Utah Obituaries

Utah’s first newspaper, the Deseret News, began in 1850 and is still published. Utah Digital Newspapers, from the University of Utah, has digitized papers from all 29 counties and is free to use.

Recent Utah obituaries (2000 to today)

Most obituaries published since about 2000 are online. Daily papers post paid death notices and family-written obituaries in an Obituaries section, usually hosted by Legacy.com, and keep them online with a guest book. The largest daily papers in Utah are:

• Salt Lake Tribune
• Deseret News
• Daily Herald (Provo)
• Standard-Examiner (Ogden)
• The Spectrum (St. George)

Legacy.com’s Utah page searches the obituaries of most of these papers and many smaller ones at once. Funeral homes also post obituaries on their own websites, often before the newspaper does and sometimes instead of it: search the person’s name with the town and “obituary” or “funeral home.” For obituaries no longer online, ask your public or state library: many offer NewsBank or ProQuest databases with the full text of recent newspapers, free with a library card.

Utah obituaries in historic newspapers

The Deseret News was founded in Salt Lake City in 1850 by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It and the Salt Lake Tribune, founded in 1871, became the state’s main papers and printed death notices from settlements throughout the territory.

Utah obituaries are often unusually detailed. They frequently record a person’s birthplace, the year they crossed the plains, the pioneer company they traveled with, and their church callings, which makes them valuable for tracing pioneer families. Mining towns such as Park City, Eureka and Bingham Canyon had their own papers, along with immigrant communities from Scandinavia, Greece, Italy and elsewhere.

Utah Digital Newspapers, built by the J. Willard Marriott Library, holds millions of pages and requires no fees or subscription. The Utah State Archives offers free name indexes, including death certificates.

Where to find older Utah obituaries

Digitized Utah newspapers

• Utah Digital Newspapers — Free digitized Utah newspapers from every county.

Obituary and death indexes

• Name Indexes, Utah State Archives — Free indexes including Utah death certificates and other records.

Archives and libraries

• Utah Newspapers, FamilySearch Research Wiki — Volunteer-maintained guide to Utah newspaper archives, indexes and microfilm, with local links.

Also search the nationwide archives: Chronicling America, FamilySearch, Find a Grave, Newspapers.com. See all nationwide obituary resources.

Utah death records

Utah death certificates are restricted to family and others with an interest for 50 years. After that the Utah State Archives posts them free online; order recent ones from the Office of Vital Records.

• Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics — the office that issues Utah death certificates, with ordering instructions and fees.
• Where to Write for Vital Records: Utah — the CDC’s summary of where to order, current fees and which years the office holds.
• Utah Vital Records, FamilySearch Research Wiki — free death indexes and certificate collections, with the years each covers.

Tips for finding an obituary in Utah

• Start with the State Archives. Utah death certificates over 50 years old are free online.
• Search Utah Digital Newspapers. It is one of the largest free state newspaper archives.
• Check the Deseret News. It reported deaths across Latter-day Saint communities in Utah and nearby states.
• Look beyond the word “obituary.” Older papers reported deaths under headings like “Died,” “Deaths,” local news and personals columns, funeral notices and cards of thanks, and often listed married women under the husband’s name (“Mrs. John Smith”). See death notices vs. obituaries.

Common questions