Idaho Cemeteries

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Cemetery records often consist of two very important types of records -- (1) the headstones in the cemetery, and (2) the records kept by the caretaker of the cemetery, usually called sexton's records. The larger cemeteries usually have a sexton's office where records are located.

Sexton's records include names of the owners of burial lots and information about those buried there. In smaller cemeteries, sexton's records may not exist or they may be stored off-site, such as in the home of the cemetery's caretaker or sexton. In those cases, the headstone may be the only record of the person buried in the grave.

Tombstone inscriptions provide information often not available from other sources. However, there are several possible problems. The tombstone may be weathered and difficult to read. Vandalism may have destroyed information on the stones. Sometimes, the information recorded by the stonecutter on the tombstone may have been incorrect.

All of the larger cities in Idaho have one or more cemeteries within the boundaries of the city. Many rural towns and communities also have cemeteries identified by the name of the locality. Historically, those who died were often buried near where the death occurred -- on farms, near a mine, in a remote forest location, etc. Many of these burial locations have been identified and the information about those buried there has been abstracted. Some are listed on the Idaho State Archives web site. Some of them are also listed on the USGenWeb site for each county in the state.

Collections

 * An indexed collection of tombstone inscriptions is Cemetery Records of Idaho, 12 Volumes. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society, 1952-68)


 * The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Collection also contains some inscriptions from Idaho cemeteries.


 * Transcriptions of cemetery records compiled by local genealogical groups or individuals are available at the Family History Library for most counties in Idaho. The Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog lists more of these records under:


 * IDAHO - CEMETERIES
 * IDAHO, [COUNTY] - CEMETERIES
 * IDAHO, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - CEMETERIES

Online Resources

 * Epodunk has a cemetery list for Idaho.


 * A few cemetery lists by county can be found atAccess Genealogy


 * Locations of many cemeteries in each county in Idaho, as listed on the Idaho State Archives (formerly known as the Idaho State Historical Society's Public Archives and Research Library, or PARL) web site.


 * Abstracts and photos of tombstones in many Idaho cemeteries are available online at Findagrave.com.


 * Records and photos of grave markers and their GPS locations are available online at BillionGraves.


 * Abstracts of those buried in a few cemeteries in Idaho are at Interment.net.


 * Photographs of some tombstones in cemeteries in Idaho are online at the Idaho Gravestones website.


 * Search for Eastern Idaho Death Records. Cemetery Records at BYU-Idaho.


 * For Veterans' graves see the National Grave Locator