Series 3243
District Court (Third District) Case file index
Dates: 1871-1896.
1.50 cubic feet and 3 microfilm reels
These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.
Historical Note
An agency history is available.
Scope and Content
The territorial CASE INDEX records the names of plaintiffs and defendants involved in court actions and provides assigned case numbers, facilitating clerical management of and access to the case files. Civil cases span the entire period (1871-1896). Criminal cases were indexed in this series from 1871 to 1882, when a separate filing arrangement for criminal case files was implemented. Information about most cases is limited to the name of the plaintiff, the name of the defendant, and the case number. Rarely is the date of filing recorded. The cause of action is mentioned only in proceedings pertaining to court business (grand jury lists and reports, orders summoning persons to serve as jurors, etc.), the probate of an estate, applications (such as name changes or corporate dissolution), and, rarely, petitions for extraordinary writs (habeas corpus, mandamus, and certiori).
The Third District Court is restricted to adjudication of actions involving real property located within theThird Judicial District, those in which the defendant resides in the Third Judicial District, and those involving incidents occurring in the Third Judicial District.
Gaps in Series
No index to cases filed in the first 20 years of the Third District Court is known to exist.
Research Note
The case number assigned by the court is essential to locate the desired case file. Researchers should first consult the index to plaintiffs to find the unique case number corresponding to the appropriate case file. A desired case number may also be found using the surname index in the JUDGMENT DOCKETS (1871?1947), series 1671. Indexing began in 1872 with the practice of assigning a case number as documents initiating the case were filed with the court clerk. A small number of cases (fewer than 100) from 1871 were incorporated into the index. As a new index volume came into use, a few case numbers were recorded in both the old and new books. Not all plaintiffs and defendants are indexed. In cases where multiple plaintiffs and/or defendants are listed in the original document initiating the legal action, only one plaintiff and/or defendant name (the first listed) is entered in the index. As criminal cases are considered an offense against the public, the plaintiff may variously be
recorded under such general apellations as "People," "United States," or "Territory of Utah." However, when a city is listed as the plaintiff (e.g., Salt Lake City vs. John Doe), it suggests a civil rather than a criminal matter. Entries for grand juries, petit juries, etc., may be found under "Jury" or "Venire."
Research Note
The case number assigned by the court is essential to locate the desired case file. Researchers should first consult the index to plaintiffs to find the unique case number corresponding to the appropriate case file. A desired case number may also be found using the surname index in the JUDGMENT DOCKETS (1871?1947), series 1671. Indexing began in 1872 with the practice of assigning a case number as documents initiating the case were filed with the court clerk. A small number of cases (fewer than 100) from 1871 were incorporated into the index. As a new index volume came into use, a few case numbers were recorded in both the old and new books. Not all plaintiffs and defendants are indexed. In cases where multiple plaintiffs and/or defendants are listed in the original document initiating the legal action, only one plaintiff and/or defendant name (the first listed) is entered in the index. As criminal cases are considered an offense against the public, the plaintiff may variously be
recorded under such general apellations as "People," "United States," or "Territory of Utah." However, when a city is listed as the plaintiff (e.g., Salt Lake City vs. John Doe), it suggests a civil rather than a criminal matter. Entries for grand juries, petit juries, etc., may be found under "Jury" or "Venire."
Images Available
This series is available online as part of the Utah State Archives Digital Archives.
Access Restrictions
This series is designated as Public: UCA 63G-2-301 (1) (f) states that all judicial records are public unless a court orders the records restricted under the rules of criminal or civil procedure..
Reproduction and Use
These records are available for reproduction and use.
Finding Aids
Research guide for Utah Court System is available. View guide.
Related Records
Judgment dockets from the District Court (Third District : Salt Lake County), Series 1671, provide an alternate way to obtain a desired case number
Civil case indexes from the District Court (Third District : Salt Lake County), Series 6071, index civil cases from Salt Lake County after statehood and supersede the territorial case index
Case files from the District Court (Third District), Series 9802, are indexed by the territorial case index
Civil registers of actions from the District Court (Third District), Series 22610, facilitate access to this series.
Indexing Terms
Divorce suits--Utah.
Post-conviction remedies--Utah.
Utah--Trials (Divorce).
Utah--Actions and defenses--Cases.
Utah--Criminal courts.
Utah--Habeas corpus.
| REEL | BOX | DESCRIPTION |
| 1 | 1 | 1871 - 1889: Book 1, A-Z |
| 2 | 2 | 1889 - 1894: Book 2, A-Z |
| 3 | 3 | 1894 - 1896: Book 3, A-Z |