The Public Archives and Research Library holds a wide variety of historical and genealogical book titles.

Information updated Novembe 19, 2009

The Public Archives and Research Library is converting a portion of its storage area from stationary to compact-mobile shelving.  Retrieval of collections from storage may be slower until the project is completed in mid-December, 2009.  Thank you for your patience!

  Looking for unique, Idaho-themed gifts?  Check out our new on-line store at Zazzle.

Finding Information about PARL Collections

Click here for contact information, including hours

Information about Public Archives and Research Library (PARL) collections can be located through several on-line resources:

Columbia River Basin Ethnic Heritage Archives - A regional consortium of repositories in Idaho, Washington and Oregon.  This site is specifically related to information about various ethnic groups in the region and includes materials both at PARL and the Idaho Historical Museum.

Idaho Digital Archives - A searchable database of 10 indexes from public archives holdings, including naturalization, old age and mothers' pension records; Alturas County mining claims; Idaho State Guard, Civil War and Soldiers' Home indexes; Nez Perce County district court; Washington County district court; and Owyhee County probate court. 

Idaho History Online - A searchable database of images from various collections in PARL and Idaho Historical Museum holdings.  Check out "Loaded: Extracting Idaho's Motherlode," an exhibit about mining in Idaho, including historic photographs, maps, newspaper clippings, oral history interviews and more!

National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections - A service of the Library of Congress, the database is particularly useful for locating oral history collections held at PARL.  It also includes information about selected manuscript and public archives collections.

Northwest Digital Archives - A regional consortium of archives and special collections in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Alaska.  Conduct a basic search across all collections or select the advanced search option and search just those collections submitted by the Idaho State Historical Society.  The database currently contains complete finding aids for 91 collections held by PARL, including manuscripts, photographs, oral histories and public archives.

OCLC WorldCat - A worldwide database of collection and services information for libraries and special collections. Includes information about book and periodical titles, maps, oral histories, manuscripts and public archives held at PARL. 

PARL staff members are always happy to assist researchers locate material in collection holdings.  For information on reference and research services, click here.  Staff have also prepared a number of indexes on specific topics; see links in the collection descriptions below.

Books and Periodicals

The book collection includes over 25,000 items and incorporates both historical and genealogical titles, and special collections such as the Peter Piper fly fishing collection, college and high school yearbooks, city/county/state directories, and rare, out-of-print titles.

The historical book collection includes territorial, state and local histories of Idaho and the Pacific Northwest; biographies of people prominent in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest; and books on Native Americans, the history of the West, pioneer life, mining, and many other subjects critical to understanding the historical development of Idaho and the surrounding region. There are also guides to the collections of other historical societies and archives around the country, a variety of general reference works, and a small selection of works of fiction about Idaho.

The genealogical book collection includes family and local histories, indexes to the census, military and emigration records, and guidebooks for genealogical research in all states and many foreign countries. Additional Idaho materials include vital records, cemetery records, church records, and a variety of other printed materials.

A number of periodical titles are received at PARL on a regular basis, in addition to file copies of titles which are no longer published. These include newsletters and journals from other state and local historical societies, family history and genealogical society publications, and a variety of professional publications related to history and historic preservation.

• College/High School/Junior High School Yearbook index
• City/County/State Directories
  

Genealogy

In addition to the Idaho materials described elsewhere on this site, the PARL contains a variety of resources that are of specific interest to the genealogical researcher. The book collection includes family histories, from Abbe to Zumwalt; works such as DAR Lineage Books (166 v., indexes); how-to handbooks and reference guides; emigration records such as Germans to America (60 v.) and Italians to America (10 v.); local, state and regional histories; miscellaneous materials from around the United States, including atlases and gazetteers, guides to public records, bibliographies, and vital records; printed census indexes; a variety of military rosters; and selected foreign materials.

Microfilm materials include Idaho Death Index and Certificates, 1911-1937, and a substantial portion of U.S. Census records.

