Frequently Asked Questions About BYU-Idaho Family History Web Services

Below you will find answers to many questions we receive through e-mail from our patrons. We encourage you to look through these questions first so that we can help you better.

Tell me more about the BYU-Idaho Family History Center.

We are located on the 2nd Floor of the David O. McKay Library on the BYU-Idaho campus in Rexburg, Idaho. The BYU-Idaho FHC is associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint's Family History Library. We are here to help you in your search and can obtain many of the resources from the Salt Lake City Family History Library. Click here to find out about our hours of operation. The library is open to everyone and is staffed by volunteer staff.

How can I search using a United States county in the Western States Marriage Index?

To search by county you must search using our new search page. The biggest problem you might encounter when searching is when there is no state selected when you try to choose the county. If you choose the state first you will then be able to see the list of counties within that state.

Where is your information extracted from?

Over the past decade, the BYU-Idaho Family History Center has been extracting early marriage records from counties in the western part of the United States. Virtually all of the pre-1900 marriages are included in the index for Arizona, Idaho, and Nevada. Many Idaho and Utah counties have been extracted into the 1930s. A significant number of marriages from southwestern Wyoming, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and selected counties in California are also included. For more details see the List of Counties by State.

How should I go about submitting a correction?

If you wish to make a correction to the Western States Marriage Index please send an e-mail to familyhistory@byui.edu. Be sure you list the ID# of the record that you wish to alter, your return e-mail address, how it is supposed to be changed, and if there are any references to support your request.

Can I help submit marriages to the index?

We welcome everyone to help us in growing this database. We suggest that you contact us at familyhistory@byui.edu or personally, so that we can confirm what needs to be done for certain counties. To make it easier to upload large numbers of marriages a standard has been set in how to submit records through a spreadsheet. Please visit our submission instructions page to read about these standards.

How do I submit an obituary request?

Click on the following link http://abish.byui.edu/specialCollections/fhc/Obit/searchForm.cfm, and then type in the name of the person you are looking for. Once found, copy and paste the information and e-mail it to us, including your e-mail and home address. We will then forward your submission to the Idaho Falls Family History Center.

To request this information directly, which is preferred, please mail requests to the Idaho Falls Family History Center:
Idaho Falls Regional Family History Center, 750 West Elva, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402

How much do your services cost?

All of our services are free.

How do I submit a death certificate or census request?

Click on the following link http://abish.byui.edu/specialCollections/GenRequest.htm, and then type in the person's name, year you want for a census record or their year of death (depending on whether you are requesting a death certificate or census record) along with your mailing address and e-mail address. Keep in mind that for death certificates, we only cover the years 1911-1935. If they died before or after these years, all we can do is give you an address to the county clerk of the county they died in for further information.

After 1935 please contact the Idaho Center for Vital Statistics; Street address: 450 West State Street, 1st Floor; Mailing Address P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0036. Their phone number is (208) 334-5988 and the web address is: www.state.id.us/dhw. If you are looking for information before 1911 please contact the individual counties, you can click this address to search for these addresses.

What are the minimum computer requirements needed to view your web pages?

We design our pages using Macromedia Dreamweaver and other software for graphic imaging. These sites are tested using Internet Explorer Version 6.0, but any recent browser that supports Java Script and Cascading Style Sheets should work just fine. Currently we program using the HTML 4.01 Transitional language, currently some of our pages do not have doc type headers. If there are problems we may be working on a page when you are searching, so try the refresh button after about a minute or two first, otherwise let us know about it. Please inform us of any problems, such as broken links, by sending and e-mail to familyhistory@byui.edu.

Who maintains the information on these web pages?

Web pages and content are maintained by library staff and student employees. Please let us know if there are major problems. We are working on trying to make this site more accessible to the public. Some data entry to the databases is done by students as projects for their classes, but later checked by employees to make sure it is accurately entered.

Printing Problems

Currently our header is wider than most printers can print in Portrait orientation, so most problems can be solved by setting your printer in landscape orientation. We do try to keep the body text of the documents in a printable width. Most web browsers have a print preview option, this is a good practice to look at the page so you do not print items you do not need.

We also have some pages that have a printer friendly link, which opens a new window with a minimal header and no footer. The printer friendly versions are designed for maximum use on Internet Explorer, some other browsers like Netscape look much different.

Privacy Information

We do not collect any personal information other than what is provided to us in our interactive forms and by e-mail. The information you provide to us will only be used to respond to your inquiries and implement the suggestions you provide.

Terms of Use Information

We assume no guarantee of the accuracy of the information provided. You may link to any of our web pages, but recognize that these addresses may change at any time. The graphics and layouts of this web page may not be copied for commercial purposes. Feel free to print and use the data provided for personal use, contact us if you have any questions.

How was the website built?

The website was built using Macromedia Dreamweaver MX for the design. The backend is running on ColdFusion.