Archives News

Featured image for “Finding Aids in the Archives: January 2025”
February 19, 2025

Finding Aids in the Archives: January 2025

Our archivists write inventories as finding aids to describe records. Here are the newest ones created during January 2025: District Court (Sixth District : Sanpete County) Registers of Estates Provo (Utah). Cemetery. Cemetery photograph The following series inventories were updated during January 2025 by our archivists: George Henry Dern Records District Court (Sixth District : Sanpete County) Criminal registers of
Featured image for “Finding Aids at the Archives: September 2024”
October 7, 2024

Finding Aids at the Archives: September 2024

Our archivists write inventories as finding aids to describe records. Here are the newest ones created during September 2024: District Court (Third District : Tooele County) Probate registers Library-Gymnasium Commission The Library-Gymnasium Movement pamphlet The following series inventories were updated this month by our archivists: District Court (First District : Rich County) Declaration of Intention record books District Court (First
Featured image for “New Finding Aids at the Archives: March 2024”
April 4, 2024

New Finding Aids at the Archives: March 2024

Our archivists write inventories as finding aids to describe records. Here are the newest ones created during March 2024: Folk Arts Program Southern Utah Folklife Festival records Tooele County (Utah). County Sheriff Sheriff’s Fee Books Morgan County (Utah). Probate Court Probate Docket and Land File The following records were accessioned and may be accessed through our Reference Room:  District Court
Featured image for “Highlights with Heidi: Case of Profanity”
July 7, 2021

Highlights with Heidi: Case of Profanity

A recent patron was researching our Sanpete County Territorial Probate Court records and pointed out an unusual court case. Have you ever heard of a “case of profanity”? In May 1863, Albert Lewis was seen in the Manti Justice Court for just that!  “Defendant came forward and acknowledged having been guilty of profanity in taking the name of Deity in vain.”  a
Featured image for “Probate Records for Salt Lake County: Part 3 – Brigham Young”
August 24, 2020

Probate Records for Salt Lake County: Part 3 – Brigham Young

This post is the third in a 3-part series on the Salt Lake County Probate Case Files. See Part 1 and Part 2. When Brigham Young died on August 29, 1877, he left behind a thriving frontier community grown from a few arriving wagons in 1847. He also left behind a complicated set of heirs with the practice of polygamy,
Featured image for “Probate Records for Salt Lake County: Part 2 – John B. Farlow, Druggist”
August 3, 2020

Probate Records for Salt Lake County: Part 2 – John B. Farlow, Druggist

This post is the second in a series on the Salt Lake County Probate case files. See part 1. The remaining case files from 1889 to the end of the territorial period  (numbers 1397-2689) for Salt Lake County are online. As the end of the 19th century approached, the process and documents continued to become more professional, uniform, and better
January 5, 2012

The ten-hour day

Most government offices in Utah are now open from 8-5 Monday through Friday. Though some state employees have retained an option to work four ten-hour days, staff members at the Archives look back with nostalgia at the three-day weekend. Others think a ten-hour day is way too long. With diminished budgets and staff, government offices are attempting to do more