Series 5142

Weber County (Utah). Probate Court

Probate minute books, i 1883-1896.

View history of records' creator.

Schedule Description

This series is made up of minute books in which are recorded the official acts and proceedings of the Weber County Probate Court (which was eliminated at statehood in 1896) while sitting in Ogden, Weber County, Utah. These records were created and maintained by the court clerk, who was required by statute to enter "all orders and decrees of the court or judge...at length in the record books of the court provided and kept for that purpose" (Compiled Laws of Utah, 1888, volume 2, part 11, chapter 12, section 4286, page 537). Originated by the Weber County Probate Court during the territorial period, entries in the minute books begin in February 1883. A typical probate or guardianship case spans multiple dates. Copies of court orders and decrees, discharges, petitions, and notices are typical. Most cases involve the estates of deceased persons but cases involving commitment to the state mental hospital and adoption are included throughout the entire series. Entries in all volumes are
handwritten.

Scope and Content

This series is made up of minute books in which are recorded the official acts and proceedings of the Weber County Probate Court (which was eliminated at statehood in 1896) while sitting in Ogden, Weber County, Utah. These records were created and maintained by the court clerk, who was required by statute to enter "all orders and decrees of the court or judge...at length in the record books of the court provided and kept for that purpose" (Compiled Laws of Utah, 1888, volume 2, part 11, chapter 12, section 4286, page 537).
Originated by the Weber County Probate Court during the territorial period, entries in the minute books begin in February 1883. A typical probate or guardianship case spans multiple dates. Copies of court orders and decrees, discharges, petitions, and notices are typical. Most cases involve the estates of deceased persons but cases involving commitment to the state mental hospital and adoption are included throughout the entire series. Entries in all volumes are handwritten.

Notes

The Utah Judicial Council has determined that minutes are permanent records. Microfilm copies of the minute books were produced in 1983 by the Utah State Archives. The film copies were archivally processed by W. Glen Fairclough, Jr., in June 2001.

Probate minute books are a daily record of what documents were filed in court on a particular day. No longer produced, probate minute books provide useful information both for researchers seeking socioeconomic data on households and those seeking biographical or family history data such as information about the estate, the deceased, and the heirs. Access to the minute books is easiest when done in conjunction with the register of actions, which provides the date of each action. Occasionally the microfilmer repeats filming the final few pages filmed at the end of one reel again at the beginning of the next reel, resulting in a slight overlap to ensure that no pages were missed.