View the legislation creating the Mother's Pension program in Idaho. Click on any image for a larger view.

Index to Mother's Pension Records

Information updated Monday, November 24, 2008

Compiled by Linda Morton-Keithley, Administrator, and Margit Amundsen, Library Assistant

In 1913, the State of Idaho approved a program to provide a small monthly payment to mothers and orphans under certain circumstances. The program was handled by the probate court in each Idaho county and payments were made only to women whose husbands were dead, in jail or the Idaho State Penitentiary, or confined to the state insane asylum or state home for the feeble-minded. In the case of children who were orphaned, payment was made to their guardian (often a grandmother or adult sister). The women had to prove they were in need of such support and received payment only for children under the age of fifteen.

The mothers' and orphans' pension records are a rich source of genealogical and historical information. Several types of records are available - applications and court orders for payment. The applications generally contain the following information: names of father and mother, names and ages (sometimes birth dates) of children, status of father (including cause of death, where appropriate), qualifications of the applicant, character references, and the dollar amount requested. In some cases, the applications include names of children over fifteen who did not qualify for payment and names of other family members who might also be able to provide partial support for the distressed family. The court orders for payment contain less information but generally include names of mother and eligible children and the amount of payment.

The information in the index was extracted from original records in the custody of the Idaho State Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library and includes material transferred from Ada, Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Blaine, Caribou, Clearwater, Minidoka, Oneida, Power, Teton and Twin Falls counties. In addition, the index includes information compiled from Nez Perce County records on microfilm. The majority of these records date to the 1920s. It can also be expected that additional original records will come to light as more county-level records are transferred to the State Archives. Those records will be added to the index as they are acquired.

Additional information about mothers' and orphans' pensions may be available as part of the County Microfilm series held by the Public Archives and Research Library (and also available through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Center system) but those records, with the exception of Nez Perce County, are not included with the index at this time. Other sources include two volumes cataloged with the Library and Archives book collection: Birth, Death, Mothers' Pensions, and Bond Records, Kootenai County, compiled by Alfred and Betty J. Shane (GEN F752.K8S525) and Index to Mother's Pension Records in the Probate Court of Nez Perce County, Idaho, 1913-1935, compiled by Steve Barrett (GEN F752.N57B37).

Please keep in mind that the names in this index have been extracted from hand-written records that are often in poor condition. Be creative when looking for a specific name; it might not be spelled exactly as it is today (or may have been mis-read by the compiler). You must have Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader (free download) on your computer to open the file. If you do not have Acrobat and would like us to look up a name for you, or if you encounter any difficulties, click here to review our procedures for submitting a request for assistance. If you find a name on the list 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.

Be advised that the Mother's Pension index is intended for personal research purposes only and should not be copied or distributed to others in any format, including paper or electronic versions.

Click here to view the list of Mothers' Pension records in PDF format: