Step-by-Step Idaho Research, 1850-1910

Idaho Step-by-Step Research 1850--1910 Step-by-Step Research 1911--present Step-by-Step Research 1850--1910

Step 1. Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History


 * Creating Oral Histories

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2: Search the 1900, 1880, 1870, 1860, and 1850 census records online.
Study the clues you have gathered, specifically looking for where each family lived in the years a census was taken. You can be exact: ""William and Thelma Black were evidently living in Twin Falls in 1900". Or you can be theoretical: "William Black was not married yet in 1880, and is probably living with his parents as a 7-year-old-child, hopefully near Twin Falls."

Census Records

 * A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
 * For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
 * Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
 * Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.

Look at the samples of census records below to become familiar with the types of information found in each.

Census Links to Start Your Own Research in Census Records
Now you will want to find your family members in every possible census, using these convenient links:

'''In steps 3 and 4, we will use what we learned from the census records to help search for birth, marriage, and death records. But first, we will try to gather more clues from several collections of death, obituary, and cemetery records that may give other places their birth and marriage records might be located.'''
 * Indian census rolls from 1885-1940 - for those living on Indian Reservations in the United States
 * Note: The 1890 census was destroyed in a fire.
 * You will want to find and keep notes on census records from every census during each ancestor's lifetime.
 * Using the census records, you will be able to estimate approximate birth dates and marriage dates. These records will lead you to additional census searches because you will find the names of other members of the family you will need to find. You may also find clues to other states and countries your family lived in before coming to Idaho.
 * Indian census rolls from 1885-1940 - for those living on Indian Reservations in the United States
 * Note: The 1890 census was destroyed in a fire.
 * You will want to find and keep notes on census records from every census during each ancestor's lifetime.
 * Using the census records, you will be able to estimate approximate birth dates and marriage dates. These records will lead you to additional census searches because you will find the names of other members of the family you will need to find. You may also find clues to other states and countries your family lived in before coming to Idaho.
 * You will want to find and keep notes on census records from every census during each ancestor's lifetime.
 * Using the census records, you will be able to estimate approximate birth dates and marriage dates. These records will lead you to additional census searches because you will find the names of other members of the family you will need to find. You may also find clues to other states and countries your family lived in before coming to Idaho.

Death Indexes

 * Idaho, Death Index, 1890-1963 ($)
 * , index and images
 * Index only.
 * Index only. Also at MyHeritage, ($).
 * Idaho, Death Records, 1890-1930 ($)
 * Idaho, Select Deaths and Burials, 1907-1965 ($)
 * Idaho, County Birth and Death Records, 1907-1920, ($). Images, indexed.
 * Idaho State Death Index 1911-1951
 * Eastern Idaho Death Records

'''Ordering Full Certificates

 * Click here for information on how to death records. This will require an application, a fee, and proof of your identification. Provide as many details as possible on the application, but you may leave some fields blank.

U.S. Social Security Death Index
The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962. The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled. Women are listed under their married name at the time of their death. You can search these records online at. Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.

The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names. The deceased would have to be at least 75 years old today for their parents' names to be published in the index. You will not find everybody who is listed in the SSDI, as criteria for inclusion differs.

If you find your ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed, the date and place of birth, currenr residence and employer.

Obituaries

 * Try these Idaho links:
 * Images.
 * Images.
 * USGenWeb Obituary Project, index.
 * — index and images

Cemeteries

 * Try these Idaho links:
 * Idaho Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb
 * Idaho Cemetery Records at Findagrave.com
 * Idaho Cemetery Records at Interment.net
 * BillionGraves Idaho Cemeteries
 * Utah and Idaho cemetery records ($)
 * Idaho Cemetery Records at LDS Genealogy
 * Idaho Cemetery Records at LDS Genealogy

Here is a typical online cemetery record from FindAGrave.



Step 4: Search for county birth and marriage records online.
States, counties, or even towns in some states recorded births, marriages, and deaths. In addition to the child's name, birth date, and place of birth, a birth certificate may give the birthplaces of the parents, their ages, and occupations. A death certificate may give the person's birth date and place, parents' names and birthplaces, and spouse's name.

Vital records registration of births and marriages at the state level started in 1905. Prior to that the individual counties kept the records. The starting dates of those records vary from county to county, depending on when the county was formed. Here are a variety of collected county records: Births (and Deaths)
 * Index only.
 * Idaho, County Birth and Death Records, 1863-1967, index & images ($)
 * 1883 - 1929 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Idaho, Birth Index, 1861-1912, Stillbirth Index, 1905-1962 ($)

Marriages
 * Western States Marriage Index
 * Web: Western States Marriage Index, 1809-2011 ($)
 * Idaho, County Marriages, 1863-1967, index & images ($)
 * Index and images. Also at MyHeritage, ($).
 * Index only.
 * Idaho, Marriage Index, 1842-1962, 1975-1996 Index ($)

Samples of index entries
Records of close relatives should be looked for to help verify information that may not be on your direct-line ancestor's records. In the second record below, for example, the bride or groom might be only the brother or sister of your direct line ancestor, but the record still states the parents names. The parents then are the direct line.

