Kootenai County, Idaho Genealogy

United States &gt; Idaho &gt; Kootenai County

County Courthouse
Kootenai County Courthouse PO Box 9000 501 Government Way Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816-9000 Phone: (208) 769-4441 Fax: (208) 667-8534

Parent County
1864--Kootenai County was created 22 December 1864 from Nez Perce County. County seat: Coeur d'Alene

Boundary Changes
21 February 1907 -- Bonner County created from part of Kootenai County

23 January 1915 -- Benewah County created from part of Kootenai County

23 January 1915 -- Boundary County created from parts of Bonner and Kootenai Counties

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 Kootenai County, Idaho was compiled from the Lists of Places in Idaho in Wikipedia and from the map of Kootenai County in Virtual Earth.

Resources
Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension, and vital records for Kootenai 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 Coeur d'Alene.

Cemeteries
The following cemeteries of Kootenai County have been identified and some of their records located. When multiple transcriptions are listed, they may contain discrepant information. The transcriptions may have been made at different times and by different people. Some names may have been mis-read. Some gravestones may have been missed. All transcriptions available for each cemetery should be checked.

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 Kootenai 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.


 * Athol
 * Coeur D'Alene

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

Military
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Kootenai County have been microfilmed. Copies of these records are available at the Family History Library (their microfilm numbers 1452216 and 1452217) 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. Kootenai County naturalization records, 1882-1939, are included in a Naturalization Index at the Idaho State Historical Library in Boise, available online.

Current

 * Coeur d'Alene Press

Pension Records
Old Age Pensions were provided by the State of Idaho from 1931 to 1936. The original papers for several counties have been transferred to the Idaho State Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library (PARL) in Boise. Those at PARL have been indexed. Kootenai County Old Age Pensions are included in that index.

Births
The Birth Registers for Kootenai 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 Kootenai 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.

Marriage
Nearly 13,500 marriages, 1881-1938, are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.

Deaths
The death registers for Kootenai County, 1907-1911 have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library (PARL) in Boise and at the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City, Utah.

After 1911, deaths occuring in Kootenai County are included in the state-wide registration program. These records are restricted for a period of fifty years from the time of the individual's death but can be obtained by following the guidelines as issued by the State of Idaho. See the Vital Records section under Idaho for details.

Copies of death certificates from 1911-1954 are on microfilm and can be used at the Idaho State Historical Society Library, the Family History Library and several other locations.

A state-wide index to Idaho Deaths, 1911-1956 is available online. Efforts to expand this index to 1960 are underway. Another version is the US Genweb Idaho Death Index 1911-1956.

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.


 * Coeur D'Alene Public Library 702 E Front Ave Coeur D'Alene, ID 83814 Phone: (208) 769-2315 Website
 * Post Falls Public Library 821 N Spokane Post Falls, ID 83854 Phone: (208) 773-1506 Website
 * Kootenai-Shoshone District Library 8385 N Government Wy Hayden, ID 83835 Phone: (208) 772-5612 Website
 * Kootenai County Genealogical Society
 * Museum of North Idaho P.O. Box 812 Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83816-0812 208-664-3448

Web Sites

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