Blaine County, Idaho Genealogy

United States Idaho  Blaine County

County Courthouse
Blaine County Courthouse 206 First Avenue South, Hailey, Idaho 83333

Parent County
5 March 1895: Blaine County, Idaho was created from Alturas County.

Boundary Changes
30 January 1913: Power County created from parts of Bingham, Blaine, and Oneida 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.

Resources
Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension, and vital records for Blaine County have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and 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 Hailey.

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

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
The following are local congregations (wards) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints which existed in Blaine 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.

History
A brief history of Blaine County is available online.

Land and Property
Land and Property records are generally recorded in the county courthouse of the county in which the transaction took place. For original records of Blaine County, Idaho, one may visit the courthouse in Hailey, Idaho.

The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed many county records of Blaine County and these can be accessed by visiting the Archives in Boise, Idaho.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah has microfilmed some Blaine County records pertaining to land and property. The following can be viewed in the Library in Salt Lake City or in any of its Family History Centers:


 * Declaration of homesteads, 1881-1885; index, 1881-1884
 * Deeds, 1863-1926; index, 1863-1883; bonds for deeds, 1865-1889
 * Miscellaneous mining and land and property records, 1863-1889
 * Separate property of married women, 1887-1920

Maps

 * An 1895 map of Blaine and surrounding counties is available online.
 * A digital Blaine County Idaho map is available online.
 * Map of Blaine County, Idaho is available online.

Military History and Records
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Blaine County have been microfilmed. Copies of these records are available at the Family History Library (their microfilm number 1452109) 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.

The Idaho State Archives in Boise, Idaho, does not appear to have microfilmed copies of the Miscellaneous Series of Blaine County, though the copy which the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah has, noted that the records can be found in the Idaho State Archives. One can check with the Blaine County courthouse in Hailey where current and perhaps original copies should be found. Those copies 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.

Current

 * Mountain Express

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. Blaine County Mothers' Pensions are included in that index.

Probate Records
The existing original probate records of Blaine County should be housed in the county courthouse which is located in Hailey, Idaho. Records can be accessed by visiting the courthouse.

The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed many of the earlier Blaine County records, and these can be accessed at the Archives in Boise, Idaho.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, also has some Blaine County probate records on microfilm, and the following can be viewed at the Library in Salt Lake City or in any of its Family History Centers:


 * Bonds and letters of administration, 1883-1928
 * Wills, 1883-1962
 * Records from Logan County relating to Blaine County (Originals at the Idaho State Archives)

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

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah has microfilmed the Poll Books of Blaine, Lincoln and Alturas counties and these films can be viewed at the Library in Salt Lake City or in any of its Family History Centers.

Birth
The Birth Registers for Blaine 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 Blaine 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
Nearly 1700 marriages, 1890-1941, are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.

Deaths
The death registers for Blaine County, 1907-1911 have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Archives in Boise, the BYU-Idaho Library in Rexburg and at the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City, Utah.

After 1911, deaths occurring in Blaine 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 issued 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, the Family History Library, 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 the US GenWeb Idaho Death Index 1911-1956.

Societies, Libraries and Museums
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.


 * Bellevue Public Library 115 E Pine Bellevue, ID 83313 Phone: (208) 788-2128 Website
 * Little Wood River District Library 16 Panther Ave Carey, ID 83320 Phone: (208) 823-4510
 * Hailey Public Library 7 W Croy St Hailey, ID 83333 Phone: (208) 788-2036 Website
 * The Community Library 415 Spruce Avenue N PO Box 2168 Ketchum, Idaho 83340-2168 (208) 726-3493 Website
 * Ketchum Sun Valley Historical Society Heritage &amp; Ski Museum‎ 180 1st Ave E, Ketchum, ID 83340 (208) 726-8118‎
 * Blaine County Historical Museum 213 North Main Street (physical address) P.O. Box 124 (mailing address) Hailey, Idaho 83333 (208) 788-1801 Website

Websites

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