Idaho Genealogical Society

08/27/2025

Idaho Genealogical Society Annual Meeting and Seminar
Saturday, October 18, 2025, 9:00AM-4:45PM

BUSINESS MEETING & 3 PRESENTATIONS
Idaho’s Basque Diaspora: A Tale of the American West
How to Research Like a Pro
An Early Idaho Settler and His Swedish Heritage
Program and registration details available at

08/17/2025

https://idahogenealogy.org/ for programming and registration information.

08/17/2025

TOPIC: Order in the Court! An Introduction to United States Court House Records
DATE: Saturday, September 13, 2025, 12:00 noon (Mountain Time)
LOCATION: Idaho State Archives (Idaho History Center), 2205 Old Penitentiary Rd, Boise
SPEAKER: Julia A. Anderson

From lawsuits to divorces to guardianships, U.S. court records can provide exciting details about your ancestors and how they interacted with others in their communities. This presentation will introduce the history and background of court records in the United States, describe their genealogical value, and demonstrate ways you can locate and use these interesting records in your research.

Speaker Bio

Julia A. Anderson, MA, AG®, AGL™ has a master's degree in history and education and is an Accredited Genealogist® and Accredited Genealogist Lecturer™ with expertise in the United States Gulf South Region. She works as a full-time United States and Canada research specialist at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah and teaches genealogy research classes for Salt Lake Community College. Julia owns and manages Anderson Genealogical Research, LLC and volunteers as a commissioner on the board of the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen) and is the Conference Chair for the Utah Genealogical Association.

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06/26/2025

TOPIC: What in the World is Find-A-Grave
DATE: Saturday, July 12, 2025, 12:00 noon (Mountain Time)
LOCATION: Idaho State Archives (Idaho History Center), 2205 Old Penitentiary Rd, Boise
SPEAKER: Elaine Fraser

This talk serves as an introduction to Find-a-Grave. Find-a-Grave can be a valuable tool for finding information and clues on your ancestors that may not be found in Ancestry or FamilySearch vital records. It includes so much more that just names and dates and we will explore photos, flowers and profiles to see what else might be revealed.

Speaker Bio

Elaine Fraser is a GenMentor for the Pikes Peak Genealogy Society in Colorado Springs and as such she helps other members with their research questions. She also belongs to the Italian Research Group in Denver and the Italian Interest Group of EGS. Her interest in genealogy started in her mid-twenties and continues today. She researches on Find-a-Grave nearly every day and knows how to wring out the details.

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05/05/2025

DATE: Saturday, May 10, 2025, 12:00 noon (Mountain Time)
LOCATION: Idaho State Archives (Idaho History Center), 2205 Old Penitentiary Rd, Boise
TOPIC: Genealogical Research Using Railroad Records
SPEAKER: Kim S. Harrison

Our May speaker will provide of an overview of the different types of records or sources that were created by the railroad or the people who worked on them. A quick look at the value these records tell us about our railroad ancestors.

Kim S. Harrison has been doing genealogy since 1974, and in 1998 was fortunate to turn her passion into her vocation. She had the privilege of working in the library community by representing some of the big online providers of information (Gale, Otherdays.com, ProQuest, NewsBank, and Ancestry) before relocating to Arizona for seven years and now back in Michigan (May 2023).

Her genealogy membership since the 1970s has been the NGS and the Ohio Genealogical Society as well as being past President of the Michigan Genealogical Council, founding member of the Grand River Trails Chapter of the DAR (MI), and past President of the Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board. During the 1980s she lobbied the National Archives to stop the destruction of the Railroad Pension Application files. Later she wrote a grant for the preservation of the investigation in the Sultana Disaster, which is now available (free) on Fold3. Her most interesting ancestor was Lot Little, and she was able to join the DAR under his service. Lot was a freed slave from New Hampshire.

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02/16/2025

DATE: Saturday, April 12, 2025, 12:00 noon (Mountain Time) LOCATION: Idaho State Archives (Idaho History Center), 2205 Old Penitentiary Rd, Boise

GENEALOGICAL HELP SESSION

Come and learn how our Research Committee tackled "brick walls" that were submitted in advance (before March 12th). If time permits, additional questions will be considered during the meeting.

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01/28/2025

TOPIC: Using Fold3 Library Edition
DATE: Saturday, February 08, 2025, 12:00 noon (Mountain Time)
LOCATION: Idaho State Archives (Idaho History Center), 2205 Old Penitentiary Rd, Boise
SPEAKER: Debra M Dudek

Love it or hate it, Fold3 is a treasure trove of online military records. However, there are records and resources on this site that stretch beyond armed forces data. Using the Library Edition of this site, you'll learn how to navigate between pages, browse resources effectively, and find the hidden gems on this fantastic database.
Speaker Bio
Debra M. Dudek is Head of Adult and Teen Services at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook, IL. She holds a post graduate certificate in Genealogical, Palaeographic & Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Ms. Dudek is the Book Review Editor of the Illinois State Genealogical Society, a board member of the Illinois State Historical Society, and is the author of the World War I Research Guide: Tracing American Military and NonCombatant Ancestors — Includes a Guide to Canadian Military Research.

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07/09/2024

02/14/2024

Genealogist position available:
The Idaho State Police Forensic Services (ISPFS) is seeking a self-motivated individual to provide research and intelligence support for the ISPFS Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program. The Genealogist position will use publicly available genealogy databases and their research expertise to help SAKI investigators solve cold case crimes in Idaho. Full details can be found at