Twin Falls County, Idaho Genealogy

Guide to Twin Falls County, Idaho ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Quick start:


 * Census
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death

Description
The County was named for the nearby waterfalls on the Snake River. The County has Twin Falls as its seat and the County was created February 21, 1907. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Twin Falls County Courthouse 425 Shoshone Street North Twin Falls, ID 83303-0126 Phone: (208) 736-4004 Fax: (208) 736-4182 County Clerk Recorder has birth and land records from 1907 and military records from 1919. Court Services has divorce, probate and court records from 1907.

Parent County
1907--Twin Falls County was created 21 February 1907 from Cassia County. County seat: Twin Falls

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Home Town Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

The above 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 websites. 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 Twin Falls County, Idaho was compiled from the Lists of Places in Idaho in Wikipedia and from the map of Twin Falls County in Virtual Earth.

Resources
The types of records that follow are used for genealogy and family history. Most tell what you may learn and how to locate the records. Links to Internet sites usually go directly to entries with names, images, or information.

Many of the older court, land, naturalization, probate, pension, and vital records for Twin Falls County have been microfilmed and are available at the in Salt Lake City and through their family history centers. They are also available 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 Twin Falls.

Cemeteries
There are many cemeteries in Twin Falls County. For a list of those that have been identified, and links to transcriptions and/or photographs of tombstones, go to Twin Falls 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 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)

 * List of Stakes and Wards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Twin Falls County, Idaho to about 1948.


 * For original or later records, check with the Church History Library in Salt Lake City.
 * Many of the records to about 1948 are available at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City and at its FamilySearch Centers.

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 Twin Falls county clerk for information about years covered and availability of such records in Twin Falls County.

Online County Records
 * 1906-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Court
It appears that none of the earlier Twin Falls County court records have been microfilmed. We suggest you check Cassia County. For more recent records and the records they do have can be viewed at the Twin Falls County courthouse in Twin Falls.

Directories
The Idaho State Archives has in its collections city, county, state and regional directories.

Farm Directories
The Gem State Rural's 1916-17 Farm Directory of Twin Falls County, Idaho is available at the College of Southern Idaho and the Twin Falls Public Library. It lists landowners by town, including those owning land in these two counties, but residing elsewhere. The size of the family, amount of acreage owned, the location of the land, and a list of crops and livestock raised on each farm is also included.

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 Twin Falls County, Idaho, one may visit the courthouse in Twin Falls, Idaho.

The Idaho Idaho State Archives has microfilmed many county records of Twin Falls County which was formed on 21 Feb 1907 from Cassia County, and these can be accessed by visiting the Archives in Boise, Idaho.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah has microfilmed some of the Twin Falls County land and property records, and the following can be viewed at the Library in Salt Lake City or in any of its Family History Centers:


 * , 1880-1914
 * , 1880-1914

Maps



 * A digital Twin Falls County Idaho map is available online.
 * Map of Twin Falls County, Idaho is available online.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for European and African American settlers included:


 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon

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

Online Records

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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.

Naturalization
The original naturalization records of Twin Falls County that have been transferred to the Idaho State Archives in Boise have been indexed in their Index to Naturalization.

Online Records
 * 1892-1990 - at FamilySearch — index

Current

 * Buhl Herald
 * Times-News

Historical
Copies of issues of many Idaho newspapers are in the collections of the Idaho State Archives.

'Twin Falls Public Library Newspaper Archive

http://newspaper.twinfallspubliclibrary.org/

The Twin Falls Public Library Newspaper Archive includes issues from


 * Twin Falls Weekly News (1904-1927)
 * The Twin Falls Times (1908-1916)
 * Twin Falls Times News (1910)
 * Twin Falls Weekly Times (1915-1916)
 * Twin Falls Daily News (1918-1936)
 * Twin Falls Daily Times (1918-1936)
 * Twin Falls Chronicle (1919-1920)
 * The Idaho Citizen (1927-1930)
 * Idaho Evening Twin Falls Times (1929-1930)
 * Twin Falls Times (1931-1940)
 * Idaho Evening Times (1936-1942)
 * Twin Falls News (1941)
 * Times News (1942-October 2013)

The Home page contains a link with an Index of missing issues.

The search engine isn't as robust as some. After using the search option, it would be a good idea to browse specific issues for information such as an obituary if not found in the search results list.

Obituaries

 * 1943-2013 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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. Twin Falls 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 the Idaho State Archives and have also been indexed. Twin Falls County Old Age Pensions are included in that index.

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1857 – 1989 Idaho Wills and Probate Records 1857-1989 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed some of the earlier probate records of Twin Falls County (it was Cassia County before 1907), and these films can be viewed at their facility in Boise.

For more recent probate records which may exist, it is recommended that you contact the Twin Falls County courthouse in Twin Falls.

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

Births
Online Records
 * 1861-1911 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1883-1929 - at FamilySearch — index and images

The Birth Registers for Twin Falls 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 Twin Falls 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.

There are 214 Twin Falls County births and christenings in the online Idaho Births and Christenings.

Marriage
Online Records


 * 1800-1987 - Idaho, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1864-1976 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1864-1950 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1878-1898; 1903-1942 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1947-1963 - at FamilySearch — index

Nearly 6400 marriages, 1907-1942, are listed on the Western States Marriage Index.

There are 5139 Twin Falls County marriages in the online Idaho Marriages.

Divorce
Online Records
 * 1947-1963 - at FamilySearch — index

Death
Online Records
 * 1883-1929 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1938-1961 - at FamilySearch — index

There are 969 Twin Falls County deaths and burials in the online Idaho Deaths and Burials.

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.


 * Buhl Public Library 215 Broadway N Buhl, ID 83316 Phone: (208) 543-6500 Website
 * Filer Public Library 219 Main St Filer, ID 83328 Phone: (208) 326-4143
 * Hansen District Library 120 W Maple Ave Hansen, ID 83334 Phone: (208) 423-4122 Website
 * Kimberly Public Library 120 Madison St W Kimberly, ID 83341 Phone: (208) 423-4556
 * Twin Falls Public Library 201 Fourth Ave E Twin Falls, ID 83301 Phone: (208) 733-2964 Website
 * Twin Falls County Historical Museum Filer, Idaho
 * Twin Falls County Museum ‎21337a U.S. 30, Filer, ID 83328 (208) 736-4675‎

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Twin Falls Idaho Family History Center

Websites

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