Bingham County, Idaho Genealogy

Guide to Bingham County, Idaho ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The county was named after Henry H. Bingham, a congressman from Pennsylvania and friend of William Bunn, Idaho's Territorial Governor. The County Seat is Blackfoot and was founded January 13, 1885. It is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
 Bingham County Courthouse 501 North Maple Blackfoot, Idaho 83221 Phone: 208-782-3160 County Website

County Clerk has marriage and land records from 1885, divorce and court records from 1900, probate records from 1892, naturalization, commission minutes from 1855, and school census 1898-1933.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Resources
Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension and vital records for Bingham County have been microfilmed and/or digitzed 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 the Family History Library can be obtained from their online catalog or listings. Original records which have been microfilmed or imaged, and more recent records are in the county courthouse in Blackfoot. A considerable amount of inactive records have been transferred to the Idaho State Historical Society in Boise.

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. For a summary of census records for the state of Idaho, see Idaho Census Records. A school census from 1898 to 1913 is located in the basement storage area at the Bingham County Courthouse. It includes a list of children, ages and name of parents. Contact the County Clerk for details.

Church Records
 List of Churches and Church Parishes

 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)
 * List of Bingham County stakes and wards to about 1948.
 * The following are local congregations (wards) which existed in Bingham County, Idaho prior to 1950.
 * For original or later records, check with the Church History Library in Salt Lake City.
 * Many of the records to about 1948 are available at the Family History Libraryin Salt Lake City and at its FamilySearch Centers.


 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1866-1917 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1885-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index/Images
 * 1911-1924 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - images; Includes divorces, probate documents, civil and criminal actions, and many other court actions.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - Deeds from 1865-1923; Index to Homesteads 1890-1960; Homesteads from 1889 to 1961

Local Histories
The book Bingham County Historywas published in 1985, commemorating the county's first hundred years.
 * Taylor Mountain Homesteaders: The Compiled Histories of the Settlers of Bingham &amp; Bonneville Counties of Southwest Idaho
 * Settlement of Idaho by Utah Pioneers: Bingham and Jefferson Counties
 * People of the Hills
 * Historical Sketch of Bingham County, Idaho
 * "Old Bingham" the banner county of Idaho at the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893


 * Bingham County History (Idaho) : Commemorating the State's 100th Birthday, 1890-1990. c1990. By The People of Bingham County. Blackfoot, Idaho : Bingham County Historical Society Book Committee. Online at:.
 * Bingham County history (Idaho) : Written and Compiled by the People of Bingham County Commemorating the County's 100th Birthday, 1885-1985. c1985. By The People of Bingham County. Blackfoot, Idaho : Bingham County Centennial Book Committee. Online at:.
 * Bingham County History Volume II - A Pictorial : Commemorating the County's 100th Birthday. c1986. By The Bingham County Centennial Book Committee. Blackfoot, Idaho : Bingham County Centennial Book Committee. Online at:.
 * Firth. N.d. N.p: n.p. Online at.
 * Histories of the Bingham County Company (Idaho). Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. c1944. By Daughters of Utah Pioneers. Blackfoot, Idaho : n.p.  Online at:.
 * Histories of the Bingham South Company (Idaho), Daughters of Utah Pioneers. c1999. By Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. Blackfoot, Idaho : Daughters of Utah Pioneers.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 1, FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 2;.
 * Miracle of the Desert: A History of the Thomas Ward and Surrounding Communities. c1957. By Thomas H. Williams. Blackfoot, Idaho : T.H. Williams.  Online at:.
 * The People of the Hills. c1963. By Miranda Campbell Stringham. Idaho Falls, Idaho : n.p.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 1, FamilySearch Digital Library-Vol. 2;.
 * Taylor mountain homesteaders : the compiled histories of the settlers of Bingham and Bonneville counties of southwest Idaho. c2008. By Lynn Blatter. Bountiful, Utah : emCole Design.  Online at:.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * An 1895 map of Bingham and surrounding counties is available online.
 * A digital Bingham County Idaho map is available online.
 * Map of Bingham County, Idaho is available online.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Bingham County for European and African American settlers included:
 * 1839-1890 Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon
 * 1846-1869 California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California

Military Records
World War I
 * 1917-1918 World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Bingham 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.

World War II
 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index/Images

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Records
 * 1892-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index/Images

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

 Current Newspapers being published in Bingham County include the Aberdeen Times, published in Aberdeen; the Shelley Pioneer, published in Shelley; and The Morning News, published in Blackfoot (see the individual towns where these newspapers are published for additional information).

Historical 1891-1892 The Morning News was called the Idaho News in 1891 and the Blackfoot News in 1892. Blackfoot Public Library offers access to historic editions of this news paper on microfilm through interlibrary loan. Blackfoot Public Library will also perform brief searches and provide copies for $.10 each. The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed many of Bingham County's early newspapers which can be accessed at their facility in Boise, Idaho.

Obituaries

 * 1943-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index/Images

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

 County Commissioner 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.

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.

Probate Records
The original estate case files are located in the basement vault of the County Clerk's Office and date from 1885. They are still in their original metal drawers and have to be carefully unfolded to use. Be sure to use the Index to Probate Records (also in the basement vault) for a detailed listing of actions taken by the Probate Court. Some of the probate minute books (sometimes called proceedings) have been transferred to the Idaho State Archives. Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1857-1989 Idaho Wills and Probate Records 1857-1989 at Ancestry $
 * (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - Court records--(1885-1932) and Widows and Orphan Records 1913-1927

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Birth

 * 1861-1911 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1883-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index/Images

Marriage

 * 1800-1987 Idaho, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1864-1976 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Privacy law can't publish
 * 1864-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index/Images
 * 1878-1898; 1903-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1947-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * Western States Marriage Index

Death

 * 1883-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index/Images
 * 1911-1956 State-wide index to Idaho Deaths, 1911-1956
 * 1938-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index

Divorce

 * 1947-1963 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index

Archives

 * Idaho State Archives Digital Collections - Enter County in Search Bar
 * Idaho State Archives

Family History Centers

 * Blackfoot Idaho Family History Center
 * Blackfoot Idaho West Family History Center
 * Firth Idaho Family History Center
 * Fort Hall Idaho Family History Center
 * Idaho Falls East Family History Center
 * Idaho Falls Idaho FamilySearch Library
 * Pocatello Idaho FamilySearch Library

Libraries

 * Blackfoot Library 129 North Broadway Street Blackfoot, ID 83221-2204 Phone: 208-785-8628 Website
 * North Bingham County Library 197 West Locust Street Shelley, ID 83274-1309 Phone: 208-357-7801 Website
 * Aberdeen District Library 76 E Central Ave Aberdeen, ID 83210 Phone: 208-397-4427 Website
 * Snake River School Community Library 924 West Highway 39 Blackfoot, ID 83221 Phone: 208-684-3063 Website

Museums

 * Bingham County Historical Society Museum 190 North Shilling Avenue Blackfoot, ID 83221-2848 Phone: (208) 785-8040

Societies

 * Bingham County Historical Society Archives 121 North Shilling Blackfoot, ID 83221 Phone: (208) 785-9906 Website
 * State Historical Society 2205 Old Penitentiary Rd Boise, Idaho 208-334-2774 Website
 * Idaho Historical Society Facebook
 * The Idaho Welsh Society Website
 * National Society Daughters of the American Revolution-Idaho Chapter Idaho Chapter

Websites

 * The Bingham County ID GenWeb
 * The IDGenWeb Project
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.