Utah Church Records
This entry was originally written by Patricia Lyn Scott, CA and Gary Topping Ph.D. for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
The LDS Church is the predominant church in Utah, but other denominations are also represented. Among these is the Catholic Church, whose Cathedral of the Madeleine, was built in 1891. Its archives are maintained by the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, 27 'C' St., Salt Lake City, UT 84103. The Episcopal Diocese of Utah maintains an archive collection at the University of Utah. However, most parish registers remain with the local churches.
Extensive material is available for those with Mormon heritage, whether from Utah or outside of the state. David J. Whittaker's Mormon Americana: A Guide to Sources and Collections in the United States (Provo, Utah: BYU Studies, 1995) serves as an excellent research guide on the LDS Church. The Church Historical Department and the FHL (see Utah Archives, Libraries, and Societies) have extensive collections too numerous to discuss here. For an excellent discussion of the holdings, Jaussi and Chaston's work discussed under Background Sources provides a good overview of what is available and how to locate it both at the FHL and in the Historical Department of the Church.
