Ada County ID

Ada County ID, established in December 1864, is located in southwestern Idaho and serves as the state’s most populous county, with Boise as its county seat and largest city. The county’s establishment came during a period of significant expansion and settlement in the Pacific Northwest, spurred by the discovery of gold and the subsequent mining booms in Idaho Territory. Its geographic features, including the Boise River and surrounding foothills, have played a pivotal role in its development, influencing settlement patterns, agriculture, and the establishment of transportation routes. Ada County’s early records, crucial for genealogical research, begin in the 1860s and encompass land transactions, mining claims, and vital records that detail the lives of early settlers, many of whom were miners, farmers, and entrepreneurs drawn to the region by economic opportunities. The area was traditionally inhabited by the Shoshone and Bannock tribes, who utilized the river valleys and foothills for hunting, fishing, and gathering. For genealogists, Ada County’s historical records, including census data, marriage, birth, and death records, provide invaluable insights into the socio-economic dynamics of the region and the ancestries of families who have called it home since its establishment.

Biography of James I. Crutcher

One to whom has been entrusted important public service and over whose record there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil, is James I. Crutcher, of Boise. President Cleveland recognized his eminent qualifications for responsible duties when he appointed him United States marshal for Idaho, in which position he served for four years and two months, in a manner above suspicion. His unbending integrity of character, his fearlessness in the discharge of duty and his appreciation of the responsibilities that rested upon him were such as to make him a most acceptable incumbent of that office, and his … Read more

Halliday, Grace Bertha Viergutz Mrs. – Obituary

Grace Bertha Halliday, 75, of La Grande, died Sept. 25, 2007, at St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise. A celebration of life will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St. in La Grande. Committal and interment will follow at the Hillcrest East Cemetery. Viewing will be held Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Daniels Chapel of the Valley. Mrs. Halliday was born Oct. 26, 1931, the daughter of Raymond and Anna (Gritzmacher) Viergutz in Wausau, Wis. When she was young she played semi-pro softball on an all-women’s team and loved … Read more

Huey, Ora Mrs.

Ora Huey, 74, of Boise, died Feb. 17, 2005, with her husband of 55 years, Donald Huey, by her side. Her memorial service was Monday at the Cloverdale Funeral Home in Boise. She was born in Baker on Jan. 8, 1931. She worked for the Bureau of Land Management until moving to Boise in 1967, where she continued to work for the BLM and the Forest Service. She enjoyed fishing, camping and traveling after her early retirement from the Forest Service. Until her illness, she was an avid bridge player and played several times a week with her good friend … Read more

Singer, Carl Henry – Obituary

Carl Henry Singer, 88, of 130 Bryant Ave., No. 22, Walla Walla, Wash., died April 4, 2006, at St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla, Wash. Funeral service was held at Groseclose Funeral home at 315 W. Alder St. at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 3, 2006. The Rev. Albert Gillin of First Presbyterian Church officiated. Burial followed in Mountain View Cemetery, 2120 S. Second Ave. Memorial contributions may be made to Walla Walla Senior Center through the funeral home. Mr. Singer was born Nov. 22, 1917, in Boise, Idaho, to Henry and Carrie Chandler Singer. He graduated from Baker, … Read more

Silver City Owyhee Idaho Avalanche

Their names were: Michael Jordan A. J. Miner G. W. Chadwick Cyrus Iba William Phipps Joseph Dorsey Jerome Francisco John Moore J. R. Cain W. Churchill H. R. Wade A. J. Reynolds James Carroll William Duncan Dr A. F. Rudd F. Height W. L. Wade John Gannon M. Conner C. Ward H. W. Prindall D. P. Banes O. H. Purdy J. G. Boone W. T. Carson P. H. Gordon L. G. Gehr and 3 others. In the Silver City Owyhee Avalanche of Jan. 8, 1876, is a notice of the death of Alexander Eddington, an Englishman aged 60, a ‘pioneer … Read more