The periodical collections includes newsletters and journals from family, local, and state genealogical societies; and titles such as Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine; New York Genealogical and Biographical Record; and National Genealogical Society Quarterly. The Research Library also maintains a subscription to the on-line resource, Heritage Quest.

• Idaho cemetery records list
• Family History acceptance policies
• Guide to Adoption, Birth, Death, Divorce, and Marriage Information

The National Genealogical Society website contains many resources that can help with genealogical research, from getting started to finding that last pieces of the puzzle.  NGS also provides an excellent set of standards for genealogical research: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/comstandards.cfm

The Idaho Genealogical Society offers Pioneer and Early Settler certificates.  Click here for information.

Manuscripts

 

 

 

Manuscripts are unpublished materials created by Idaho individuals, businesses, and organizations. These materials include financial records, diaries, reminiscences, correspondence, and other personal papers. Manuscript collections can be as small as one item and as large as dozens of boxes of material. The collection currently consists of approximately 1400 small and 700 larger collections. Included are the records of such individuals as Henry Dworshak and James Hawley and organizations as diverse as the Boise Equal Suffrage Association and the Republican State Central Committee.

Maps/Architectural Drawings/Blueprints

This collection includes some 20,000 items including original and copies of maps representing Idaho's pre-territorial, territorial and statehood days. Included are USGS topographic maps; highway maps; maps of counties and selected cities; and maps of specific areas, such as the state's various forests and mining regions.

Idaho's built environment is also well represented by blueprints and drawings from such well-known architectural firms as Tourtelotte and Hummel, Boise, and Sundberg and Sundberg, Idaho Falls.

Microfilm

Numerous materials are available on microfilm, including newspapers and selected Idaho county records (1864-1920) such as vital records, court records, and deeds. Selected Idaho material from the National Archives include the Indian Census (1884-1937), Territorial papers (1864-1890), post returns from military posts in Idaho, and Civilian Conservation Corps camp inspection reports. Other materials on microfilm include Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, theses and dissertations on a variety of Idaho topics, and diaries and correspondence from various individuals.

• County Records on Microfilm
  

Newspapers

The Library and Archives a holds a substantial collection of Idaho newspapers on microfilm, including both daily and weekly titles, and a variety of irregularly published materials. Also available are a limited number of early titles from other western states, such as California, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Many of the Idaho titles are available for purchase; please ask for further information.

Click here to see a list of newspaper holdings:

• Cities A-B
• Cities C-G
• Cities H-K
• Cities L-M
• Cities N-R
• Cities S-Y
  
  

On-line Name Indexes

Please be patient--this section is under construction

Staff, volunteers, and student interns at the PARL are working to provide on-line name indexes to many of the collections. All are works-in-progress; please check back periodically as information is added on a regular basis. If you find a name on any of the lists and would like a copy of the original record, please contact us. We do respond to U.S. mail, e-mail, and telephone requests. Please be aware that we have photocopy and research fees. Click here to review our procedures for submitting a research request.

1870 and 1880 Agricultural, Industrial, Mortality and Other Special Census Schedules for Idaho

1890 "Re-constructed" Census Records for Idaho

• Ada County
• Alturas County
• Bear Lake County
• Boise County
• Cassia County
• Custer County
• Elmore County
• Idaho County
• Latah County
• Logan County
• Oneida County
• Owyhee County
• Shoshone County
• Washington County
  

Civil War Veterans in Idaho

Idaho Biographical Index

Idaho Territorial/State Penitentiary Inmate Files Index, ca 1870-1975

Naturalization Records in Idaho

Mother's Pension Records in Idaho

Old Age Pension Records in Idaho

Oral History

Who We Are and What We Do:

Oral historians gather memories through recorded interviews. Since 1978, the Idaho Oral History Center has been actively engaged in collecting, preserving, presenting, and interpreting the voices of Idahoans and Idaho communities. A full-time oral historian, a half-time oral history assistant, and an intrepid group of volunteers and student interns work to bring the voices and sounds of Idaho to you. We do research, conduct interviews, take care of an ever-growing collection of audio and video recordings (now numbering over 2500 interviews), and provide assistance and information to researchers and oral historians around the state.

