Idaho County, Idaho Genealogy

United States Idaho  Idaho County

Quick Facts
An excellent brief 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

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.

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

Resources
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 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 Grangeville.

Cemeteries
The Idaho GenWeb Project, Idaho County has a listing of all Idaho County cemeteries, along with many cemetery photos. In addition, there is a clickable map showing the locations of all the 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
For a summary of census records for the state of Idaho, see Idaho Census Records.

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. Idaho County is included in this reconstructed census.

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.

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.

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 microfilm number 1452216) 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.

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

Current

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

Probate
There are copies of probate records available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake or at one of their affiliate family history centers.

Birth
The birth registers for Idaho County, 1907-1911 have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library 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 Vital Records section under the subject Idaho for more details.

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

Death
The Death Registers for Idaho County, 1907-1911, have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. After 1911, deaths occuring 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 for details.

Copies of death certificates from 1911-1954 are on microfilm and can be used at the Idaho State Historical Society (PARL) Library 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.

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.


 * Historical Museum at St. Gertrude 465 Keuterville Rd. Cottonwood, ID 83522-5183 (208)962-2050 FAX (208)962-2059
 * Salmon River Public Library 126 N Main St Riggins, ID 83549 Phone: (208) 628-3394

Web Sites

 * Official Idaho County website
 * The Idaho County Idaho GenWeb Project, a member of The IDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project
 * Family History Library Catalog