Ada County, Idaho Genealogy

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County Courthouse
Clerk/Auditor/Recorder 200 W. Front St. Boise, ID 83702 phone: (208) 287-6879

Quick History
Wikipedia

Named for Ada Hobbs Riggs, first pioneer child born in the area, daughter of Henry C. and Mary E. (Lipscombe) Riggs, founder of city of Boise. Miss Riggs was married to John Riggs Coon 26 February 1884 at Caldwell, Canyon, Idaho

Parent County
22 December 1864: Ada County, Idaho was formed from Boise County.

==== Boundary Changes ====

7 February 1889: Elmore County set off from a portion of Ada and Alturas Counties.

7 March 1891: Canyon County set off.

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

Cities
Boise | Eagle | Garden City | Kuna | Meridian | Star

Other Populated Places
Airport | Aldaphe Heights | Barber | Beatty | Blacks Creek | Boise Air Terminal | Boise Heights | Boise Hills Village | Boise Junction | Borah | Cherry Lane | Cloverdale | Cole Village | Collister | Columbus Park | Country Club Manor | Country Club Terrace | Davis Acres | Denton | Eastside | Fairgrounds | Franklin | Franklin Park | Highlands | Hillcrest | La Fleur | Lancaster Terrace | Leone | Mora | Mountain View | Northside | Orchard | Orchard Station | Owyhee | Peniteniary Spur | Perkins | Pleasant Valley | Regina | Soldiers Home | Sonna | South Boise | Southside | Ten Mile | Ustick | Vernon | Westgate Acres | Westland Acres | Westmoreland | Whitney | Whitney Beach

Neighboring Counties
Boise | Canyon | Elmore | Gem | Owyhee

Resources
Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension, and vital records for Ada County have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and 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. More recent records are in the county courthouse in Boise, as are the original manuscript records of those which have been microfilmed.

Cemeteries
The following cemeteries of Ada County have some records in the Idaho State Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library:


 * Boise I.O.O.F. #3 - Boise
 * Boise Lodge A.F.&amp;M. #2 - Boise
 * Cloverdale Memeorial Park - 1200 N. Cloverdale Rd, Boise
 * Dry Creek Cemetery - 9600 Hill Rd, Boise
 * Eagle Summers Cemetery - 1205 W. Bannock St., Boise
 * Joplin Cemetery - 4700 E. Chinden Blvd, Meridian
 * Kuna Cemetery - Kuna
 * Kuna Pioneer Cemetery - Old Kuna Stage Stop
 * Lower Fairview Cemetery - McMillan &amp; Ustick
 * Meridian Cemetery - 895 E. Franklin Rd, Meridian
 * Military Cemetery, Ft. Boise - Ft. Boise Military Reserve, Boise
 * Morris Hill Cemetery - 317 N. Latah, Boise
 * Mountain View Mausoleum &amp; Columbariam - 8209 Fairview Ave, Boise
 * Pioneer Cemetery - Warm Springs Blvd, Boise
 * Star Cemetery - Star
 * Succor Creek Cemetery (film # 1149, Pt. 11)
 * Terrace Lawn Memorial Gardens - Fairview Avenue, Boise
 * Upper Fairview Cemetery - 1 m S Hwy 20, 1 m E Co. line (disturbed site)

For the cemeteries in or immediate adjacent to the cities, please see these cities' pages 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. Ada County is included in this reconstructed census.

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

 * Owyhee (no longer in existence, members assigned to either Kuna or Boise area wards)

County Commissioner's Records
Several volumes of County Commissioners' Minute Books, 1865-1899, have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library in Boise. The originals of these and later records of the County Commission are in the county courthouse in Boise.

Court Records
Some of the early court records of Ada County, Idaho have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library and Archives in Boise. The records filmed are for about 1865 through 1940 and include civil suits, divorce papers, and judgment dockets. Copies of these microfilmed court records are also available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Additional court records and more recent records are housed at the courthouse in Boise.

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


 * District Court:


 * Judgment Dockets, v. 1-4, 1865-1931
 * Judgment Books, v. A-W, 1865-1926
 * Declaration of Intent (to become a naturalized citizen), 1906-1939
 * Petition and Record for Naturalization, 1903-1935
 * Certificates of Naturalization, 1909-1926
 * Admission to Citizenship and Records, 1891-1906


 * County Court:


 * Miscellaneous Records, v. 1-10, 1891-1926
 * Index to Miscellaneous Records, v. 1-2, 1890-1928
 * Power of Attorney, v. 1-4, 1865-1940
 * Index to Power of Attorney, 1865-1940
 * Revoked Power of Attorney, 1909-1967


 * Probate Court:


 * Wills, 1869-1973
 * Probate Letters, 1899-1932
 * Probate Record Books, v. B-W, 1873-1927
 * Guardianship Records, v. B-F, 1892-1932
 * and other miscellaneous estate records, 1867-1908

History
The Ada County Historic Preservation Council has published a brochure entitled 2006 Preservation Plan. Included in this brochure are several pages (pp. 11-36) of the history of Ada County, including a detailed timeline of historic events in Ada County and the State of Idaho. Several photographs of historic sites in the county are also included.

