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Wyoming Genealogy

Wyoming Genealogy Facts

The U.S. acquired the land comprising Wyoming from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. John Colter, a fur-trapper, is the first white man known to have entered the region. In 1807 he explored the Yellowstone area and brought back news of its geysers and hot springs.

Robert Stuart pioneered the Oregon Trail across Wyoming in 1812–1813 and, in 1834, Fort Laramie, the first permanent trading post in Wyoming, was built. Western Wyoming was obtained by the U.S. in the 1846 Oregon Treaty with Great Britain and as a result of the treaty ending the Mexican War in 1848.

  • Wyoming was organized as territory on May 19, 1869
  • Wyoming entered the union as the 44th state on July 10, 1890 .
  • Wyoming has 23 Counties.
  • Wyoming’s capital is Cheyenne and the official state website is www.wyoming.gov.
  • Wyoming is bordered by Colorado (south), Montana (north), Nebraska (east), South Dakota (east), Utah (southwest), Idaho (west)
  • Wyoming has a land area of 97,818 square miles making it the 10th largest state.
  • Wyoming’s 2010 population was 563,626
  • Wyoming  largest cities (2010) are Cheyenne (Capital), 59,011; Casper, 55,316; Laramie, 30,816; Gillette, 29,087; Rock Springs, 23,036; Sheridan, 17,444; Green River, 12,515; Evanston, 12,359; Riverton, 10,615; Cody, 9,520.
  • Wyoming’s name may be derived from the Delaware Indian word “Maughwauwama,” which means “large plains.”
  • Wyoming’s nickname is ” The Equality State “
  • Wyoming State Motto is ” Equal Rights “

Wyoming County Genealogy

An important research consideration for Wyoming is that its counties, as they exist today, went through many changes in a relatively short period of time. When organized, it included four counties from Dakota Territory—Albany, Carbon, Carter, and Laramie—and Green County from Utah Territory. When the territory was organized on 19 May 1869, Uinta County was created from the formally unorganized portions of Utah and Idaho. At that time, Carter County was renamed Sweetwater. By 1923, Wyoming had been subdivided into its present twentythree counties.

In addition to the territorial and homestead land records held by the Wyoming State Archives, the county clerk holds land records filed by county after the date of formation. District clerks are to be addressed for court and probate records, though most will also be found at the Wyoming State Archives. No county birth or death records exist before mandatory statewide recording, but most counties hold marriage records. Some even date before incorporation. Contact the archives prior to conducting extensive research on the county level to determine which county records have been deposited at the Wyoming State Archives and which are only available on a county level.

Select a County Below

COUNTY PAGES UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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Wyoming Genealogy Links

See Wyoming County Genealogy for County Links. These genealogy links fall into 3 categories: Commercial Sites, Personal Sites or Organization Sites. Some are have free access some require a payment. This is just a list that has been collected or submitted. I do not endorse or promote one genealogy site above another. Feel free to submit your own favorite genealogy or family history related sites.

Wyoming State History

Wyoming (state), in the western United States. It is bordered by Montana on the north, South Dakota and Nebraska on the east, Colorado and Utah on the south, and Utah, Idaho, and Montana on the west. The land within these borders was first called Wyoming in 1865, when a member of the Congress of the United States from Ohio suggested that a new territory be carved from Dakota, Utah, and Idaho territories.

The name Wyoming is a contraction of the Native American word mecheweamiing (“at the big plains”), and was first used by the Delaware people as a name for the Wyoming Valley in northeastern Pennsylvania. Wyoming is known as the Cowboy State and the Equality State. The latter recognizes Wyoming as the first state to specifically give women the right to vote, which it did as a territory in 1869 and retained upon entering the Union. Cheyenne is Wyoming’s capital and largest city.

Wyoming became a territory in 1868 and entered the Union on July 10, 1890, as the 44th state. It has a wealth of mineral and agricultural resources, and mining and agriculture still play major roles in the state’s economy. The state is thinly populated and ranks 50th among the 50 states in population. Wyoming is a place of great natural beauty, and each year large numbers of tourists are attracted by the state’s unspoiled scenic wonders.

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