Description

• You’re getting started tracing your ancestors in Idaho
• You want new ideas and resources to get past an Idaho brick wall
• Your genealogy search is focused mainly on Idaho

Trace your Idaho ancestors with the advice and resources in our State Research Guide! This four-page download includes:

• A how-to article detailing Idaho’s history and records, with helpful advice on tracking your family there
• The best websites, books and other resources for Idaho research, handpicked by our editors and experts
• Listings of key libraries, archives and organizations that hold the records you need
• Timeline of key events in the Idaho’s history
• Full-color map to put your research in geographical context

Here’s a sampling of the helpful tips you’ll get in the Idaho guide:

• When Congress designated Idaho Territory in 1863, its name was chosen because of the erroneous belief that Idaho was a Shoshone word meaning “gem of the mountains”. Given Idaho’s natural resources and topography- which proved to be a perfect breeding ground for disease-resistant russet potatoes-the description fit, if not the actual nomenclature.
• In the 1840s and 1850s, Idaho was merely a stopover for migrants on the way to California’s gold fields. Utah Mormons founded the first permanent white settlement, Franklin, in 1860.
• Idaho grew from less than 17,000 residents in 1863 to nearly 90,000 by statehood in 1890.

Plus, each guide contains active web links for one-click access to every recommended online resource. You can view this PDF on your computer and print pages for reference.