 46 | Cases 3207-3275; 1937 Jun 24-1938 Jan 13 |
| 47 | Cases 3276-3346; 1938 Jan 17-Aug 27 |
| 48 | Cases 3347-3422; 1938 Aug 29-1939 Jun 22 |
| 49 | Cases 3423-3511; 1939 Jun 27-1940 Jul 17 |
| 50 | Cases 3512-3584; 1940 Jul 19-1941 Jul 21 |
| 51 | Cases 3584-3638; 1941 Jul 21-1942 Jul 31 |
| 52 | Cases 3639-3694; 1942 Aug 12-1943 Aug 16 |
| 53 | Cases 3695-3776; 1943 Aug 23-1945 Aug 20 |
| 54 | Cases 3777-3851; 1945 Aug 27-1946 Oct 4 |
| 55 | Cases 3852-3926; 1946 Oct 5-1947 Aug 4 |
| 56 | Cases 3927-3996; 1947 Aug 7-1948 Sep 3 |
| 57 | Cases 3997-4067; 1948 Sep 14-1950 Feb 23 |
| 58 | Cases 4068-4156; 1950 Feb 23-1951 Feb 17 |
| 59 | Cases 4157-4225; 1951 Feb 19-1952 Jan 24 |
| 60 | Cases 4226-4306; 1952 Jan 28-1953 Mar 2 |
| 61 | Cases 4307-4397; 1953 Mar 2-Dec 24 |
| 62 | Cases 4398-4491; 1953 Dec 26-1955 Mar 18 |
| 63 | Cases 4492-4570; 1955 Mar 28-1956 Jan 25 |
| 64 | Cases 4571-4645; 1956 Jan 31-Dec 13 |
| 65 | Cases 4646-4768; 1956 Dec 15-1958 May 6 |
| 66 | Cases 4769-4838; 1958 May 7-1959 Jan 19 |
| 67 | Cases 4841-4989; 1959 Feb 2-1960 Oct 6 |
| 68 | Cases 4994-5090; 1960 Oct 24-1961 Nov 13 |
| 69 | Cases 5092-5234; 1960 Nov 30-1963 May 28 |
| 70 | Cases 5242-5320; 1963 Jun 7-1964 May 7 |
| 71 | Cases 5321-5374; 1964 May 8-Nov 12 |
| 72 | Cases 5375-5497; 1964 Nov 13-1966 Feb 2 |
| 73 | Cases 5498-5540; 1966 Feb 14-Aug 2 |
| 74 | Cases 5543-5675; 1966 Aug 8-1967 Oct 18 |
| 75 | Cases 5676-5795; 1967 Oct 18-1969 Mar 4 |
| 76 | Cases 5796-5868; 1969 Mar 10-Sep 4 |
| 77 | Cases 5869-5948; 1969 Sep 5-1970 Jun 26 |
| 78 | Cases 5949-5995; 1970 Jun 29-Nov 5 |
| 79 | Cases 5995-6097; 1970 Nov 5-1971 Aug 2 |
| 80 | Cases 6098-6221; 1971 Aug 5-1972 Mar 28 |
| 81 | Cases 6222-6405; 1972 May 28-1973 Feb 15 |
| 82 | Cases 6407-6570; 1973 Feb 20-1974 Jan 30 |
| 83 | Cases 6571-6810; 1974 Jan 31-Sep 9 |
| 84 | Cases 6816-7003; 1974 Sep 11-1975 May 13 |
| 85 | Cases 7005-7226; 1975 May 16-Dec 24 |