Boundary County, Idaho Genealogy

Guide to Boundary County, Idaho ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Quick start:


 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death

Description
The county was named because it borders Canada in the north, Washington on the west, and Montana on the east as well as Bonner County on the south. The County Seat is Bonners Ferry and was founded January 23, 1915. It is located in the northwest tip area of the state.

County Courthouse
Boundary County Courthouse P.O. Box 419 Bonners Ferry, ID 83805-0419 Phone: 208-267-2242 County Clerk has marriage, land, probate and court records, some birth, death, divorce and military records.

Parent County
1915--Boundary County, Idaho was created 23 January 1915 from parts of Bonner and Kootenai Counties. It was named because it borders on Canada. County seat: Bonners Ferry

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this 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.

Resources
The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to entries with names, images, or information.

Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension, and vital records for Boundary County have been microfilmed and are available at the in Salt Lake City and at the Idaho State Archives 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 Bonners Ferry.

Cemeteries
There are many cemeteries in Boundary County. For a list of those that have been identified, and links to transcriptions and/or photographs of tombstones, go to Boundary 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
The 1890 federal census for Idaho was destroyed. However, the Idaho State Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library is creating a list of 1890 Idaho residents by indexing a variety of records, 1885-1894. This reconstructed list will substitute for the destroyed 1890 federal 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)
1915--Boundary County, Idaho was created 23 January 1915 from parts of Bonner and Kootenai Counties. It was named because it borders on Canada. County seat: Bonners Ferry [2]

In 1930, Boundary County was part of Northwestern States Mission. There were no stake organized in the area at the time.


 * The following are local congregations (wards) which existed in Boundary County, Idaho prior to 1950.
 * For original or later records, check with the Church History Library in Salt Lake City.
 * Many of the records to about 1948 are available at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City and at its FamilySearch Centers.


 * Bonner's Ferry

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.

Court Records
Some of the early court records of Boundary County, Idaho have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Archives in Boise, Idaho. The records filmed include civil suits, divorce papers, judgment dockets, etc. Copies of these microfilmed court records are also available at the in Salt Lake City, Utah or at any of the Library'sFamily History Centers. Additional court records and more recent records are housed at the Boundary County courthouse in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and can be accessed by making a visit there.

Some of the court records of Boundary County that have been microfilmed are:


 * Court records, 1911-1940
 * Power of attorney, 1883-1936

Judgment Books

 * Judgment records, 1891-1936; index, 1884-1960

Miscellaneous records are outlined in the Miscellaneous Series below

History
In 1988 the Boundary County Historical Society published the History of Boundary County, Idaho which can be found in the Boundary County Library, as well as many other libraries nationwide. The Society has also published the Index: History of Boundary County, Idahoavailable at the Boundary County Library, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, and the University of Idaho.

An additional work is The Faces of History; Portraits of the Men and Women Who Shaped Life in Boundary County, Idaho available at the Boundary County Library.

Land and Property
Land and Property records are generally recorded in the county courthouse of the county in which the transaction took place. For original records of Boundary County, Idaho, one may visit the courthouse in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed some early county records of Boundary County and these can be accessed by visiting the Archives in Boise, Idaho.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City has microfilmed the following records pertaining to, and they can be viewed in the Library in Salt Lake City or in any of its Family History Centers:


 * Deeds, 1886-1906; patents, 1899-1927; index, 1888-1988
 * Estates, 1907-1946

Maps



 * A digital Boundary County Idaho map is available online.
 * Map of Boundary County, Idaho is available online.
 * Boundary County road map

Military
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Boundary County have been microfilmed. Copies of these records are available at the Family History Library (their ) 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.

Both the Idaho State Archives in Boise, Idaho, and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah have copies of the miscellaneous record of Boundary County. The originals are held in the Boundary County courthouse in Bonners Ferry, Idaho and can be accessed by visiting there. Copies in the Idaho State Archives are available for viewing in Boise. Those held by the can be viewed either at the Library in Salt Lake City or at any of its Family History Centers.

Current
Bonners Ferry Herald P.O. Box 539 Bonners Ferry, ID 83805 Ph. 208-267-5521 email - screnshaw@bonnersferryherald.com Weekly

Kootenai Valley Times

Historical
The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed several Boundary County newspapers which can be accessed by visiting their facility in Boise, Idaho:

Barter Times: 1978:6:22 -1979:7:19 Bonners Ferry Herald: 1904: 12:31-9999 Boundary County Tribune: 1970:4:14-1970:6:9 Kootenai Herald: 1891:4: 4-1904: 12: 24 Kootenai Herald: 1900:11:02 Kootenai Valley Sentinel &amp; Bonners Ferry Times: 1933:5:29: -1937:4:29 Kootenai Valley Times: 1989:5:3-9999 Port Hill News: 1916:04:01

Obituaries

 * 1943-2013 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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 Archives in Boise and have been indexed. Boundary County Old Age Pensions are included in that index.

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1857 – 1989 Idaho Wills and Probate Records 1857-1989 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

The existing original probate records of Boundary County should be at the county courthouse in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho and can be accessed by visiting there.

The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed many of the earlier records of Boundary County, and these are available for viewing by visiting the Archives in Boise, Idaho.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah has some of the early probate records of Boundary County on microfilm. The following can be viewed at the Library in Salt Lake City or in any of its Family History Centers:



Taxation
Any existing tax assessment rolls for Boundary County should be in the courthouse in Bonners Ferry and would need to be accessed by visiting there.

Births
Online Records
 * 1861-1911 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1883-1929 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Birth records, 1915 to present, for individuals born in Boundary 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. There are 216 births in Boundary County in this record.

Marriages
Many of the early marriage records for Boundary County have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Archives in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. There are 740 marriage from Boundary County in the Family History Library online collection. Included are:

Marriage license [and certificates] v. 1 1915-1930.

Online Records
 * 1800-1987 - Idaho, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1864-1976 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1864-1950 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1878-1898; 1903-1942 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1947-1963 - at FamilySearch — index

Marriages from other sources.

Over 600 marriages, 1915-1930, are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.

Divorce

 * 1947-1963 - at FamilySearch — index

Deaths
Online Records
 * 1883-1929 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1938-1961 - at FamilySearch — index

Deaths occurring after 1915 in Boundary 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 Archives, the Family History Library and several other locations. The Family History Library has 536 Boundary County deaths in their online collection.

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 USGenWeb 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.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Bonners Ferry Idaho Family History Center

Websites

 * The Boundary County ID GenWeb Project, a member of The IDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project
 * Boundary County, Idaho Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Boundary County, Idaho Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)