AGENCY: District Court (Third District)
SERIES: 6836
TITLE: Territorial criminal case files
DATES: 1882-1896.
ARRANGEMENT: Numerical by case number.
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.
RETENTION
DISPOSITION
RETENTION AND DISPOSITION AUTHORIZATION
These records are in Archives' permanent custody.
FORMAT MANAGEMENT
Paper: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.
Microfilm master: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.
Microfilm duplicate: Retain in State Archives permanently with authority to weed.
APPRAISAL
Administrative Historical Legal
This disposition is based on the historical value of this series since it documents the functions of the Third District Court during the territorial period. Case files document individuals, legal procedures, court history, and other topics, useful to legal researchers and historians. Technically this series has administrative and legal value but, due to the age of the documents and the parties involved, these values are negligible.
PRIMARY DESIGNATION
Public