Series 83314District Court (Third District : Tooele County) Probate case files
Dates: 1871-
38.00 cubic feet and 94 microfilm reels
These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.
Scope and Content
Probate case files from the Third District Court in Tooele County primarily involve the probate of estates for deceased persons and guardianship for minors and incompetent persons. Probate is judicial oversight of property in transition. Probate of estates is the process by which a deceased person's property is identified and maintained, his debts and taxes paid, and then remaining property distributed to beneficiaries as specified in a will or as required by law for persons who die intestate (without a will). In guardianship cases probate is the establishment of a guardian for minors or incompetent adults who hold property that needs management. In addition to probate these case files also include name changes and some adoptions.
Utah's Territorial Assembly established original jurisdiction over the probate of estates and the guardianship of incompetent persons with county probate courts in 1852 (An Act in Relation to the Judiciary. Acts, Resolutions, and Memorials passed by theFirst Annual, and Special Sessions of the Legislative Assembly. Great Salt Lake City, 1852, Brigham H. Young, Printer. pp. 38-48). That jurisdiction transferred to the probate divisions of District Courts when County Probate Courts were abolished at statehood.
The probate process includes three parts. First, a petitioner must file with the court the documents necessary to have the court appoint a representative. Documents relating to this process include wills, petitions, letters of administration, bonds, etc., and a court order appointing an administrator, executor, or guardian. Second, the appointed representative does all that is necessary to manage the property through the period of transition. Documents filed here might include a court order appointing appraisers, notices to creditors, estate inventories, various kinds of financial statements, receipts, bills, and the court-appointed representative's final report. Finally, when all requirements have been met, such as all billspaid or a minor has become of age, the court mandates a final settlement and releases the representative from any further responsibility.
The Territorial Legislature made provision for formal adoptions in 1884 and assigned jurisdiction to County Probate Courts (Compiled Laws of Utah, vol. II, 1888, part 5, chapter 4). Adoption case files include a formal petition, documents supporting the petition and the court's final decree. In this series adoption case files begin in 1893. Whereas early adoptions were open to the public and sometimes published in the newspaper, adoptions later became private. Most adoption records in this series are closed to public access (see access restrictions note). In addition to probate and adoption, case files this series also include official name changes.
Arrangement
For records created from 1871 to 1896, arrangement is alphabetical by surname..
Related Records
Probate record books from the District Court (Third District : Tooele County), Series 17546, more fully document court proceedings as they relate to individual cases.
Probate records index and registers from the District Court (Third District : Tooele County), Series 17612, contains an index book which can be used to identify the case numbers needed to access these case files.
Probate registers from the District Court (Third District : Tooele County), Series 17613, record the date any action was taken on a case and briefly state what that action was.
Custody History
The court transferred records dating from 1871-1960 to the State Archivesin 1992. Additional records were transferred as they met retention. The court transferred a large number of documents from the probate case of Orrin Porter Rockwell to the State Archives in 2023. Those additional documents were filed with records from the case already held by the Archives, but they are not found on the microfilm version of the case file.
Additional Forms
This series is available on microfilm.
Access Restrictions
This series is primarily classified as Public. The secondary classification is Exempt: Judicial records are public unless restricted under rules of civil procedure (UCA 63G-2-301-[1][f]). Included are custody proceedings, guardianship files, minutes, & probate records. Wills are generally considered private data until probate.
Preferred Citation
Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.
Gaps in Series
