Canyon County, Idaho Genealogy

Guide to Canyon 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 canyon of the Boise River near Caldwell. The County Seat is Caldwell and was founded March 7, 1891. It is located in the west central area of the state.

Quick Facts
Named for the Snake River canyon forming the natural boundary with Owyhee County.

Parent County
7 March 1891: Canyon County was created from Ada and Owyhee

Boundary Changes
15 March 1915: Gem County created from parts of Boise and Canyon Counties

28 February 1917: Payette County created from part of Canyon County

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 hometownlocator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

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 Canyon 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 Caldwell.

Family History Centers
Nampa Idaho Family History Center

Archives 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.


 * Caldwell Public Library 1010 Dearborn St Caldwell, ID 83605 Phone: (208) 459-3242
 * Middleton Public Library 307 E Main St Middleton, ID 83644 Phone: (208) 585-3931
 * Nampa Public Library 101 11th Ave S Nampa, ID 83651 Phone: (208) 468-5800
 * Notus Public Library 387 First St Notus, ID 83656 Phone: (208) 459-8247
 * Patricia Romanko Public Library 121 N 3rd St Parma, ID 83660 Phone: (208) 722-6605
 * Wilder District Library 207 A Ave E Wilder, ID 83676 Phone: (208) 482-7880

Cemeteries
There are many cemeteries in Canyon County. For a list of those that have been identified, and links to transcriptions and/or photographs of tombstones, go to Canyon 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
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.

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 Canyon County stakes and wards to about 1948.


 * The following are local congregations (wards) which existed in Canyon County, Idaho prior to 1950.
 * 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

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 Canyon 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 in Salt Lake City, Utah or at any of the Library'sFamily History Centers. Additional court records and more recent records are housed at the Canyon County courthouse in Caldwell, Idaho, and can be accessed by making a visit there.

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


 * Power of attorney, 1865-1948; index, 1865-1976

Directories
The Gem State Rural's 1916-17 Farm Directory of Canyon County, Idaho is available at the Idaho State Archives, the Nampa Public Library, and at the University of Idaho in Moscow. 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.

History
The book Canyon County : A Treasure of Land and Its Peopleis available at various libraries nationwide.

The Canyon County IDGenWeb has posted a brief history online.

Land and Property
Land and Property records are usually found in the county in which the transactions took place. In Canyon county you can visit the county courthouse located in Caldwell, Idaho to access these records.

The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed some of the earlier Canyon County records, and these can be viewed by visiting the Archives in Boise, Idaho.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah has microfilmed the following found in the Canyon County courthouse which can be viewed at the Library in Salt Lake City or at any of itsFamily History Centers:


 * Declaration of homesteads, 1868-1919; index, 1868-1977
 * Deeds, 1865-1902; index, ca. 1865-1902

Maps
In 1895 George Ogle published the "Standard Atlas of Canyon County, Idaho, Including a Plat Book of the Villages, Cities and Townships of the County; Map of the State, United States and World, Patrons Directory.”

Links to online maps include:


 * 1895 map
 * Canyon County map
 * Map of Canyon County, Idaho

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


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

Military History and Records
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Canyon 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.

Soldiers Discharge Records, 1919-1945, for Canyon County have been microfilmed and are available at both the Idaho State Archives in Boise and the in Salt Lake City or at any of the Library's Family History Centers.

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.

Both the Idaho State Archives in Boise, Idaho, and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah have copies of the miscellaneous record of Canyon County. The originals are held in the Canyon County courthouse in Caldwell, Idaho and can be accessed by visiting there. Copies in the Idaho State Archives are available for viewing in Boise. Those held by the 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. One volume of Canyon County naturalization records are included in a Naturalization Index at the Idaho State Archives in Boise, available online.

Online Records
 * 1892-1990 - at FamilySearch — index

Current

 * Idaho Press - Tribune, based in Nampa.

Historical
The Idaho State Archives has microfilmed the following Canyon County newspapers:

