Series 6836

District Court (Third District)


Territorial criminal case files, 1882-1896.

View history of records' creator.

Schedule Description

Case files act as documentation that tracks criminal cases as they proceed through the court system and subsequently become the official files in reference to individual cases. The records usually contain the following information: case number, defendants name, filing date, charges, names of witnesses, and court actions taken. These records may also contain information about the counsel for defendant, names of jurors, verdicts, statements of witnesses, and judgments. Some case files may include these documents: petitions to the court, transcripts, warrants of execution and confinement, warrants of death, notices of appeal, complaints, orders to show cause, court orders to the jury or defendant, and trial evidence. Documents such as
warrants, subpoenas, and affidavits may also be included. The vast majority of these cases involving polygamy and related charges have been removed at some time in the past and are no longer a part of this series. The National Archives, Denver Branch, has copies of these cases. The cases may have originated in any of the counties in the territory with the majority of the cases originating in the counties that made up the 3rd District: Salt Lake, Tooele, Summit, and Davis. Random cases are missing throughout the series with large gaps between case numbers 1385-1399.

Scope and Content

Case files act as documentation that tracks criminal cases as they proceed through the court system and subsequently become the official files in reference to individual cases. The records usually contain the following information: case number, defendants name, filing date, charges, names of witnesses, and court actions taken. These records may also contain information about the counsel for defendant, names of jurors, verdicts, statements of witnesses, and judgments. Some case files may include these documents: petitions to the court, transcripts, warrants of execution and confinement, warrants of death, notices of appeal, complaints, orders to show cause, court orders to the jury or defendant, and trial evidence. Documents such as warrants, subpoenas, and affidavits may also be included.
The vast majority of these cases involving polygamy and related charges have been removed at some time in the past and are no longer a part of this series. The National Archives, Denver Branch, has copies of these cases. The cases may have originated in any of the counties in the territory with the majority of the cases originating in the counties that made up the 3rd District: Salt Lake, Tooele, Summit, and Davis.

Notes

Random cases are missing throughout the series with large gaps between case numbers 1385-1399.

In 1983 the court assigned a series retention of permanent, retain for 9 years before microfilming and destroying. This retention was modified in 1991 by the Clerk of the Court to: film the territorial records and not destroy. This series was microfilmed in June of 1994 and processed by Gregory Lepore and Kenneth R. Williams in March of 1994.