Biography of W. F. Burns

W. F. Burns, who has engaged in general merchandising in Nampa since 1893, and is one of the successful merchants of the town, was born in McDonald county, Missouri, on the 25th of February, 1859, and is of Scotch and Irish line-age. His parents, E. F. and M. E. (Kennedy) Burns were natives of Georgia and Tennessee, respectively, and several generations of the family lived in the south. The paternal great grand father of our subject was one of the heroes who fought for the independence of the nation. E. F. Burns was a prominent farmer, and successfully carried on … Read more

Smith, Robert Darrel – Obituary

Robert Darrel Smith passed away peacefully early October 16, 2004, at Ivy Place in Boise, Idaho. Darrel was born in the Crane Creek, Idaho area, April 20, 1904, to Alex and Effie Anne Cochran Smith, the youngest of three children. The family lived on their father’s homestead until Darrel was 2 years old, when they moved to Payette, Idaho. When he was 7, the family moved to the ranch his father purchased near Durkee where he rode a horse to a one-room schoolhouse and completed the eighth grade. After attending his high school freshman year in Brownsville, Ore., he returned … Read more

Vance, Gretta M. McCoy Mrs. – Obituary

Gretta M. Vance, 97, a former Baker City resident, died April 6, 2005, at her home in Meridian, Idaho. Her funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Relyea Funeral Chapel, 318 N. Latah St., Boise, Idaho. There will be a graveside service in Kansas at 1 p.m. CDT April 19 at the Medicine Lodge Cemetery. She was born on June 19, 1907, at Medicine Lodge, Barber County, Kan., to Harvey Harris and Jennie Stone McCoy. She attended school at Medicine Lodge and graduated from high school there. She attended business college at Wichita, Kan. She married Howard V. Vance … Read more

Flanagan, Larry – Obituary

Larry Flanagan, 71, of La Grande died Oct. 11 in Boise. A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. Monday at Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 Seventh St. Larry was born in Wilbur, Wash., on July 24, 1936. He grew up on a farm at the foot of Mount Emily in the Grande Ronde Valley and lived in the area most of his life. He worked at Boise Cascade for 46 years, retiring in 2002. He loved fishing, hunting and traveling. His last hunting trip was about two weeks ago. His last big trip was a cruise to Alaska. … Read more

Biography of Solomon Hasbrouck

One of the best known pioneer settlers of the state of Idaho is Solomon Hasbrouck, who is now serving as clerk of the supreme court and is accounted one of the leading and influential citizens of Boise. He is numbered among the sons of the Empire state, his birth having occurred in New Paltz, Lister County, New York, on the 30th of May. 1833. He is a descendant of Holland Dutch ancestry, and at an early period in the history of the state the family was founded within its borders. Solomon P. Hasbrouck, the grandfather of our subject, was a … Read more

Biography of James King

A leading representative of the building interests, of Boise, and the present register of the land office of this city, James King is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Pittsburg, on the 15th of August 1832. He is of both German and English descent, his ancestors of those nationalities having settled in New York in 1664. They came with General Braddock and always remained in this land. In the war of the Revolution the family was represented by loyal Americans, who fought for liberty, and throughout many years they were prominently identified with the Presbyterian Church. The … Read more

Clark, Wayne – Obituary

Enterprise, Oregon Wayne Clark died of natural causes at a care facility in Star, Idaho, on May 31, 2006. He was 96. Mr. Clark was born on Sept. 23, 1909 on a homestead ranch in Hill City, Idaho, to Frank and Viola Clark. He was one of seven children. He went to high school in Carey, Idaho, after the Clark family moved to a ranch outside of Picabo, Idaho. He rode his horse to school nearly 10 miles, frequently taking his two sisters on his horse with him. He attended the University of Idaho for a brief time, and then … Read more