Records at the County Courthouse
From the date of the formation of a county until the establishment of state civil registration, birth and marriage records were kept by the County Clerk. They may have been microfilmed, or you can write for them. It is appropriate to write asking for either a single record or for a list of all the marriages for a given surname. This Letter Writing Guide will help you with phrasing a letter. This online directory by Genealogy Inc. will give you the address of the County Clerk. Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the "Courthouse and Government Records" to find the address and phone number. If you are at the main FamilySearch Library, check first to see if microfilms of the county vital records are available. In the search field of the FamilySearch Catalog, enter the state and county. Then click on the "Vital Records" subject. The cost of renting the microfilms at a FamilySearch Center probably makes it less expensive to just write to the County Clerk.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and World War II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. - Example of a World War I draft card. - Example of a World War II draft card.



'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see Idaho Military Records.
 * , index and images.
 * , index and images.

Step 7: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



''' Look for immigrant ancestors in shipping lists and citizenship sources.
{|

Idaho Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records


 * 1500s-1900s All U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s at Ancestry; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Idaho; Also at MyHeritage; index only ($)
 * 1895-1956 United States, Border Crossings from Canada, 1895-1956 at MyHeritage; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Idaho
 * 1895-1960 U.S., Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1895-1960 at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1904-1944 Index to Alien Arrivals at Canadian Atlantic and Pacific Seaports, 1904-1944 at Ancestry; index & images ($)
 * 1924-1956 at FamilySearch; index & images - How to Use this Collection

Cultural Groups

 * 1920-1939 Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920-1939 at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Idaho
 * Germans Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Idaho
 * Italians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Idaho
 * Russians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Idaho
 * Idaho immigration manifest99.png
 * }

Passport Records Online

 * 1795-1925 at FamilySearch; index and images — How to Use this Collection
 * 1795-1925 U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 Index and images, at Ancestry ($)

{|
 * style="width:35%"|
 * style="width:35%"|

Idaho Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records
 * Idaho State Archives Naturalization Index - Google spreadsheet
 * at FamilySearch - browsable images only - How to Use this Collection
 * at FamilySearch - index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * Idaho, Naturalization Records, 1903-1982 at Ancestry ($) - index and images
 * 1944-2003 U.S., Index to Alien Case Files, 1944-2003 at Ancestry — index ($)

For more information, see Idaho Emigration and Immigration and Idaho Naturalization and Citizenship.
 * Idaho naturalization.png
 * }

Step 8: Search for printed local histories or biography collections online.

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states usually contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories:
 * Hathi Trust Digital Library. Don't use the keywords Idaho; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
 * Google Books. Use keywords "Idaho" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * Internet Archive.Use keywords "Idaho" and the county name.
 * Genealogy Book Links, Idaho. Browse list; county histories are interspersed.
 * Ancestry.com, ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Idaho and the name of the county.


 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies. If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find out about local histories the library has by checking the FamilySearch Catalog. In the "place" field, type the name of your county and select it from the drop down list, then click "Search". A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, and History - Indexes.


 * Also, in  Step 11, you will be contacting a county history society. Societies often have a good selection of printed histories about the area. Some may be search history for you for a fee.

Biographies

 * BYU Idaho Pioneer Histories
 * Idaho State Historical Society Biographical Index (IBI)
 * Access Genealogy Biographies of the State of Idaho
 * BYU Trails of Hope:Overland Diaries and Letters, 1846-1869
 * Paper Trail
 * BYU Idaho Oral History Interview Collection
 * Upper Snake River Valley Idaho Histories, index/images
 * Register of the Histories of Pioneers who settled in the Upper Snake River Valley, 1883-1893, MSSI 3, Brigham Young University-Idaho Special Collections, index only.
 * Idaho County Biographies
 * Online County and Town Histories
 * An illustrated history of the state of Idaho, e-book
 * History of Idaho : the gem of the mountains Vol. 3, Vol. 4, e-books

Step 9: Write to a county for wills and probate indexes.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.

Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: Idaho
 * 1857 – 1989 Idaho Wills and Probate Records, 1857-1989 at Ancestry; index & images ($)

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each Idaho county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Idaho Counties

For more information, see Idaho Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 10: Search land records online.

 * These records will give the name of the owner, the date they obtained the land, the county, and the exact location of the land. They can contain clues to family members who shared ownership of the land, sold or gave land to a child, or witnessed the sale. Sometimes they show the previous or new residence of the parties to the deed. They can be useful in tracking an ancestor who lived in more than one county in Idaho. With the additional county name where the family lived, the probate and vital records of that county can then be searched.
 * Images only.
 * Bureau of Land Management index to Land Patents, index. Most after 1908.

Step 11: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.
{|
 * style="vertical-align:top"|
 * Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.


 * Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings.