Series 1529
District Court (First District) Northern division civil and criminal case files

Dates: i 1878-1891.

42.00 cubic feet and 74 microfilm reelsSkip to Containers

These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.

Historical Note

An agency history is available.

Scope and Content

An original complaint, summons, indictment or arrest warrant which initiate a legal action together with all legal papers subsequently filed in connection with the civil or criminal proceeding through disposition or dismissal of the case make up these case files. Case files document the legal process and the administration of justice in the First Judicial District. Civil cases include suits to recover money, petitions for divorce, and writs of habeas corpus. Criminal cases include both felonies and misdemeanors. Recurrent criminal offenses may include robbery, burglary, theft, forgery, malicious destruction of property, assault, murder, etc. Although the far flung First District Court was divided into two geographic divisions (northern and southern), only files from the Northern Division are included in this series. The Northern Division, which typically met at Ogden in Weber County, included Box Elder, Cache, Morgan, and Weber counties. The northern division became the newly created territorial fourth judicial district in 1892. The court was required to hold a specified number of terms within the district each calendar year. Matters from throughout the several counties which made up the Northern Division were heard in Ogden, Weber County. Cases from Weber County are most numerous but matters from outlying counties are included.

Arrangement

Numerical by case number.

Research Note

The case number assigned by the court is essential to locate the desired case file. Researchers should first consult one of the indices or registers of actions listed in the "Finding Aids" section to find the unique case number corresponding to the appropriate case file. Confusion may arise when documents and case files are inscribed with two or more case numbers. Cases on appeal may include the number first used by the inferior court as well as that later assigned by the district court. Sometimes a number was written in error and, later, corrected. As criminal cases are considered an offense against the public, the plaintiff may variously be recorded originally as "People" or "United States." Warrants from some unlawful cohabitation prosecution cases are included. Although a separate filing arrangement for criminal cases was instituted in 1889, some criminal cases continued to be filed using the old civil and criminal system until 1891.

Related Records

Criminal case files from the District Court (Fourth District), Series 1629, include criminal case files from the northern division of the First District Court.

Plaintiff's index from the District Court (Fourth District), Series 1666, indexes civil case files.

Minute books from the District Court (Fourth District), Series 5062, detail information noted in the minutes

Criminal registers of actions from the District Court (Fourth District), Series 17462, contain a chronological list of the documents filed and fees paid in connection with these criminal cases.

Criminal case indexes from the District Court (Second District : Weber County), Series 17463, index these criminal cases.

Civil and criminal registers of actions from the District Court (Fourth District), Series 17825, contain a chronological list of the documents filed and fees paid in connection with these civil and criminal cases.

Plaintiff index from the District Court (First District), Series 21018, indexes plaintiffs involved in these case files.

Civil case indexes from the District Court (Second District : Weber County), Series 21933, index the civil cases.

Custody History

Case files were maintained by the court clerk appointed by district court judges in the 3rd and 1st districts. At statehood, the county clerk was designated ex-officio court clerk. The county/district court clerk maintained custody of the case files until their transfer to the Utah State Archives.

Additional Forms

This series is available on microfilm.

Access Restrictions

This series is classified as Public: UCA 63G-2-301 (1) (f) provides that judicial records are public unless restricted by the rules of criminal or civil procedure..

Preferred Citation

Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.

Gaps in Series

Civil cases filed in the First Judicial District Court from September 1891 until the creation of the Fourth Judicial District Court in March 1892, as well as those filed in the new district, are unaccounted for. Random case files from 1878-1891 are also missing. Criminal matters account for most of the missing files. After the adoption of a new numbering system for criminal case files in 1889, criminal case files intermittently were filed in both the old and new systems. The overlapping methods contribute to the appearance of gaps in both arrangements. The granting of amnesty before statehood accounts for some missing files.

Processing Note

Archival processing of these records was completed in May 2003 by W. Glen Fairclough, Jr. The finding aid was updated by James Kichas in February 2010.

Indexing Terms

Container List

REEL BOX DATE DESCRIPTION
1 1 1878-1879 1-42
2 1 1880 43-47
2 2 1880 1-31
3 2 1880 32-71
4 2 1880 72-75
4 3 1880-1881 76-114
5 3 1881 115-150
6 4 1881-1882 151-188
7 4 1882-1883 189-210
7 5 1882-1883 211-222
8 5 1882-1883 223-253
9 5 1882-1883 254-300
9 6 1882-1883 301-316
10 6 1883 317-355
11 6 1883-1884 356-385
11 7 1883-1884 386-391
12 7 1883-1884 392-442
13 7 1883-1884 443-465
13 8 1883-1884 466-476
14 8 1883-1884 477-516
15 8 1884-1885 517-545
15 9 1884-1885 546-563
16 9 1884-1885 564-597
17 9 1885 598-620
18 10 1885 621-655
19 10 1885 656-680
19 11 1885 681-691
20 11 1885 692-730
21 11 1885 731-750
21 12 1885-1886 751-797
22 12 1885-1886 801-878
23 12 1885-1886 879-890
23 13 1886 891-943
24 13 1886 944-965
25 13 1886 966-980
25 14 1886-1887 981-1043
26 14 1886-1887 1048-1091
26 15 1887 1093-1109
27 15 1887 1112-1179
28 15 1887 1180-1220
29 16 1887 1221-1327
30 16 1887 1328-1340
30 17 1887 1341-1392
31 17 1887 1395-1472
31 18 1887 1481-1485
32 18 1887-1888 1486-1545
33 18 1888 1546-1595
33 19 1888 1596-1599
34 19 1888 1600-1650
35 19 1888 1651-1720
35 20 1888 1722-1728
36 20 1888 1730-1761
37 20 1888 1762-1815
37 21 1888 1819-1830
38 21 1888 1831-1858
39 21 1888 1859-1940
39 22 1889 1941-1954
40 22 1889 1955-2061
41 22 1889 2062-2067
41 23 1889 2068-2097
42 23 1889 2098-2140
43 24 1889 2141-2194
44 24 1889 2195-2225
44 25 1889 2226-2234
45 25 1889 2235-2277
45 25 1889 2288-2300
46 26 1889-1890 2301-2323
47 26 1889-1890 2324-2359
48 26 1890 2360-2375
48 27 1890 2376-2411
49 27 1890 2412-2450
50 28 1890 2451-2480
51 28 1890 2481-2510
51 29 1890 2511-2516
52 29 1890 2517-2552
53 29 1890 2553-2570
53 30 1890 2572-2583
54 30 1890 2584-2632
55 30 1890 2633-2645
56 31 1890 2646-2705
57 31 1890 2706-2710
57 32 1890 2711-2744
58 32 1890 2745-2784
59 32 1890 2785
59 33 1890 2786-2819
60 33 1890 2821-2855
61 34 1890 2856-2883
62 34 1890 2884-2910
62 35 1891 2911
63 35 1891 2912-2961
64 35 1891 2962-2975
65 36 1891 2976-3024
66 36 1891 3025-3040
66 37 1891 3041-3061
67 37 1891 3062-3104
68 37 1891 3105-3115
68 38 1891 3116-3153
69 38 1891 3154-3195
69 39 1891 3196-3197
70 39 1891 3198-3223
71 39 1891 3224-3245
71 40 1891 3246-3258
72 40 1891 3259-3292
73 40 1891 3293-3305
73 41 1891 3306-3322
74 41 1891 3323-3382

Page Last Updated October 18, 2012.