Blab: 1910:10:17, 1912:8:5, 11:11 Boise Valley Herald: 1928:6:14-1968:9:26 Boise Valley Herald: 1968:09:12 Caldwell Daily News: 1907:10:5-1923:4:30 Caldwell Daily News: 1920:10:29 Caldwell Daily News: 1922:06:26 Caldwell News: 1904:12:3, 1905:12:6, 1906:11:21 Caldwell News: 1918:10:03 Caldwell News: 1926:1:7-1928: 4:5 Caldwell News-Tribune: 1928:4:12-1975:12:31 Caldwell Progress Bulletin: 1959:10:14-1959:12:2 Caldwell Record: 1897:3:3, 1901:2:27 Caldwell Record: 1897:2:17, 1898:5:11, 8:17, 1900:2:7, 2:14 Caldwell Times, 1983: 1983:1: 13-1985: 4:17 Caldwell Tribune: 1883: 12:22-1926:12:31 Caldwell Tribune: 1895:6:8, 1898:5:21, 1906:11:24 Canyon County Weekly: 1969:5:1-1971:2:25 Canyon County Weekly Herald: 1971:5:4-1975:2:27 Canyon Herald: 1975:5:6-1982:8:25 County-Wide Sunday Limelight: 1951:11:18-1952:7:13 Daily Nampa Leader-Herald: 1930:10:23-1937:8:28 Daily Nampa Leader-Herald: 1926:2:16-1936:6:11 Gateway Journal: 1995:3:9-1995:11:9 Gem State Rural: 1895:9:15-1916:9: Idaho Conservative: 1968:05:00 Idaho Free Press: 1919:4:9-1980:6:30 Idaho Granger: 1931:5:-1946:1: Idaho Leader, 1899: 1899:10:28-1904:12:20 Idaho Leader, 1918: 1918:8:17-24, 1920:10:2-9 Idaho Leader, 1919: 1919:1:4-1919:12:20 Idaho Leader, 1920: 1920:1:3-1920:12:18 Idaho Press-Tribune: 1980:7:1-9999 Idaho Woman: 1897:04:15 Idaho's Lamplighter: 1950:1-1954: Middleton Gazette: 1986:5:16-1995:12:7 Middleton Herald: 1907:6:28-1928:6:7 Nampa Evening Leader: 1907:4:1-1907:8:31 Nampa Leader: 1898:05:06 Nampa Leader: 1898:5:6-1904:11:8 Nampa Leader-Herald: 1904:12:27-1930:10:21 Nampa Progress: 1889:9:14-1895:1:18 Nampa Times: 1902:8:30, 1904:5:20 News-Tribune: 1967:1:2-1980:6:30 Parma Herald: 1903:10:17-1917:10:11 Parma Review: 1909:12:3-1993:6:29 Review: 1993:6:30-1995:3:8 Shovel: Vol. 1/1 No Date Western Canyon Chronicle: 2002:12:12-2004:6:24 Wilder Herald: 1918:6:7-1969:4:25

Obituaries

 * 1943-2013 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate Records
Online Probate Records


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

The original probate records are maintained at the Canyon County courthouse in Caldwell, Idaho. Some of the earlier records of probate cases have been microfilmed and copies are available at the Idaho State Archivesand at the in Salt Lake City. These include:


 * Wills, 1893-1939
 * General index to probate records, 1885-1959
 * Probate records, vols. 1-5, 1895-1926

Taxation
Existing tax assessment rolls for Canyon County should be in the county courthouse in Caldwell or in the Idaho State Archives in Boise.

Births
Online Records
 * 1800-1987 - Idaho, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1861-1911 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1883-1929 - at FamilySearch — index and images

The Birth Registers for Canyon County, 1907-1911, have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Archives in Boise and at the in Salt Lake City, Utah. Birth records, 1911 to present, for individuals born in Canyon 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.

Some Idaho births and christenings(1856-1965) are online.

Marriages
Online Records
 * 1864-1976 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1864-1950 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1878-1898; 1903-1942 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1947-1963 - at FamilySearch — index

Idaho marriages 1878-1898, 1903-1942 are online. The Marriage License and Certificates, books 1-13, 1892-1938 have been microfilmed and are available at the Idaho State Archives in Boise and at the in Salt Lake City. A Marriage Register, vol. 1-2, 1907-1930 and a book of Marriage Certificates, 1895-1900 are also available on microfilm the both the State Archives and the Family History Library.

Also use the Western States Marriage Index(website) to find your Canyon County marriages. There are 7,212 marriages dating from Jun 1880 to Jun 1942 in their collection.

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

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

Death registers from 1907 to 1912 have been microfilmed by the and are available through their loan system and at the Idaho State Archives Online are Idaho deaths and burials 1907-1965.

Societies, Libraries and Museums

 * Canyon County Historical Society‎ 1122 Main Street, Caldwell, ID 83605-3844 (208) 459-1413

Maintains Nampa Train Depot and Indian Creek Museum

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Caldwell Idaho Family History Center
 * Nampa Idaho Family History Center

Websites

 * The Canyon County Idaho GenWeb Project, part of The IDGenWeb Project
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * Canyon County, Idaho Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Canyon County, Idaho Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)