Published: February 03, 2007 09:25 pm         

Genealogy: Utah genealogy society Web site beneficial in search for records

If you have a relative or an ancestor who died in Utah, your search for a death record just got easier. The Genealogical Society of Utah, the Utah State Archives and Records Service, and FamilySearch have collaborated on a project to bring on-line viewing of Utah death certificates to the public. A searchable on-line index of more than 250,000 Utah deaths from 1905 through 1954 was created by the Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics and FamilySearch provided the expertise to make images of the actual documents available for viewing.

The index and database is located at http://historyresearch.utah.gov/indexes/index.html and has the following searchable information: name of decedent, gender, place of death, and date of death. The search leads to a free digital image of the actual death certificate, which will contain much more information about the decedent, such as the “names and birth places of the deceased person’s parents, place and date of the decedent’s birth, marital status, occupation, permanent residence, place and date of burial, time of death, chief cause and contributory factors of death, and if applicable, where illness was contracted and the duration of the illness,” states Paul Nauta, public affairs manager for FamilySearch. This is a valuable new Web site worth checking out for anyone with a Utah connection.

Queries

• Looking for descendants of Joseph Gill (also Ghele or Gehle) and his family. Joseph Gill was born in 1804 in Virginia and died December 9, 1880, in Parke County, Liberty Twp., Indiana. His wife was Elizabeth (surname unknown), born January 5, 1816, and died March 11, 1868, in Parke County, Liberty Twp., Indiana. They had the following children: Mary (Margaret), born about 1839 in Missouri, Joseph, born about 1843 in Missouri, John, born about 1844 in Missouri, William, born about 1847 in Missouri, Louis, born about 1849 in Missouri, George, born about 1853 in Missouri, Henry, born about 1854 in Missouri, and Eliza, born about 1856 in Missouri. After the death of his first wife, Joseph married Julia Griffin on November 13, 1876, in Parke Co. Her parents were Russell Griffin and Harriet Manwaring of Parke Co. Joseph and Julia had a son, Deverter Franklin Gill, born August 8, 1877, in Silverwood, Parke Co., and died April 28, 1962, also in Parke Co. Deverter first married Minerva Likens on April 23, 1903, in Parke Co. Her parents were Dave Likens and Rebecca Reynolds of Vermilllion Co., Ind. Deverter’s second wife was Myrtle Mae Sollars of Cayuga, Vermillion Co., Ind. Her parents were James Richard Riley Sollars and Sarah M. McDonald. Deverter’s third wife was Grace Marie Judson of Vermillion Co., Ind. Her parents were Charles Herman Judson and Margaret Ellen Fitzgerald. This is all that I know of Joseph Gill at this time; please contact Sharon Vanden Bossche, 56085 Miller Ave., Mishawaka, IN 46545e-mail SharonV45 @aol.com or 574-532-6289.

• Looking for family in Edgar County, Illinois. Joseph Payne, born 1810 in North Carolina, married Patricia Boone. Joseph died in 1866. Their son was John Boone Payne, born in 1810. I would like to find any family members or information on them. John Boone Payne married on March 10, 1874, to Martha A. Austin in Monroe County, Indiana. Their children were Joseph B. (born 1875 in Indiana), Carrie L. (1878-1954), Samuel C. (born 1879 in Indiana), Martha J. (born 1855 in Illinois), and Walter A. (born 1889 in Edgar County, Ill.). Walter Payne married Ruth Jane Rukes. Please contact Sandy Barker, 1529 North 200 West, Sunset Utah, 84015, e-mail sandyut@msn.com.