Step-by-Step Idaho Research, 1850-1910

Idaho Step-by-Step Research 1850--1910 Step-by-Step Research 1911--present Step-by-Step Research 1850--1910

Step 1. Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :


 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History at ThoughtCo.com
 * Creating Oral Histories at FamilySearch Wiki

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2: Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Example of a census record.
 * A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
 * For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
 * Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
 * Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.



Look for ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Use the clues from each census for hints where to find families in both earlier and later census records.
- For more information, see Idaho Census and United States Census.

Step 3: Try to find additional details in death certificates, Social Security, obituary and cemetery records online.
When a person dies, several records will be created: death certificates, Social Security records, obituaries, and cemetery records.
 * Death certificates can give birth information for people born before actual birth registration began. Death certificates frequently give the birth date and place, parents' names, and birth places of parents.


 * The Social Security Death Index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled.


 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index provides information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names.


 * Cemetery records can be as simple as the information on the headstone or, in some FindAGrave records, they can report more thorough information about birth, parents, spouses, children, and siblings.

A typical online cemetery record from FindAGrave.





Death Indexes

 * 1883-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1890-1964 Idaho, U.S., Death Index, 1890-1964 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1890-1971 Idaho, U.S., Death Records, 1890-1971 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1907-1920 Idaho, U.S., County Birth and Death Records, 1907-1920 at Ancestry — images ($)
 * 1907-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1911-1937 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * Search for Death Certificates by Name and County at BYU Idaho, Special Collections and Family History — index & images

Writing for Full Death Certificates
The full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).
 * Where to Write for Idaho Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.gov

U.S. Social Security Records

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at


 * 1935-2014 U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry — index ($); Picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off by providing information filed in the application or claims process
 * 1962-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

Obituaries

 * 1864-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Pre-1929 Idaho USGenWeb Obituary Project at USGenWeb Archives — index
 * 1943-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1980-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Cemeteries

 * 1949-1969 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * BillionGraves — index & images
 * at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection; index; Also at: Findmypast ($)
 * FindaGrave — index & images
 * at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * Idaho Cemeteries at USGenWeb Tombstones — index
 * Idaho Cemetery Records at LDS Genealogy — index
 * Idaho Death Records and Idaho Cemetery Records at Interment.net — index
 * Utah and Idaho cemetery records at Ancestry — index & images ($)

For more information, see Idaho Obituaries and Idaho Cemeteries.

Step 4: Search for county birth and marriage records online.
'''Vital records registration of births and marriages at the state level started in 1905. Prior to that the individual counties kept some records. The starting dates of those records vary from county to county, depending on when the county was formed.'''

Online Records
Births 


 * 1856-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1861-1971 Idaho, U.S., Birth Records, 1861-1921, Stillbirth Index, 1905-1971 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1863-1970 Idaho, U.S., County Birth and Death Records, 1863-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1883-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriages


 * 1809-2016 Western States Marriage Records Index at BYU Idaho, Special Collections and Family History — index; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1863-1971 Idaho, U.S., Marriage Records, 1863-1971 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1864-1950 Idaho, County Marriages, 1864-1950 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1864-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1864-1967 Idaho, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1864-1967 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1878-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Records at the County Courthouse.
These records were originally created by county clerks, and then copies were sent to the state. County clerks can be willing to help find all the birth records for one family or perform other searches that the state would not do. To contact county clerks by e-mail or telephone, go to the Wiki article for each county. Links to the county Wiki articles are found at the end of this page or by clicking here: Idaho Counties.

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Idaho, see How to Find Idaho Birth Records, How to Find Idaho Marriage Records, and How to Find Idaho Death Records.

Step 5: Look for church records online.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



Search for church records that can provide additional birth, marriage, and death information.

 * 1856-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1878-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1907-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry ($)

- For help with church records kept in Idaho, see Idaho Church Records. To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 6: Search military records: World War I and World War II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. - Example of a World War I draft card. - Example of a World War II draft card.