Read a list of oral history narrators:

1968-1998, and 1998-2003

Learn more about oral history:

Oral History Projects Available at the Public Archives & Research Library

Listen to Interviews and Read Transcripts

Do It Yourself!

Contact the Idaho Oral History Center

Links to Other Oral History Sites

 

Other Resources

PARL maintains a vertical file of newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and ephemera related to Idaho history. There are specialized collections of items such as postcards; card indexes on state legislators and other prominent Idahoans; and the ISHS Reference Series, brief statements on a variety of topics in Idaho history. Staff has also prepared a number of indexes and other findings aids to facilitate access to the collection.

Learn about our environmental history resources from a variety of collections

Photographs

This collection includes over 500,000 historic and contemporary photographs, slides, and negatives of Idaho's people, communities, structures, activities, and natural features. Of particular importance are the collections of images by photographers such as Clarence Bisbee, Jane Gay, and George Tonkin.

View exhibits from the following photograph collections:

• R. Harold Sigler Collection - Boise portrait photographer from the mid-teens through the 1950s
• Fred Clubb Collection - mining activities in the Mullan, Kellog and Wallace areas of North Idaho
• Sherwood Photo Collection - early settlers in the Henry's Lake area

View searchable databases from these collections:

• Everett L. "Shorty" Fuller - free-lance photographer in the Boise Valley during the 1930s and 1940s
• Idaho Capitol Commission - view progress of the renovation/expantion of the Idaho Capitol Building
• Image Catalog for the Idaho Statehouse - Learn about PARL's involvement with the Idaho Capitol Commission and view a selection of images chosen specifically for tenants of Idaho's Capitol Building.
• Bob Lorimer - writer, columnist and photographer in the Boise Valley during the 1960s and 1970s
• Mining in Idaho - photographs, maps, oral history interviews, documents and more, all pertaining to the history of mining in Idaho

Click here for information about photo reproduction.

Public Archives

Contact the Public Archives staff.

The Idaho State Historical Society serves as the state archives and holds a variety of public records created by state and local governments, such as state agencies, counties, and cities. The collection includes territorial records; papers from most governors; selected vital, financial, and court records; and a variety of other materials.

• To view the finding aid for AR 211--the Moses Alexander Collection--click here.
• To view the finding aid for Carey Act maps and drawings in AR 20--Department of Reclamation records--click here. (Acrobat format, 3 mb. Large file, please be patient.) For a text-only .pdf version of the data, click here. (86 kb)
• To review a list of Idaho government records in PARL holdings, click here.

Archival Resources

• NARA Emergency Records Information Portal
• Handout for Idaho Records Management Program Training
• Best Practices of Capturing Analog Sound for Digital Preservation
• Digital Image Guide
• Western States Digital Imaging Best Practices
• Technical Information Leaflets
  
  • Documenting Celebrations
  • How to Preserve Newspaper Clippings
  • Sources of Time Capsule Companies
  • So You Want to do a Time Capsule
  • Tips on Creating an Archival Scrapbook or Photo Album
  • Tips on Preserving Photographs
  • Tips on Preserving Scrapbooks
  • Tips on Preserving Your Documents
    
  • E-mail Retention: Frequently Asked Questions
  • Home Movies: A Basic Primer
  • Agency Disaster Manual
  • Archival Disaster Recovery
  • Cost Effectiveness of a Records Management Program
  • Guidelines for Dealing with Water Damaged Property
  • Placing Your Personal Records in an Archives
  • Placing Your Organizational Records in an Archives--continued
  • Ten Steps in the Care and Conservation of Records
  • The Proper Care and Feeding of Videotape
  • Saving Your Family Documentation
  • Sources of Archival Supplies
  • Archives Resource Center
    

Information for Records Managers in Idaho

"How to Manage Your E-mail" PowerPoint; PDF
Intro to Records Management in Idaho" PowerPoint; PDF

The Board meets four times a year to review new NHPRC grant applications and coordinate statewide historical records concerns.

• Click here for more information.