Idaho, Jefferson County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
These records cover the years about 1890 to the mid 1900s.

Record Description
This collection contains the following various records from the county clerk’s office:


 * Vital or civil registration – marriages
 * Land and Property records
 * Brands
 * Homesteads
 * Patents
 * Probate records
 * Pensions
 * School Census Records

Some of the records are handwritten on loose pages. However, most of the records are handwritten on pre-printed pages or typed.

Record Content
The following information is generally found in the records:


 * Name of primary persons
 * Names of heirs, such as spouse, children, other relatives, or friends
 * Names of the executor, administrator, or guardian
 * Names of witnesses
 * Dates the documents were written and recorded (used to approximate event dates since a will was usually written near the time of death)
 * Description and value of property or land

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the event occurred.
 * The approximate date the event occurred.
 * The name of the individual or individuals such as the names of the deceased or the bride and groom.

Search the Collection
To search the collection: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "[]" ⇒Select the appropriate "[]" ⇒Select the appropriate "[]" which takes you to the images

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. The following examples show ways you can use the information:


 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records.
 * Use the parent’s birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator may be a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county.
 * The name of the undertaker, mortuary, or cemetery could lead you to funeral and cemetery records which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname. This is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married, or died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

General Information About These Records
County officials began keeping records from the time the county was formed. Each type of record within the county was created for a different purpose, but most were created to keep track of the vital events happening in the lives of the citizens and to safeguard their legal interests and the legal interests of their heirs. Facts current at the time of the event are generally reliable.

For a summary of this information see the wiki article: United States, How to Use the Records Summary (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Related Websites
This section of the article is incomplete. You can help FamilySearch Wiki by supplying links to related web sites here.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Idaho
 * Idaho Vital Records
 * Idaho Land and Property
 * Idaho Probate Records
 * Idaho Court Records

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually. Collection Citation:

Jefferson County Clerk. “Idaho, Jefferson County Records,” Jefferson County Clerk, Rigby, Idaho.

Image Citation