Idaho Biographical Index
The Idaho Biographical Index (IBI) is an index of persons named in state, county and community histories, regional periodicals, and selected newspaper articles from around the state and throughout its history.
Statewide histories include Elliott's History of Idaho Territory (1884) and multi-volume histories by French (1914), Hawley (1920), Defenbach (1933), and Beal and Wells (1959), among others. Also indexed are biographical compendia such as Illustrated History of the State of Idaho (1899), Illustrated History of North Idaho (1903), and Progressive Men of Southern Idaho (1904). Please note that more recent histories and compendia are being indexed daily, and the IBI is growing all the time.
The newspaper articles indexed are primarily, but not exclusively, death notices and obituaries and include thousands of deaths that occurred prior to the certification of deaths by the State of Idaho (1911).
Until now, the IBI was a collection of tens of thousands of 3-inch by 5-inch cards created over the better part of a century by the staff of the Idaho State Historical Society. Among those who created that card index are Dr. Merle Wells, Jim Davis, Guila Ford, Edith Hayes, Elizabeth Jacox, and Gertrude McDevitt. The digital IBI was created (and is being updated constantly) by ISHS staff members Steve Barrett, Kathy Hodges and Margit Amundsen, with assistance from student interns and volunteers.
To view the Idaho Biographical Index, click on the link below. You must have Adobe Acrobat (or Adobe Acrobat Reader--free download) on your computer to open the file. If you encounter any difficulties, click here to review our procedures for submitting a request for assistance. Be advised that the Idaho Biographical Index is intended for personal research purposes only and may not be copied or distributed to others in any format, including paper or electronic versions.
Download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.
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| Charles and Julia Armbruster Ostner. Photo: ISHS 70-172.0 |
Statewide histories include Elliott's History of Idaho Territory (1884) and multi-volume histories by French (1914), Hawley (1920), Defenbach (1933), and Beal and Wells (1959), among others. Also indexed are biographical compendia such as Illustrated History of the State of Idaho (1899), Illustrated History of North Idaho (1903), and Progressive Men of Southern Idaho (1904). Please note that more recent histories and compendia are being indexed daily, and the IBI is growing all the time.
The newspaper articles indexed are primarily, but not exclusively, death notices and obituaries and include thousands of deaths that occurred prior to the certification of deaths by the State of Idaho (1911).
Until now, the IBI was a collection of tens of thousands of 3-inch by 5-inch cards created over the better part of a century by the staff of the Idaho State Historical Society. Among those who created that card index are Dr. Merle Wells, Jim Davis, Guila Ford, Edith Hayes, Elizabeth Jacox, and Gertrude McDevitt. The digital IBI was created (and is being updated constantly) by ISHS staff members Steve Barrett, Kathy Hodges and Margit Amundsen, with assistance from student interns and volunteers.
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| Ned and Suzanne Leggroan. Photo: ISHS 81-19.13 |
To request photocopies of any record or article cited in the IBI contact the Idaho State Historical Society at research@ishs.idaho.gov. To review our procedures for submitting a research request and a schedule of our nominal research and photocopying fees click here.
We wish our readers the best of luck in their ongoing searches for records of Idaho residents' lives and hope this index may prove a particularly useful part of the process.
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| Hattie Marston Leedy. Photo: ISHS 1321B |
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 Idaho State Historical Society2205 Old Penitentiary Road Boise, Idaho 83712 Phone 208-334-2682 Fax 208-334-2774 |
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