Adams County, Idaho Genealogy


 * This article is about a western Idaho county. For other uses, see Adams.

United States &gt; Idaho &gt; Adams County

County Courthouse
Wikipedia

Adams County Government's History page

The original courthouse was built in 1915 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been replaced by a modern, more efficient courthouse which now serves the people of the county.

Parent County
3 March 1911: Adams County was created from Washington

Places/Localities
The following 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 Adams County, Idaho was compiled from the Lists of Places in Idaho in Wikipedia and from the map of Adams County in Virtual Earth.

Cities:
Council | New Meadows

Unincorporated Communities:
Alpine | Bear | Cuprum | Devils Ladder | Evergreen | Fruitvale | Glendale | Goodrich | Helena | Hoover | Hornet | Indian Valley | Landore | Meadows | Mesa | Pinehurst | Pine Ridge | Rankin Mill | Rubicon | Starkey | Stevens | Tamarack | Woodland

Neighboring Counties
Gem | Idaho | Valley | Washington | Oregon counties: Baker | Wallowa

Resources
Some early deeds and probate records, a marriage register from 1911-1984, and some other miscellaneous county records have been microfilmed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and through their family history centers and 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 Council.

Cemeteries
There are a number of cemeteries in Adams County. Those that have been identified are listed below, with their location and any links to abstracts of their records.

The following cemeteries of Adams County have some records in the Idaho State Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library:


 * Bear Cemetery - Bear, on Smith Ranch
 * Cottonwood Cemetery - Council
 * Cuprum Cemetery (4 graves) - Cuprum
 * Ed Rogers grave - Wildhorse
 * Frank Whitcraft grave - SW corner of Claud Emery Ranch
 * Glendale Cemetery - Glendale
 * Grant Blew grave - 2.5 m above Brownlee Dam
 * Hornet Creek Cemetery - Council
 * Indian Valley Cemetery - about 1 m from Indian Valley
 * IOOF Cemetery - Council
 * Jim Summers grave - Cuddy Mtn., Galena Mine
 * Kessler Cemetery - Council
 * Millard Smith grave - No Business Canyon, Wildhorse
 * Old Meadows Cemetery (see also New Meadows Sexton records) - 2 m N of Old Meadows, .2 m E of Hwy
 * Winkler Cemetery - Council

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 local congregation (ward) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints existed in Adams County, Idaho prior to 1950. Many of the original records of 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.


 * Indian Valley

Court
Some of the early court records of Adams County, Idaho have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library and Archives in Boise. The records filmed are for about 1865 through 1940 and include civil suits, divorce papers, and judgment dockets. Copies of these microfilmed court records are also available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Additional court records and more recent records are housed at the courthouse in Council.

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


 * District Court:


 * Judgment Books, v. 1-2, 1911-1929
 * Index to Judgment Books, 1911-1924


 * Probate Court:


 * Wills, 1889-1936
 * Notice of Action, v. A, 1886-1911

Land and Property Records
Some of the early land records of Adams County have been microfilmed. Since Adams County was not created until 1911 from Washington County, some of these records are transcripts from those found in the parent county. Microfilm copies of the records are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library and Archives in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Original copies of these and later records are housed at the courthouse in Council.

Among the land records of Ada County which have been microfilmed are:


 * Deeds, 1876-1907
 * Index to Deeds, 1881-1935

Mining Records
Some records of mining claims and other records pertaining to mining in Adams County, 1902-1927, have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Library in Boise and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Maps
A modern road map of Adams County is available online.

Military
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Adams County have been microfilmed. Copies of these records are available at the Family History Library (their microfilm number 1452106) 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.

Current

 * Adams County Record

Probate
Some probate records for Adams County have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library and Archives in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Other probate files remain with the county courthouse in Council. Included among the records that have been microfilmed are:


 * Wills, 1889-1936
 * Notice of Action, v. A, 1886-1911

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

Birth
The Birth Register for Washington County, 1907-1911 recorded the births of residents of what became Adams County in 1911. That volume has been microfilmed and is available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Birth records, 1911 to present, are recorded at the state level.

Marriage
About 800 marriages of Adams County, 1900-1940, are available on the Western States Marriage Index.

Several of the original marriage records of Ada County have also been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Included are:


 * Register of Marriages, 1911-1984
 * Marriage Licenses and Certificates, 1911-1929

Death
The Death Register for Washington County, 1907-1911 recorded the deaths of members of families who became residents of Adams County in 1911. That volume has been microfilmed and is available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Death records, 1911 to present, are recorded at the state level.

Web Sites

 * The Adams County ID GenWeb Project, a member of The IDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * Adams County Historic Preservation Commission
 * Family History Library Catalog