Utah, Salt Lake County Death Records, 1849-1949

What is in This Collection?

This project was indexed in partnership with the Utah Genealogical Association. The collection consists of an index & images for the years 1849 to 1949. Some records in this collection may be for deaths occurring before 1908 where the remains were re-interred between 1908 and 1949.

In 1847, death records were first recorded in the membership records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Later in 1851, the State of Deseret authorized the Church to register deaths on behalf of the government. Then in 1860, the Territorial Government of Utah authorized Ogden and Salt Lake City to keep a record of deaths in their cities. In 1888, this authorization was extended to all cities. Beginning in 1898, the State of Utah required all medical personnel, clergymen, sextons, and parents to register deaths with the county. In 1905, the State of Utah had the county clerks forward the original death record to the State Board of Health, making a second copy for their own county death register. All counties began reporting deaths to the state in 1905, when the Department of Health created the Division of Vital Statistics. A death certificate was required for burial in Utah, so compliance was high. Deaths from 1908 to 1949 were recorded on certificates.

Deaths for the years 1848 to 1908 are recorded in registers, which are bound into volumes. The volumes are arranged chronologically and the entries are arranged numerically within the volumes. Deaths from 1908 to 1949 were recorded on certificates. They are arranged numerically by registered number then by date of death (month and year).

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Death registers Full name and gender of deceased Death date and certificate number Age in years, months and days Place of death Race Marital status of deceased Occupation of deceased Birthplace of deceased Parents' names

Death certificates Full name and gender of deceased Residence of deceased Date and place of death Cause of death Age in years, months and days Race/color of deceased Marital status and occupation of deceased Sometimes, spouse's name, if married Birthplace of deceased Father's name and birthplace Mother's maiden name and birthplace Name and address of attending physician Name of informant Burial information

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  1890 Death Register Part 1

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  1890 Death Register Part 2

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  1920 Death Certificate

Digital Folder Number List

This collection was published as a DGS browse collection. The list does not contain any description of the DGS folder's content. A table listing each DGS number and its contents can be found at Utah, Salt Lake County Death Records Digital Folder Number List.