Franklin County, Idaho Genealogy

United States &gt; Idaho &gt; Franklin County

County Courthouse
Franklin County Courthouse Preston, ID 83263-1234 Phone: (208) 852-1090 Fax: (208) 852-1094

Parent County
1913--Franklin County, Idaho was formed 20 January 1913 from Oneida and Bannock Counties. County seat: Preston

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.

This list of places in Franklin County, Idaho was compiled from the Lists of Places in Idaho in Wikipedia and from the map of Franklin County in Virtual Earth.

Resources
Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension and vital records for Franklin County have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and at the Idaho State Historical Society's Library in Boise. Details of the county records in the Family History Library can be obtained from their online catalog or listings. More recent records are in the county courthouse in Preston.

A significant volume of the older records for this county have been moved to the Idaho State Historical Society Library (PARL) in Boise. The bulk of records transferred are from the District Court, but most of the old Probate Court estate case files are also included.

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

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 are local congregations (wards) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints which existed in Franklin County, Idaho prior to 1950. Many of the original 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.

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.

Maps

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

Military
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Franklin County have been microfilmed. Copies of these records are available at the Family History Library (their microfilm number 1452214) 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 and Citizenship
Records of the naturalization of people born outside of the United States were often kept in the county courthouses of the respective counties of Idaho. For Franklin County, the following records have been abstracted and are available online. Many of those same records were microfilmed by the Family History Library.

Declaration of Intentions, 1913-1928

Current

 * Preston Citizen

Probate
According to the Clerk of the District Court, the estate case files from 1913 -(??) have been transferred to the Idaho State Historical Society Library in Boise (as of 2010). Several of the early Judgment volumes and the Probate minute books are probably still in the vault area on the third floor of the courthouse. The early Miscellaneous Series are also likely still there, too.

Birth
Birth records, 1911 to present, for individuals born in the Franklin County area 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
Marriages recorded in this county from 1876 to 1940 are available at the Western States Marriage Records Index (website). Be cautious with any birth, marriage and/or death event as being recorded in Franklin County prior to its creation in 1913. Such events should be cited in the appropriate pioneer county.

Death
Deaths occuring in Franklin 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.

Deaths from other sources
A significant source of death 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.


 * Larsen-Sant/Franklin District Library 109 S 1st E Preston, ID 83263 Phone: (208) 852-0175 Website

Websites

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