Bonneville County, Idaho Genealogy

Guide to Bonneville County, Idaho ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records. Bonneville County is a county is Southeastern Idaho.

Quick start:


 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death
 * Church

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Description
The county was named for Captain B. L. E. Bonneville, of the U. S. Army, who explored throughout the Snake River area in the 1830s. The County Seat is Idaho Falls and was founded February 7, 1911. It is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Bonneville County Courthouse 605 North Capital Avenue Idaho Falls, ID 83402 (208) 529-1350-3582 Phone: 208-529-1350 County Clerk has marriage, divorce, land, probate, and court records from 1911.

Parent County
1911--Bonneville County was created 7 February 1911 from Bingham County. County seat: Idaho Falls

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 that may be referenced in small-town newspapers.

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.

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Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension, and vital records for Bonneville County have been microfilmed and are available at the 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 Idaho Falls.

Cemeteries
The following cemeteries of Bonneville County have been identified and some of their records located. When multiple transcriptions are listed, they may contain differing 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.


 * 1) A significant source of cemetery, death, burial and related information for eastern Idaho families can be found at the following website Eastern Idaho Death Index.
 * 2) For a detailed list, including addresses, phone numbers, and external links, see Bonneville County, Idaho Cemeteries.

The following is a list of cemeteries in Bonneville County:

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)

 * List of Bonneville County stakes and wards up to about 1948


 * The following are local congregations (wards) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints which existed in Bonneville County, Idaho prior to 1950. Many of the 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. An entire set of the local LDS membership records are also available at BYU-Idaho Library and the Idaho Falls Regional Family History Center.

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 Bonneville 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 Bonneville County courthouse in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and can be accessed by making a visit there.

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

Judgment Books
(Includes divorces, probate documents, civil and criminal actions and many other court actions.)


 * Judgments, 1911-1931

Miscellaneous records are outlined in the Miscellaneous Series below.

History
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah has the following histories of Bonneville County which can be viewed by visiting their facility:


 * Beautiful Bonneville: County of Contrasts, by Alice Horton
 * Bonneville County in the Making, by Barzilla W. Clark
 * Captain Bonneville's County, by Edith Haroldsen Lovell
 * The People of the Hills, by Miranda Campbell Stringham
 * Sesquicentennial Memories: Idaho Falls' Mormon Pioneer Heritage, by Mary Jane Groberg Fritzen

The above-listed books, as well as the following, can be found in libraries nationwide.


 * Unsung Heroes and Settlers, Bonneville County, Idaho, by Connie B. Otteson
 * Settement of Idaho by Utah Pioneers: Bonneville County, by Lou Jean S Wiggins
 * Second Stories Revisited: Historical Narratives of Idaho Falls Women, by Cheryl A Cox and Lexie Ann French

Land and Property
Most land and property transactions are recorded in the county in which the event took place. In Bonneville County, these records will be in the county courthouse in Idaho Falls, Idaho. To access these records a visit to the courthouse will be necessary.

At the present time there do not seem to be any microfilmed copies of Bonneville County land and property records, either in the Idaho State Archives or in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.


 * 1867-2013 — Bonneville County Land and property records at FamilySearch Historical Collections


 * 1894-1931 — ‘’Bonneville County Mining location records at property records’’] at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Browse-able images only)

Maps



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

Military
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Bonneville 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.


 * 1943-1952 — ‘’Bonneville County Military discharge records at Military records’’] ] at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Browse-able images only)

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 Bonneville County. The originals are held in the Bonneville County courthouse in Idaho Falls, 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.

Historical
The Idaho State Archives holds microfilmed copies of the following Bonneville County newspapers:

Idaho Register: 1885:4:4-1890:7:11 Resources of Idaho: 1885:4 Eastern Idaho Farmer: 1948:8:6-1979:3:11

(Also see specific town pages at this website, such as Idaho Falls.)

Obituaries

 * 1943-2013 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate
Online Probate Records


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

Estate case files from 1911 to 1960 have been transferred to the Idaho State Archives in Boise. The state archives inventory indicates that there may be gaps in what was received. Other probate volumes maybe located in the archives section of the Bonneville County registrar's office, located at Idaho Falls, Idaho. These records and current probate records can be accessed by visiting the county courthouse in Idaho Falls.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah has the following early Bonneville County probate records on film which are available for viewing in the Library in Salt Lake City or in any of itsFamily History Centers:



Taxation
Any existing tax assessment rolls for Bonneville County should be in the courthouse in Idaho Falls 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, 1911 to present, for individuals born in Bonneville 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.

Marriages
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

Many of the early marriage records for Bonneville 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.


 * 1911-1964 — Bonneville County Marriage license affidavits and certificates at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Browse-able images only)

Marriages from other sources.

12,603 Bonneville County marriages from February 22, 1911 to September 15, 1955 are listed on the Western States Marriage Index

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

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

After 1911, deaths occurring in Bonneville 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 for details.

Copies of death certificates from 1911-1954 are on microfilm and can be used at the Idaho State Archives 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 GenWeb Death Index 1911-1956.

Deaths from other sources
A significant source of cemetery, death, burial and related information for eastern Idaho families can be found at the following website Eastern Idaho Death Index.

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 Falls Public Library

457 W Broadway Idaho Falls, ID 83402 Phone: (208) 612-8450 Website


 * Bonneville County Historical Society and Museum of Idaho

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Idaho Falls East Family History Center
 * Rigby Idaho Family History Center

Websites

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