Idaho County, Idaho Genealogy

Guide to Idaho County, Idaho genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Idaho Online Genealogy Records

Quick start:


 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death

Description
The county was named for a steamer called Idaho that was launched on the Columbia River. The County Seat is Grangeville and was founded February 4, 1864. It is located in the north central area of the state.

Quick Facts
An excellent History of Idaho County is available on the official website of the county.

Parent County
4 February 1864: Idaho County was created as an original county.

Boundary Changes
9 January 1869: Lemhi County created from part of Idaho County

26 February 1917: Valley County created from parts of Boise and Idaho Counties

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

Places/Localities
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

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.

A list of places in Idaho County can be found on List of Idaho Towns.

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 Idaho 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 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 Grangeville.

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

Churches

 * St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church (208) 983-0403 stspeterandpaulparish.org/
 * United Methodist Church of Grangeville (208) 983-0310
 * Saint Catherine of Siena Parish (208) 935-2130 http://saintcatherines.weebly.com/
 * Church of the Nazarene (208) 983-0552
 * Grangeville Seventh Day Adventist Church (208) 935-0388 [www.grangevilleadventist.org Grangeville Church]
 * Trinity Lutheran Church of Grangeville (208) 983-0562 Grangeville Lutheran

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)
In 1930, Idaho County was part of Northwestern States Mission
 * The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (208) 983-2110

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * The following are local congregations (wards) which existed in Idaho 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 Family History Libraryin Salt Lake City and at its FamilySearch Centers. original county.
 * FamilySearch Places

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 Idaho 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's Family History Centers. Additional court records and more recent records are housed at the Idaho County courthouse in Grangeville, and can be accessed by making a visit there.

Some of the records of the courts of Idaho County that have been microfilmed include:


 * Power of attorney, 1878-1958; index, 1878-1895
 * Separate property of married women, 1898-1903; index, 1898-1903

Judgment Books

 * Judgments, 1870-1930; index, ca. 1870-1900

History
The official Idaho County website includes an "Our History" page.

The digitized book An illustrated history of north Idaho embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone counties, state of Idaho is available online at archive.org.

WorldCat.org is an excellent resource for locating published and archival materials on the history of Idaho County. Books include:


 * Pioneer days in Idaho County, by M Alfreda Elsensohn; Eugene F Hoy
 * Idaho County voices : a people's history from the pioneers to the present, by Zona Chedsey; Carolyn Frei
 * Major Fenn's country, by Neal Parsell
 * Idaho County newspaper items, 1886-1903, by Carol Anglen
 * River &amp; prairie "news", 1904-1913 : (Idaho County's brides, babies, burials n' bullets), by Carol Anglen
 * Times past : a photographic history of Idaho County, by the Idaho County Free Press
 * Over a century of murder in Idaho County, 1861-1994, by Idaho County Historical Society and the Bicentennial Historical Museum

Note: This is not a comprehensive list. Many other works exist. WorldCat lists materials on history, biography, ethnic and religious groups, and other features of Idaho County.

Land
Included with the standard county land records are Indian patents, 1895-1909, mostly for some of the Nez Perce Indians.

Maps

 * An 1895 map of Idaho and surrounding counties is available online.
 * A digital Idaho County Idaho map is available online.
 * Map of Idaho County, Idaho is available online.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

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

Online Records

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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

Naturalization
The original naturalization records of Idaho County that have been transferred to the Idaho State Archives in Boise have been indexed in their Index to Naturalizations.

Online Records
 * 1892-1990 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Current

 * Cottonwood Chronicle
 * Idaho County Free Press (a weekly)

Historical
Boise News- 1863:9:29-1864:10:22 Idaho mountaineer - 1941:5:15-1958:6:26 Idaho patriot - 1864:10:9 Idaho times - 1866:11:2 Idaho world, 1864 - 1864:10:29-1918:11:1 Idaho world, 1958 - 958:1:2-9999 Ladies mite - 864:7:10

Obituaries

 * 1943-2013 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Pension Records
Mothers' Pensions were provided by the State of Idaho for widows and/or orphans, under certain conditions. Petitions for those pensions were filed with the probate court in each county. The original papers for several counties have been transferred to the Idaho State Archives in Boise and have been indexed. Idaho County Mothers' Pensions are included in that index.

Probate
Online Probate Indexes and Records


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

Generally speaking, probate records are kept at the county level and can be accessed at the county courthouse in the county in which the transaction took place. This would be Grangeville in Idaho County.

There are copies of some early probate records available at the in Salt Lake or at one of its family history centers.

The Idaho State Archives has also made microfilm copies of some of the earlier Idaho County probate records, and these can be viewed by visiting the Archives in Boise, Idaho.

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

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

The birth registers for Idaho County, 1907-1911 have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Archives in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Birth records, 1911 to present, for individuals born in Idaho 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 Idaho Vital Records section under the subject Idaho for more details.

In the Idaho Births and Christenings - FamilySearch Historical Records records, there are 152 births or christenings listed for Idaho County.

Marriage
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

Over 2800 marriages, 1862-1929, are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.

There are 4558 marriages from Idaho County online at Idaho Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records.

Divorce
Online Records
 * 1947-1963 - at FamilySearch — index

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

The Death Registers for Idaho County, 1907-1911, have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Archives in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. After 1911, deaths occurring in Idaho 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 mandated by the State of Idaho. See the Vital Records section under Idaho Vital Records for details.

Copies of death certificates from 1911-1954 are on microfilm and can be used at the Idaho State Archives (PARL) in Boise, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, BYU-Idaho University Library in Rexburg 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 Idaho Death Index 1911-1956. See: www.deathindexes.com/idaho/index.html

There are also 563 Idaho County death records online at Death Records and Burials

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.


 * Idaho County Genealogical Society 215 W North St Centennial Library Grangeville, ID 83530 208-983-0951 Facebook Page
 * Historical Museum at St. Gertrude 465 Keuterville Rd. Cottonwood, ID 83522-5183 208-962-2050
 * Salmon Public Library 300 Main St Salmon, ID 83549 208-756-2311
 * Salmon River Public Library 126 North Main St Riggins, ID 83549 208-628-3394
 * State Historical Society 2205 Old Penitentiary Rd Boise, Idaho 208-334-2774 Website
 * State Historical Society 2205 Old Penitentiary Rd Boise, Idaho 208-334-2774 Website


 * Idaho Historical Society Facebook Page Website


 * Idaho State Archives Digital Collections - Enter County in Search Bar


 * Idaho State Archives


 * National Society Daughters of the American Revolution-Idaho Chapter


 * The Idaho Welsh Society -- excellent cultural and historical site

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Grangeville Idaho Family History Center
 * Kamiah Idaho Family History Center

Websites

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