Inventory of Will record book from District Court (Fifth District : Iron County), 1871-1924.

Series 26663

District Court (Fifth District : Iron County) Will record book

Dates: 1871-1924.

1 microfilm reel

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

Original records are held by Southern Utah University Library and Taken to SUU by Paula Mitchell in November 2009..

Scope and Content

This series is comprised of one will record book that was started in the Territorial Probate Court of Iron County. After statehood the record was maintained by the clerk of the Iron County District Court until 1924. Content includes handwritten wills presented to the clerk of the court by residents of the county. Legislators at the second Utah Territorial Legislative Assembly organized probate courts in each of Utah's counties and endowed these courts with the right to exercise jurisdiction in the probate of wills and the administration of estates of deceased persons (Laws of Utah, Chapter 42, 1852). The assembly clarified the manner in which estates should be settled. By law any person of full age and of sound mind could dispose of all of his property by will, with the exception that sufficient first be withheld to pay any outstanding debts. The signatures of two competent witnesses in addition to the testator validated a completed will. The law provided that wills could be sealed anddeposited with the clerk of the probate court where they would be preserved until the death of the testator. Otherwise, any person having custody of a will could bring it into the court at the death of the testator. The law stated that if the court allowed and attested the will, it should be carried into effect (Compiled Laws of Utah, 1876, Title 14, chapter 1, sections 1-6).

Images Available

This series is available on microfilm.

Access Restrictions

This series is designated as Public.

Reproduction and Use

These records are available for reproduction and use.

Related Records

Probate registers of actions from the District Court (Fifth District : Iron County), Series 18218, can be used in conjunction with this series to determine the exact dates for court proceedings.

Probate case files from the District Court (Fifth District : Iron County), Series 26645, contains the complete case files associated with the wills in these record books.

Indexing Terms

Wills--Utah--Iron County

Court records--Utah--Iron County

REELVOLUMEDESCRIPTION
111871 - 1924