Lewis County, Idaho Genealogy

United States &gt; Idaho &gt; Lewis County

County Courthouse
Lewis County Courthouse Nezperce, ID 83543-0039 Phone: (208) 937-2661 Fax: (208) 937-9234

Parent County
1911--Lewis County was created 3 March 1911 from Nez Perce County. County seat: Nezperce

Places/Localities
The following 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 Lewis County, Idaho was compiled from the Lists of Places in Idaho in Wikipedia and from the map of Lewis County in Virtual Earth.

Cities
Craigmont | Kamiah | Nezperce | Winchester

Other inhabited places
Clicks | Craig Junction | Fletcher | Forest | Harris Siding | Kippen | Mohler | Morrow | Nez Perce Indian Reservation | Nucrag | Reubens | Slickpoo | Suckpoo

Former inhabited places, no longer in existence
Ilo and Vollmer (combined to form Craigmont)

Neighboring Counties
Clearwater | Idaho | Nez Perce |

Resources
Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension, and vital records for Lewis County have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and through their family history centers. They are also available at the Idaho State Historical Society's Library 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 Nezperce.

Cemeteries
The following cemeteries of Lewis 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.

As indicated in the following table, copies of many of the cemetery records for Lewis County are maintained at the Ilo-Vollmer Historical Society and are up-dated annually.

Census
For a summary of census records for the state of Idaho, see Idaho Census Records.

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 Lewis County Idaho map is available online.
 * Map of Lewis County, Idaho is available online.

Military
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Lewis County have been microfilmed. Copies of these records are available at the Family History Library (their microfilm number 1452218) 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.

Current

 * Clearwater Progress, published in Kamiah.
 * Lewis County Herald

Historical
The Ilo-Vollmer Historical Society has 26 volumes of obituary records for Lewis County.

Birth
Birth records, 1911 to present, for individuals born in Lewis 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
Over 650 marriages, 1911-1930, are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.

Deaths
Deaths occuring in Lewis County after 1911 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 Historical Society Library, 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.

Deaths from other sources.

The Ilo-Vollmer Historical Society has 26 volumes of obituary records for Lewis County.

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.

Ilo-Vollmer Historical Society Box 61 Craigmont, ID 83523 Ph. 208-924-5474

Contact -- Shelley Kuther, President or Byron D. Bovey HCR 1 Box 41 Craigmont, ID 83523 Ph. 208-924-7336 A researcher with the Historical Society

Craigmont City Library 112 W. Main St. Craigmont, ID 83523 Ph. 208-924-5510

Nezperce City Library 502 Oak St. Nezperce, ID 83543 Ph. 208-937-2458

Websites

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