Cases 16, 29, 122, 123, 133, 176, 185, 204, 245, 246, 247, 300, 301, 316, 348, 351, 368, 374, 401, 427, 457, 750, 819, 995, 1536, 1732, 1733, 1734, 1735, 1736, 1737, 1738, 1739, 1740, 1741, and 1742 are missing
Processing Note
Preliminary processing work was completed by Allen Clark in 2008. The finding aid was drafted by Jim Kichas in July 2008.
Indexing Terms
- Court records--Utah--Tooele County.
- Probate records--Utah--Tooele County.
- Civil Procedure and Courts
Container List
| REEL | BOX | DATE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1871-1896 | Anderson-D |
| 2 | 2 | 1871-1896 | D-H |
| 2 | 3 | 1871-1896 | H-K |
| 4 | 2 | 1871-1896 | K-M |
| 5 | 3 | 1871-1896 | M-R |
| 6 | 3 | 1871-1896 | R-S |
| 7 | 4 | 1871-1896 | Sellwood-Zuirk |
| 7 | 5 | 1896-1897 | 1-8 |
| 8 | 5 | 1896-1897 | 9-21A |
| 9 | 5 | 1896-1897 | 22-25 |
| 9 | 6 | 1896-1897 | 26-31 |
| 10 | 6 | 1897-1899 | 32-41 |
| 11 | 6 | 1899-1901 | 42-50 |
| 11 | 7 | 1899-1901 | 51-53 |
| 12 | 7 | 1899-1901 | 54-63 |
| 13 | 7 | 1899-1901 | 64-75 |
| 14 | 8 | 1901-1903 | 76-88 |
| 15 | 8 | 1901-1903 | 89-100 |
| 15 | 9 | 1901-1903 | 101-112 |
| 16 | 9 | 1901-1903 | 101-113 |
| 17 | 9 | 1903-1904 | 114-125 |
| 17 | 10 | 1903-1904 | 126-127 |
| 18 | 10 | 1903-1904 | 128-141 |
| 19 | 10 | 1903-1904 | 142-150 |
| 19 | 11 | 1903-1904 | 151-162 |
| 20 | 11 | 1905-1906 | 163-180 |
| 21 | 11 | 1906-1907 | 181-195 |
| 22 | 12 | 1907-1908 | 196-216 |
| 23 | 12 | 1908-1909 | 217-234 |
| 24 | 12 | 1909-1910 | 235-250 |
| 25 | 13 | 1910-1911 | 251-271 |
| 26 | 13 | 1911-1912 | 272-294 |
| 27 | 13 | 1913-1914 | 295-315 |
| 27 | 14 | 1913-1914 | 316-323 |
| 28 | 14 | 1914-1916 | 324-337 |
| 29 | 13 | 1914-1916 | 338-366 |
| 30 | 14 | 1914-1916 | 367-370 |
| 30 | 15 | 1914-1916 | 371-378 |
| 31 | 15 | 1916-1919 | 379-398 |
| 32 | 15 | 1916-1919 | 399-419 |
| 33 | 15 | 1916-1919 | 420-440 |
| 34 | 16 | 1916-1919 | 441-459 |
| 35 | 16 | 1920-1925 | 460-469 |
| 36 | 16 | 1920-1925 | 470-486 |
| 37 | 16 | 1920-1925 | 487-490 |
| 37 | 17 | 1920-1925 | 491-506 |
| 38 | 17 | 1920-1925 | 507-524 |
| 39 | 17 | 1920-1925 | 525-539 |
| 40 | 17 | 1920-1925 | 540-550 |
| 40 | 18 | 1920-1925 | 551-564 |
| 41 | 18 | 1920-1925 | 565-588 |
| 42 | 18 | 1925-1930 | 590-605 |
| 43 | 18 | 1925-1930 | 606-610 |
| 43 | 19 | 1925-1930 | 611-619 |
| 44 | 19 | 1925-1930 | 620-640 |
| 45 | 19 | 1925-1930 | 641-665 |
| 46 | 19 | 1925-1930 | 666-670 |
| 46 | 20 | 1925-1930 | 671-685 |
| 47 | 20 | 1925-1930 | 686-701 |
| 48 | 20 | 1925-1930 | 702-722 |
| 49 | 20 | 1925-1930 | 723-724 |
| 49 | 21 | 1925-1930 | 725-740 |
| 50 | 21 | 1930-1935 | 741-756 |
| 51 | 21 | 1930-1935 | 757-779 |
| 51 | 22 | 1930-1935 | 780-786 |
| 52 | 22 | 1930-1935 | 787-806 |
| 53 | 22 | 1935-1936 | 807-831 |
| 54 | 22 | 1935-1936 | 833-850 |
| 54 | 23 | 1935-1936 | 851-859 |
| 55 | 23 | 1936-1937 | 861-877 |
| 56 | 23 | 1937-1939 | 878-908 |
| 57 | 23 | 1939-1940 | 909-931 |
| 57 | 24 | 1939-1940 | 932-936 |
| 58 | 24 | 1941 | 937-959 |
| 59 | 24 | 1942-1943 | 960-982 |
| 60 | 24 | 1943-1944 | 983-1000 |
| 60 | 25 | 1943-1944 | 1001-1009 |
| 61 | 25 | 1944-1945 | 1010-1034 |
| 62 | 25 | 1945 | 1035-1053 |
| 63 | 25 | 1945-1946 | 1053-1059 |
| 63 | 26 | 1945-1946 | 1060-1067 |
| 64 | 26 | 1945-1946 | 1068-1096 |
| 65 | 26 | 1946-1947 | 1097-1112 |
| 66 | 26 | 1947 | 1113-1118 |
| 67 | 26 | 1947 | 1119-1120 |
| 67 | 27 | 1947 | 1121-1132 |
| 68 | 27 | 1947-1948 | 1133-1141 |
| 69 | 27 | 1948 | 1142-1172 |
| 70 | 27 | 1948-1949 | 1173-1179 |
| 70 | 28 | 1948-1949 | 1180-1195 |
| 71 | 28 | 1949-1950 | 1196-1229 |
| 72 | 28 | 1950 | 1231-1249 |
| 73 | 29 | 1950-1952 | 1250-1266 |
| 74 | 29 | 1950-1952 | 1267-1294 |
| 75 | 29 | 1950-1952 | 1295-1313 |
| 75 | 30 | 1950-1952 | 1314-1326 |
| 76 | 30 | 1952-1953 | 1327-1349 |
| 77 | 30 | 1952-1953 | 1351-1372 |
| 78 | 30 | 1953-1954 | 1373-1390 |
| 78 | 31 | 1953-1954 | 1391-1410 |
| 79 | 31 | 1954 | 1411-1419 |
| 80 | 31 | 1954-1955 | 1420-1434 |
| 81 | 31 | 1954-1955 | 1439-1445 |
| 81 | 32 | 1954-1955 | 1446-1464 |
| 82 | 32 | 1956-1957 | 1466-1508 |
| 83 | 32 | 1956-1957 | 1512-1540 |
| 84 | 32 | 1957 | 1541 |
| 84 | 33 | 1957 | 1542-1565 |
| 85 | 33 | 1957 | 1568-1597 |
| 86 | 33 | 1957-1958 | 1600-1620 |
| 86 | 34 | 1957-1958 | 1621-1628 |
| 87 | 34 | 1958 | 1629-1653 |
| 88 | 34 | 1958-1959 | 1654-1680 |
| 89 | 35 | 1959-1961 | 1681-1701 |
| 90 | 35 | 1960 | 1703-1720 |
| 91 | 35 | 1960 | 1722-1731 |
| N/A | 35 | 1960 | 1732-1743 |
| 91-93 | 36 | 1871-1960 | Adoption Case Files |
| 91-93 | 37 | 1871-1960 | Adoption Case Files |
| 91-93 | 38 | 1871-1960 | Adoption Case Files |
Page Last Updated .