'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see Idaho Military Records.
 * 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Step 7: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



Idaho Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records


 * 1500-Onward All U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s at Ancestry — index & images; includes those with destination of Idaho ($); Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1895-1956 United States, Border Crossings from Canada, 1895-1956 at MyHeritage — index & images; includes those with destination of Idaho ($)
 * 1895-1960 U.S., Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1895-1960 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1904-1944 U.S., Index to Alien Arrivals at Canadian Atlantic and Pacific Seaports, 1904-1944 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1924-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Cultural Groups

 * 1920-1939 Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920-1939 at MyHeritage — index ($); includes those with destination of Idaho
 * Germans Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage  — index ($) ; includes those with destination of Idaho
 * Italians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage — index ($); includes those with destination of Idaho
 * Russians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage — index ($); includes those with destination of Idaho



Passport Records Online

 * 1795-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)

Idaho Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records


 * 1861-1974 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1892-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1903-1982 Idaho, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1903-1982 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1944-2003 U.S., Index to Alien Case Files, 1944-2003 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * Idaho State Archives Naturalization Index at Google Docs



For more information, see Idaho Emigration and Immigration and Idaho Naturalization and Citizenship.

Step 8: Search for printed local histories or biography collections online.

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states usually contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories:
 * Hathi Trust Digital Library. Don't use the keywords Idaho; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
 * Google Books. Use keywords "Idaho" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * Internet Archive.Use keywords "Idaho" and the county name.
 * Genealogy Book Links, Idaho. Browse list; county histories are interspersed.
 * Ancestry.com, ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Idaho and the name of the county.


 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies. If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find out about local histories the library has by checking the FamilySearch Catalog. In the "place" field, type the name of your county and select it from the drop down list, then click "Search". A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, and History - Indexes.


 * Societies often have a good selection of printed histories about the area. Some may be search history for you for a fee.

Biographies

 * 1846-1869 Trails of Hope: Overland Diaries and Letters, 1846-1869 at BYU Library — index
 * 1883-1893 Register of the Histories of Pioneers who Settled in the Upper Snake River Valley, 1883-1893 at BYU Library — index
 * A Guide to Overland Pioneer Names and Documents at Paper Trail — index & images ($)
 * An Illustrated History of the State of Idaho. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1899. Online at:  HathiTrust
 * Biographies of the State of Idaho at AccessGenealogy — index
 * Brief Histories of Founders of the Snake River Valley at BYU Library — index & images
 * County and Town Histories at LearnWebSkills — index
 * History of Idaho : The Gem of the Mountains, by James H. Hawley. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1920. Online at: Vol. 1 - HathiTrust; Vol. 2 - HathiTrust; Vol. 3 - HathiTrust; Vol. 4 - HathiTrust
 * Idaho Biographical Index (IBI) at Idaho State Archives — index
 * Idaho County Biographies at Idaho Genealogy — index ($)
 * Oral History Interview collection at BYU-Idaho Special Collections and Family History — index
 * Pioneer Histories at BYU-Idaho Special Collections and Family History — index

Step 9: Write to a county for wills and probate indexes.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.

Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * 1857-1989 Idaho, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1857-1989 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each Idaho county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Idaho Counties

For more information, see Idaho Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 10: Search land records online.
These records will give the They can contain clues to
 * names of the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor),
 * previous or new residence of the parties to the deed
 * the date they obtained the land,
 * the description of exact location of the land, sometimes mentioning neighbors.
 * family members who shared ownership of the land,
 * sold or gave land to a child, or
 * officially witnessed the sale.

Search for any ancestor's land records.

 * See United States Land and Property for more databases and resources.


 * 1788-Current U.S. Land Patent Search at Bureau of Land Management — index
 * 1800-1955 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1861-1932 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1863-1908 U.S., Homestead Records, 1863-1908 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Putting Family History in Its Places at HistoryGeo.com — index & images ($)
 * Survey Plats and Field Notes at Bureau of Land Management — index

By County
 * 1867-2012 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1885-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index


 * See United States Land and Property and Idaho Land and Property for more information.

Step 11: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.
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 * Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.


 * Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings.

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * Idaho, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * Idaho, United States Historical Images, Old Version

Idaho Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in Idaho Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Idaho Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * Idaho Online Genealogy Records

Step 13: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Idaho.
This article focused more on Idaho state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Idaho. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.