Explanation of Pioneer Search
What is Pioneer Search?
It is an index of thousands of references
of those who were thought to have migrated to Utah in the 1847-1868
time period.
Most references can be found at the main Salt Lake City Family History
Library or
through a local LDS Family History Center if the item was on film or
fiche.
Jump to Pioneer Search now.
Each record in the index has the following fields
- Surname
- First name (and possibly middle)
- Emigration year and/or the year they came to Utah
- Age
- Ship name or pioneer company or other information.
- Reference for pioneer, which may be a book or microfilm
This reference is usually available at the LDS Family History Library
or one of LDS Family History Centers.
NA in a cell means the data was not present, not applicable or was not
transcribed, so always refer to the
original reference cited when doing research.
Many DUP books are referenced as is the
book,
Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah.
Can I easily find complete rosters on this site?
With the exception of some Scandinavian rosters the answer is no.
The main goal of Mormon Pioneer Search is to allow one to search
for a family or to search for individuals.
To obtain a roster for a given company do the following 1) Find the
resource in question e.g. Deseret News on microfilm at the
Family History
Library or Center 2) Transcribe the
names found in the resource for that company.
Is the underlying database available for purchase, for loan or for
some other use?
No, no, and no. All inquiries on this matter will be rejected, so use
this web page or
link to the web page.
Is every pioneer listed?
No. Rosters are sometimes incomplete or altogether missing.
For some years only heads of households are mentioned.
I Found A Name. What Do I Do?
Verify the information by visiting
your nearest LDS Family History center and look
up the reference. Some additional
information such as a death, birth, family relationships etc. may
appear on the original record.
Once I Find A Name Is My Work Done?
The short answer is no. You should ALWAYS verify the information by
looking at the material from the reference. You should also
gather as much information as possible to document your ancestor's
arrival to Utah.
What If I Don't Find Anything Here?
Continue your research and follow the steps outlined on the main
Tracing Mormon Pioneers
page. This list is far from complete and does not include
a reference to every pioneer. From time to time new references are
added, so check back
later to see if anything new has been added.
Also try name variations or searching on the first few letters of
a surname to overcome non-standard spelling and inconsistencies that
was the rule in the nineteenth centry.
I found a reference that mentions Heart Throbs of the West.
Who is the author? Where can I find the book?
There is not a single author listed. Kate B. Carter was the main
editor
for the Heart Throb series and other series as well.
Heart Throbs of the West had 12 in the series and was published
by
the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers nearly 50 years ago and it
is only available in book form at the headquarters of the Daughters of
the Utah Pioneers in Salt Lake City, the main Family History Library in
Salt Lake City and at some LDS Family History Centers or in some second
hand book stores that specializes in LDS books.
The Heart Throb series has not been microfilmed as far as I know.
Some electronic versions have been made over the years, but the series
has not been reprinted.
Many Names Seem Duplicated. Is something wrong?
One of the main reasons for this is that a father/son or a
mother/daughter with
the same name came at the same time or another possibility is that
there were
others who happen to have the same name who traveled in the same
company.
Special Note on Scandinavians
The ship rosters for Scandinavians are estimates
based upon the
information written in the margins of the emigration registers.
Using Pioneer Search
Enter a surname, first name and a year and press the "Submit Request"
button.
It is that simple.
To search for an entire family leave the first name blank.
For best results on the first name only enter just one word e.g.
"Mary", which will match on "Mary", "Mary Jane", "Mary J.", etc.
Type in a surname only to search for a family.
You can do partial searches on surnames e.g. De will match on Dean,
Dee, Dewey, Dewhurst etc.
You need to provide at least 2 letters and it will match on everything
that begins with those letters.
Try variations on a surname if you do not get a match the first time.
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