Biography of David Heron

In a pleasant, attractive brick residence in a desirable section of Boise City, are living to-day David Heron and wife, esteemed citizens and pioneers of Ada County. Mr. Heron has frequently served his neighbors and friends in official positions of much responsibility and trust, and has won their highest praise for the able and conscientious manner in which he discharged the duties resting upon him. For a period of two years he was the recorder and auditor of this County, for a similar length of time was the County assessor and during some six years was one of the commissioners … Read more

Stenberg, Andy – Obituary

Andy Stenberg, 23, of Boise, a former Baker County resident, died Feb. 10, 2008, at Boise in a motor vehicle crash. His memorial service will be at 10 a.m. MST Saturday at Cloverdale Funeral Home, 1200 N. Cloverdale Road in Boise. He was born on Aug. 21, 1984, at Boise to Keith and Vikki Stenberg, along with his twin sister, Kendall. He spent his earliest years at Eagle, Idaho. The family moved to Swan Falls, Idaho, then Hagerman, Idaho, and then to Oxbow in Hells Canyon. Andy attended Pine-Eagle schools from kindergarten through high school. He was a 2003 Pine-Eagle … Read more

Knudsen, Clarice B. Coffman Stiff Mrs. – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Clarice B. Knudsen, 95, a longtime Baker City resident, died Nov. 12, 2000, at Settler’s Park. At her request, there will be no funeral. A family celebration of her life is planned. Mrs. Knudsen was born Oct. 12, 1905, at Boulder, Colo., to Mitchell and Maude Coffman. She was raised and received her education in Scott City, Kan., and also attended business school at Boise. She married Robert Earl Stiff on June 14, 1925, in Boise, and they came to Baker City in 1944. They divorced in 1947. In May 1953 she married Leonard Knudsen in Baker … Read more

Lewis, Merle M. – Obituary

Merle M. Lewis, 85, a former Baker City resident, died July 4, 2001, at a Boise care facility. Her funeral was today at 1 p.m. at the Relyea Funeral Chapel in Boise. Burial was at Dry Creek Cemetery in Boise. Arrangements were under the direction of the Relyea Funeral Chapel. Used with permission from: The Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, July 13, 2001 Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor

Jose D. “Joe” Zamora – Obituary

Baker City, Oregon Jose D. “Joe” Zamora 72, of Baker City died Sept. 23, 2001, at the Veterans Nursing Home in Boise. His funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Pastor Monte Loyd of Baker Valley Christian Assembly will officiate. Vault interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery with military rites accorded by Baker City Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3048. Visitations will be until 7 o’clock tonight at the funeral home. Mr. Zamora was born Dec. 24, 1928, at Morrell, Neb., a son of Horacio and Fidela Moya Zamora. He was … Read more

Biography of Jonas W. Brown

Jonas W. Brown, of Boise, is an honored pioneer both of California and of Idaho. He crossed the plains with ox teams to Shasta county, California, in 1853, and since that time his life record has been inseparably interwoven with the history of this section of the country. At all times he has been the advocate of those measures tending to-ward the advancement and development of the region, and his influence is that of an honorable, upright man, whose force of character stamps itself indelibly for good upon the public life. This work would be incomplete without mention of Jonas … Read more

Biography of Christopher W. Moore

One of the honored pioneers and distinguished citizen of Boise is the well known president of the First National Bank of Idaho, Christopher Wilkinson Moore. To him there has come the attainment of a distinguished position in connection with the great material industries of the state, and his efforts have been so discerningly directed along well defined lines that he seems to have realized at any one point of progress the full measure of his possibilities for accomplishment at that point. A man of distinct and forceful individuality, of broad mentality and most mature judgment, he has left and is … Read more

The Mining Fields Of Idaho

The following excellent monograph by W. C. Austin was issued in pamphlet form early in the present year (1899) by authority of C. J. Bassett, state commissioner of immigration, labor and statistics, and as a valuable contribution to the history of the great mining industry of Idaho is held to be worthy of reproduction in this work: There is no other country on God’s green earth that has encompassed within her borders such vast and varied mineral wealth as Idaho. The position that Idaho occupies in the western mineral world is like a wagon wheel, of which Idaho is the … Read more