Land and Property Records
Many of the early land records of Ada County have been microfilmed, including homestead records (1865 to 1911) and deeds (1865-1901). Microfilm copies of the records are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library and Archives in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Original copies of these and later records are housed at the courthouse in Boise.

Among the land records of Ada County which have been microfilmed are:


 * Deeds, 1865-1901
 * Index to Deeds, 1865-1924
 * Homestead records, 1865-1911
 * Patent Records, 1869-1912
 * Index to Patents, 1869-1954

Water Rights
In addition to the land records, some records of water rights for Ada County, 1865-1943, have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Library in Boise.

Maps
A map showing the townships and ranges of Ada County is available online through the Ada County Assessor's Office in Boise.

An 1895 map of Ada and surrounding counties is available online.

Military History and Records
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Ada County and for Boise City have been microfilmed. Copies of these records are available at the Family History Library (their microfilm number 1452106 for Ada County and microfilm numbers 1452109 and 14521106 for Boise City). They are also available online at Ancestry.com, for a subscription fee for both Ada County and for Boise City. 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.

An Index to Military and Naval Discharges for Ada County has also been microfilmed and is available at both the Idaho State Historical Society Library and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

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. Three volumes of Ada County naturalization records are included in a Naturalization Index at the Idaho State Historical Library in Boise, available online.

Also in the holdings of the Idaho State Historical Library are the following microfilmed naturalization records for Ada County:


 * Declaration of Intent (to become a naturalized citizen), 1906-1939
 * Petition and Record for Naturalization, 1903-1935
 * Certificates of Naturalization, 1909-1926
 * Admission to Citizenship and Records, 1891-1906

Historical
Copies of many newspapers published in Ada County, 1867 to present, are part of the collections of the Idaho State Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library in Boise. Included are newspapers from the following cities in Ada County:


 * Boise -- many titles -- 1867 to present
 * Eagle -- 4 titles -- 1926, 1958-1960, 1982, 1988-1989
 * Garden City -- 4 titles -- 1954-1968, 1980-1981
 * Kuna -- 3 titles -- 1914-1968, 1978-present
 * Meridian -- 7 titles -- 1909-1974, 1976-1996
 * Star -- 2 titles -- 1908, 1919-1920

Current

 * Idaho Statesman -- published in Boise
 * Kuna Melba News -- published in Kuna
 * The Valley Times -- published online; serving Meridian, Eagle, and Star

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 Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library (PARL) in Boise. Those at PARL have been indexed. Ada County Mothers' Pensions are included in that index.

Old Age Pensions were also provided by the State of Idaho from 1931 to 1936. The original records for these pensions in PARL have also been indexed. Ada County Old Age Pensions are included in that index.

Probate Records
Some probate records for Ada County have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library and Archives in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Other probate files remain with the county courthouse in Boise. Included among the records that have been microfilmed are:


 * Wills, 1869-1973
 * Probate Letters, 1899-1932
 * Probate Record Books, v. B-W, 1873-1927
 * Guardianship Records, v. B-F, 1892-1932
 * and other miscellaneous estate records, 1867-1908

Taxation
The tax assessment rolls, 1865-1890, and the delinquent tax lists, 1878-1890, for Ada County have been microfilmed. Copies are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Birth
The Birth Register for Ada County, 1907-1911 has been microfilmed and is available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Birth records, 1911 to present, are recorded at the state level.

Marriage
Over 20,000 marriages of Ada County, beginning in 1865, are available on the Western States Marriage Index.

Several of the original marriage records of Ada County have also been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Included are:


 * Marriage Records Books, v. 1-20, 1865-1928
 * Index to Marriage Records, 1864-1928
 * Ministers' Marriage Register, 1907-1943
 * Marriage Licenses, 1895-1905
 * Marriage Certificates, 1865-1894

Death
The Death Register for Ada County, 1907-1911 has been microfilmed and is available at the Idaho State Historical Society Library in Boise and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Death records, 1911 to present, are recorded at the state level.

Web Sites

 * The Ada County ID GenWeb Project, a member of The IDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Ada County.
 * FamilySearch.org Family History Library Catalog for Ada County.