Canyon County, Idaho Genealogy

United States &gt; Idaho &gt; Canyon County

County Courthouse
Canyon County Courthouse 1115 Albany Street Caldwell, ID 83605 Phone: (208) 454-7337 Fax: (208) 454-6689 Email: canyoncountyclerk@canyonco.org

Parent County
1891--Canyon County was created 7 March 1891 from Ada and Owyhee Counties. County seat: Caldwell

Boundary Changes
15 March 1915 -- Gem County created from parts of Boise and Canyon Counties

28 February 1917 -- Payette County created from part of Canyon County

Places/Localities
The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names.

This list of places in Canyon County, Idaho was compiled from the Lists of Places in Idaho in Wikipedia and from the map of Canyon County in Virtual Earth.

Resources
Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension, and vital records for Canyon County have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and through their family history centers. They are also available at the Idaho State Historical Society's Library in Boise. Details of the county records in these respective institutions can be obtained from their online catalogs or listings. Original records which have been microfilmed and more recent records are in the county courthouse in Caldwell.

Cemeteries
There are many cemeteries in Canyon County. For a list of those that have been identified, and links to transcriptions and/or photographs of tombstones, go to Canyon County, Idaho Cemetery Records.

For the cemeteries in or immediately adjacent to the cities, please see the city pages for the cities listed above.

Census
For a summary of census records for the state of Idaho, see Idaho Census Records.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)
The following are local congregations (wards) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints which existed in Canyon County, Idaho prior to 1950. Many of the original records of these church units are in the Historical Library in Salt Lake City. Many of the membership records covering these units from the date of their creation to about 1948 have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

County Commissioners' Records
The minute books of the County Commissioners contain interesting tidbits of history about the county as well as the names of individuals appealing to the County Commissioners for action on issues of concern to them. Minutes of those meetings were recorded from the formation of the county, for most counties. Some counties now post the minutes of current meetings online.

Most of these records have been preserved in the county courthouses of the State of Idaho. Few have been microfilmed. Contact the county clerk for information about years covered and availability.

Maps

 * An 1895 map of Canyon and surrounding counties is available online.
 * A digital Canyon County Idaho map is available online.
 * Map of Canyon County, Idaho is available online.

Military
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Canyon County have been microfilmed. Copies of these records are available at the Family History Library (their microfilm number 1452112) and are also available online at Ancestry.com, for a subscription fee. The original cards are maintained in the Southeast Regional Archives of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in East Point, Georgia and have been microfilmed by the National Archives as their Microcopy M1509.

Miscellaneous Series
Often overlooked by the genealogist, this group of volumes may contain affidavits for citizenship, final disposition of estates, divorce decrees, and many other types of valuable documents. The content varies from county to county, year to year and from clerk to clerk. When the estate case files, civil or criminal files are not available or have been destroyed, you may find key documents recorded here. Most counties will have an index to this series and it is a must search if the information you are seeking is not found elsewhere.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Records of the naturalization of people born outside of the United States were often kept in the county courthouses of the respective counties of Idaho. One volume of Canyon County naturalization records are included in a Naturalization Index at the Idaho State Historical Library in Boise, available online.

Current

 * Idaho Press - Tribune

Births
The Birth Registers for Canyon County, 1907-1911, have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Birth records, 1911 to present, for individuals born in Canyon County are included in and recorded at the state level. These records are restricted for a period of one hundred years from the time of the individual's birth but can be obtained by following the guidelines as issued by the State of Idaho. See the Vital Records section under the subject Idaho for more details.

Marriages
NOTICE: Familysearch Indexing, a division of the Family History Library has finished indexing the marriage volumes for this county. When finished researchers will be able to search by name of bride or groom and be linked to an image of the actual page from the registers. You are invited to join their team of volunteers as they work to make additional vital records available on the Web. For details google Familysearch Indexing.

In the meantime, use the Western States Marriage Index(website) to find your Canyon County marriages. There are 7,212 marriages dating from Jun 1880 to Jun 1942 in their collection.

Deaths
Death registers from 1907 to 1912 have been microfilmed by the Family History Library and are available through their loan system.

Societies and Libraries
Many public libraries provide internet access to sites of value to the family historian. Some have special collections of historical and cultural interest, as well. The following libraries may have some resources of value, but use of some or all of them may require a visit to the library.


 * Caldwell Public Library 1010 Dearborn St Caldwell, ID 83605 Phone: (208) 459-3242 Website
 * Middleton Public Library 307 E Main St Middleton, ID 83644 Phone: (208) 585-3931 Website
 * Nampa Public Library 101 11th Ave S Nampa, ID 83651 Phone: (208) 468-5800 Website
 * Notus Public Library 387 First St Notus, ID 83656 Phone: (208) 459-8247 Website
 * Patricia Romanko Public Library 121 N 3rd St Parma, ID 83660 Phone: (208) 722-6605
 * Wilder District Library 207 A Ave E Wilder, ID 83676 Phone: (208) 482-7880
 * Our Memories Museum-Canyon County Historical Society‎ 1122 Main Street, Caldwell, ID 83605-3844 (208) 459-1413‎

Web Sites

 * The Canyon County Idaho GenWeb Project, a member of The IDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project
 * Family History Library Catalog