Boise County, Idaho Genealogy

United States Idaho  Boise County

County Courthouse
Boise County Courthouse 420 Main Street P.O. Box 1300 Idaho City, Idaho 83631 Phone: (208) 392-4431

Parent County
4 February 1864 Boise County, Idaho was created from the Idaho Territory.

Boundary Changes
22 December 1864: Ada County created from a portion of Boise County

20 February 1879: Washington County created from a portion of Boise County

15 March 1915: Gem County created from portions of Boise County and Canyon County

26 February 1917: Valley County created from a portion of Boise 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.

Resources
Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension, and vital records for Boise 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 Idaho City.

Cemeteries
There are many cemeteries in Boise County. For a list of those that have been identified, and links to transcriptions and/or photographs of tombstones, go to Boise 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 Archives 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. Boise County is included in this reconstructed census.

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 Boise 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 Family History Library 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 Boise County courthouse in Idaho City, Idaho, and can be accessed by making a visit there.

Some of the Boise County court records that have been microfilmed are:


 * Mortgages, 1864-1901; general index, 1863-1907
 * Power of attorney, 1863-1870

Miscellaneous Records are outlined in the Miscellaneous Series below.

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 Boise County, Idaho, one may visit the courthouse in Idaho City, Idaho.

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

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


 * Deeds, 1863-1902; general index, 1862-1905
 * General index, 1889-1984; declaration of homestead, 1867-1921
 * Mining claims, 1863-1875
 * Miscellaneous records, 1863-1894
 * Mortgages, 1864-1901; general index, 1863-1907

Maps

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

Military History and Records
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Boise County have been microfilmed. Copies of these records are available at the Family History Library (their microfilm number 1452110) 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 Boise 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 Boise County courthouse in Idaho City 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.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Records of the naturalization of people born outside of the United States were often kept in the county courthouses of the respective counties of Idaho. Two volumes of Boise County naturalization records are included in a Naturalization Index at the Idaho State Archives in Boise, available online.

Current

 * Idaho World

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

Probate Records
Any existing original probate records for Boise County should be in the county courthouse located in Idaho City, Idaho and can be accessed by visiting this courthouse.

The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed many of the original early probate records and these can be read at the Archives in Boise, Idaho.

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


 * Miscellaneous probate records, 1863-1939
 * Probates and estates, Boise County, Idaho Territory, miscellaneous book no. 2

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

Births
The Birth Registers for Boise 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 Boise 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 900 marriages, 1863-1941, are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.

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.


 * Garden Valley District Library 342 Village Circle Garden Valley, ID 83622 Phone: (208) 462-3317 Website
 * Horseshoe Bend District Library 392 Highway 55 Horseshoe Bend, ID 83629 Phone: (208) 793-2460
 * Boise Basin District Library 123 Montgomery St Idaho City, ID 83631 Phone: (208) 392-4558 Website
 * Boise Basin Historical Museum‎ 503 Montgomery Street, Idaho City, ID 83631 (208) 392-4550‎
 * Idaho Historical Railroads‎ 140 E Cascade, Cascade, ID 83611 (208) 382-7245‎

Websites

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