Custer County, Idaho Genealogy

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

Idaho Online Genealogy Records

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Description
The county was named for the General Custer gold mine. The County Seat is Challis and was founded January 8, 1881. It is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Custer County Courthouse 801 E. Main Ave. P.O. Box 385 Challis, ID 83226 Phone: 208-879-2360 County Clerk has marriage, divorce, court and land records from 1872, Probate Court has probate records.

Parent County
8 January 1881: Custer County was created from Alturas and Lemhi Counties.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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 Custer County, Idaho was compiled from the Lists of Places in Idaho in Wikipedia and from the map of Custer County in Virtual Earth.

Resources
The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to entries with names, images, or information.

Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension, and vital records for Custer County have been microfilmed and are available at the in Salt Lake City and through their family history centers. They are also available 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 Challis.

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

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)

 * List of Custer County stakes and wards to about 1948.

Historical

 * The following are local congregations (wards) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints which existed in Custer County, Idaho prior to 1950. Many of the original records of these church units are in the Church History 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 or in its Family History Centers.

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Challis
 * Chilly
 * Leslie
 * McKay
 * FamilySearch Places

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.

Court Records
Some of the early court records of Custer County, Idaho have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Archives in Boise, Idaho. The records filmed include civil suits, divorce papers, judgment dockets, etc. Copies of these microfilmed court records are also available at the in Salt Lake City, Utah or at any of the Library's Family History Centers. Additional court records and more recent records are housed at the Custer County courthouse in Challis, Idaho, and can be accessed by making a visit there.

Some of the records of the courts of Custer County that have been microfilmed include:


 * Bonds, 1881-1913; index, 1881-1895
 * Power of attorney, 1879-1924; index, 1881-1984

Judgment Books

 * Judgments, 1881-1968; index, 1881-1968

Be sure to check the Custer County Miscellaneous Series

History
The History of Custer County, Idaho by Jesse R Black was published in 1900. It is available online and at various US libraries.

Land of the Yankee Fork by Esther Yarber recounts the history of the gold mining towns of Custer and Bonanza City.

Additional works are:


 * Settlement of Idaho by Utah pioneers: Lemhi, Butte, Custer, and Madison Counties by Mary N Porter Harris
 * People of the Yankee Fork by Patricia L Packard
 * A History of Gold Mining on the Yankee Fork River, Custer County, Idaho by George C Stephens
 * The Lure of Gold and Silver: The Story of Central Idaho's Pioneers and Mining by Roberta H Green

Land and Property
Land Records are held in the county offices of the county in which the transaction took place. To view Custer County records it would be necessary to visit the county courthouse in Challis, Idaho.

The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed some of Custer County's early records and these can be accessed by visiting the State Archives in Boise, Idaho.

The in Salt Lake has microfilmed the following Custer County Land records, and these can be accessed in the Library in Salt Lake or in any of its :


 * Deeds, 1872-1913; index, 1873-1908
 * Homesteads, 1883-1968; index 1888-1968
 * Judgments, 1881-1968; index, 1881-1968
 * Separate property of married women, 1881-1896; index, 1881-1896

Maps

 * An 1895 map of Ada and surrounding counties is available online.
 * A digital Custer County Idaho map is available online.
 * Map of Custer County, Idaho is available online.
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Custer 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.

Online Records

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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.

Both the Idaho State Archives in Boise, Idaho, and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah have copies of the miscellaneous record of Custer County. The originals are held in the Custer County courthouse in Challis, Idaho and can be accessed by visiting there. Copies in the Idaho State Archives are available for viewing in Boise. Those held by the can be viewed either at the Library in Salt Lake City or at any of its Family History Centers.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Records
 * 1892-1990 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Current
Challis Messenger, published in Challis, Idaho.

Historical
The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed the following Custer County newspapers:

Challis Messenger: 1912:3:19- 9999 Houston Press, 1901: 1901:08:31 Idaho Messenger: 1886:10:05 Idaho Messenger: 1888:7:10-1889:7:16 Mackay Miner: 1906:2:16-1975:12:18 Mackay Telegraph: 1901:10-1905:7 Mackay Telegraph: 1903:7:7-1903:7:11 Prospector: 1904:1:3, 1904:2:20 Silver Messenger: 1894:7:31 -1912:3:12 Yankee Fork Herald: 1879: 7: 24-1882: 4: Yankee Fork Herald: 1881:04:23

Obituaries

 * 1943-2013 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1857 – 1989 Idaho Wills and Probate Records 1857-1989 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Probate records can generally be found in the county courthouse of the county in which the transaction took place. The Custer County courthouse is in Challis, Idaho.

The in Salt Lake has microfilmed some Custer County probate records (1889-1934) and wills (1879-1944. These can be accessed in their Library in Salt Lake City, or in any of their Family History Centers.

The Idaho State Archives has also microfilmed copies of some of the earlier Custer County probate records, and these can be viewed by visiting the Archives in Boise, Idaho.

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

Birth
Online Records
 * 1861-1911 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1883-1929 - at FamilySearch — index and images

The Birth Registers for Custer 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 Custer 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
Online Records


 * 1800-1987 - Idaho, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1864-1976 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1864-1950 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1878-1898; 1903-1942 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1947-1963 - at FamilySearch — index

Divorce
Online Records
 * 1947-1963 - at FamilySearch — index

Deaths
Online Records
 * 1883-1929 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1938-1961 - at FamilySearch — index

The death registers for Custer 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 Custer 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.

Idaho Deaths and Burials - FamilySearch Historical Records gives details about the collection that covers the years of 1907-1965.

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.


 * Challis Public Library 6th And Main St Challis, ID 83226 Phone: (208) 879-4267 Website
 * Mackay District Library 320 Capitol Ave Mackay, ID 83251 Phone: (208) 588-3333 Website
 * Stanley District Library 33 Ace Of Diamonds St Stanley, ID 83278 Phone: (208) 774-2470 Website
 * Stanley Museum (Sawtooth Interpretive and Historial Assn.) PO Box 75, Stanley Idaho (208) 774-3517 Website
 * South Custer County Historical Society Box 355 Mackay, ID 83521

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Challis Idaho Family History Center

Websites

 * The IDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project
 * Custer County, Idaho Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Custer County, Idaho Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)