Category Archives: State resources

Education, Family History, Genealogy, ICAPGen, State resources, Websites

Mountain States Resources: Idaho

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idaho-mountains

Claire V. Brisson-Banks, BS, MLIS, AG®

When conducting research in Idaho one can’t but stop and admire the landscape wherever you go, it is breathtaking. Originally it was part of the Oregon Territory and became a state in 1890. There are 44 counties and four Indian reservations, the Coeur d’Alene, Duck Valley, Nez Perce and Fort Hall. Idaho is one of the states included in the Mountain States Region for testing.

With most of the 1890 US census destroyed in 1921 by fire, The Idaho State Historical Society reconstructed the Idaho 1890 Census. According to their website, “The Idaho State Archives holds both the only original hard-copies and copies on microfilm of the 1870 and 1880 Agricultural, Industrial, Mortality, Prison, Social Statistical and Supplemental Schedules for Idaho.” Additional collections available from the Idaho State Historical Society are Biographical Index, Civil War Veterans Index, Inmate Catalog, Naturalization Records, Mothers’ Pension Records and Old Age Pension Records.

Special Collections at BYU-Idaho contains an index of the Japanese Immigrants to Utah, Idaho and Wyoming from 1887-1924, the Western States Marriage Record Index, Idaho State Death Index 1911-1956, Eastern Idaho Death Records, Progressive Men of Southeast Idaho, and Upper Snake River Valley Histories.

The IdahoGenWeb Project also contributes with additional resources. Their Idaho Mysteries are where unsolved events, incidents, and family stories can be located, additional resources are found by the county of residence. For those Black Sheep that show up or disappear in your tree, check out blacksheepancestors.com, this site also includes those who were institutionalized for a wide variety of things.

Additional research tips and strategies can be found on the FamilySearch Research Wiki, Cyndi’s List and Facebook groups. There are many other Facebook groups listed either by the area and Family History or Genealogy, they are easy to find. Each of these groups help one another through various research problems.

Enjoy these resources as you search for your ancestors from Idaho.

Education, State resources, Websites

Mountain States Resources: Colorado

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colorado-mountainsClaire V. Brisson-Banks, BS, MILS, AG

Colorado’s culture has influences from its earliest inhabitants, Native Indians, and the Spanish explorers. Spain sold a vast area of Colorado in 1800 to Napoleon Bonaparte and the French who then three years later, sold the same piece of land to the United States as part of the ‘Louisiana Purchase’.  This state has a history rich with many events that helped to shape it to what we know it as today.

Being the 38th state to be admitted to the Union in 1875, means that earlier census records would have included this area as part of Kansas, Nebraska, and New Mexico territories. This is important to know if your ancestors were part of the early settlers to this area.

The FamilySearch Research Wiki provides a table showing all of the “Online Statewide Genealogical Records” to aid researchers, click here to view it. If one has Native Americans in their ancestry, it is worth noting there is a whole section covering 14 different tribes from this area, click here to view it. The information covers Allotment records, Indian Schools, vital records and much more.

The Colorado State Archives has a large variety of records in different formats. From birth records to school records, this is a good resource to begin a search. They have a great resource that covers what they have available here.

Newspapers play an important part in recording genealogical events. The Colorado State Library and the Colorado Historical Society along with generous donors worked together to publish the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection which covers 1859 to 1923.

There are many historical and genealogical societies that have collections to aid research with compiled genealogies. The DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and the Spanish-American Mission Collections, are two of these collections. The DAR is on FHL film number 849910-13 and the Spanish-American Collection is on FHL film 94001-5. One can order these films through a Family History Center.

A few additional links to check out for those researching in Colorado.

Don’t forget that FamilySearch has 6 online databases to search, Ancestry.com has 102 online databases one can search all specific to Colorado.

With a little bit of effort, one can find much to aid their researching in Colorado.