Eau Claire County, Wisconsin Genealogy

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Guide to Eau Claire County, Wisconsin ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Eau Claire
Organized: October 6, 1856
Parent County(s): Chippewa[1]
Neighboring Counties
Buffalo  • Chippewa  • Clark  • Dunn  • Jackson  • Pepin  • Trempealeau
See County Maps
Courthouse
Eau Claire County Courthouse.JPG
Location Map
WI Eau Claire.png
Adoption

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The County was named for the Eau Claire River. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Eau Claire County Courthouse
721 Oxford Avenue
Eau Claire, WI 54703-5481
Phone: 715-839-4803
Eau Claire County Website

Register of Deeds has birth, marriage, death and land records from 1856.
Clerk of Courts has divorce records from 1856 and court records from 1929. [3]

Eau Claire County, Wisconsin Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1856 1856 1856 1929 1856 1858 1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1907. General compliance year unknown.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • 1856--Eau Claire County was created 6 October 1856 from Chippewa County.
  • County seat: Eau Claire[5]
  • This county was first known as the town of "Clearwater;" it was the southern-most township in Chippewa County. Later, it was renamed "Eau Claire", which is the French translation for "Clearwater."

For animated maps illustrating Wisconsin County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Wisconsin County Boundary Maps" (1790-1961) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]

Cities
Towns
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Ghost towns

Unincorporated communities in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin[7]

History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

  • USGenWeb Archives Eau Claire Biographies:

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Wisconsin Cemeteries for more information

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1860 3,162 —
1870 10,769 240.6%
1880 19,993 85.7%
1890 30,673 53.4%
1900 31,692 3.3%
1910 32,721 3.2%
1920 35,771 9.3%
1930 41,087 14.9%
1940 46,999 14.4%
1950 54,187 15.3%
1960 58,300 7.6%
1970 67,219 15.3%
1980 78,805 17.2%
1990 85,183 8.1%
2000 93,142 9.3%
2010 98,736 6.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Eau Claire census records online, see: Wisconsin Census.

  • 1855 - 1855 Wisconsin State Census This census includes name of head of family; other individuals in the household are identified by sex and race, number of deaf and dumb, blind, insane and foreign born.
  • 1865 - 1865 Wisconsin State Census Name index and images of the 1865 State Census which names the head of household. Most records have been destroyed but schedules exist for the following counties: Dunn, Green, Jackson, Kewaunee, Ozaukee, and Sheboygan.
  • 1875 - 1875 Wisconsin State Census Identifies head of household by name.
  • 1885 - Wisconsin State Census, 1885 at FamilySearch — index and images. Search indexed census.Identifies by name of head of household. Other information is statistical and identifies the rest of the household by race, gender and country of birth.
  • 1895 - Wisconsin State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — index and images. Identifies head of household by name. Other information is statistical.
  • 1905 - Wisconsin State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — Name index and images of population. Enumerates by name all inhabitants.
  • WIGenWeb: Old Settlers of Eau Claire up to 1863; 1870 Head of Household Index; 1910 Head of Household Index

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Wisconsin denominations, view the Wisconsin Church Records wiki page.

  • Church records, 1860-1947 First Presbyterian Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
  • Church records, 1861-1940 First Baptist Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
  • Church records, 1865-1947 St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Text in English and Latin. Contains baptisms 1865-1881, marriages 1866-1884, deaths 1865-1874, record of interments (indexed) 1900-1947.
  • Church records, 1874-1974 St. John's Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Text in English and German. Contains constitution, signatures of members ca. 1874, register of members 1880-1881, baptisms, communions 1874-1911, burials, confirmations, marriages, new members 1888-1910, transfers 1880, families 1900.
  • Church records, 1877-1918 United Methodist Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Church also known as Second Methodist Episcopal Church, later became the United Methodist Church. Contains members, class records, probationers, marriages, and baptisms.
  • Church records, 1890-1920 United Methodist Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Early church known as Barstow Street Methodist Episcopal Church. Contains record of pastors 1857-1923, members, classes, probationers, pastoral and statistical records, baptisms, marriages, funerals 1909- 1920, and history.
  • Church records, 1893-1947 Epiphany Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Text in English and German. Contains history, baptisms, confirmations, communions, marriages, and burials.
  • Church records, 1897-1958 North Presbyterian Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Also known as Second Presbyterian Church. Contains baptisms 1897-1898, 1917-1945; marriages 1932; deaths 1922- 1957; communicants; elders 1953-1958.
  • Church records, 1898-1914 United Methodist Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Contains history, pastoral and statistical record, probationers, members, baptisms, marriages and includes Rock Falls Church, Mt. Hope Church (Porters Mills), Wheaton, Gower district, Seymour district number one, Altoona, and Lake Hallie.
  • Church records, 1925-1940 First Congregational Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Contains a history, membership record, register of baptisms, and a reserve roll. Early records were destroyed by fire.
  • Church records, 1908-1943 Plymouth United Church of Christ in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Contains lists of officers, baptisms, members received 1908-1930, members removed 1919-1930, non-resident members 1913, marriages 1910-1931, funerals 1913-1918, charities and expenses 1913-1916, and annual statistics 1913-1931. First volume includes index.
  • Church registers, 1875-1924 Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Text in Latin. Some volumes include indexes.

Lutheran

  • Records of the First Lutheran Church in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Eau Claire Family Group Sheets

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Wisconsin Land and Property for additional information about early Wisconsin land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Pepin CountyBuffalo CountyTrempealeau CountyJackson CountyClark CountyChippewa CountyDunn CountyWI EAU CLAIRE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Regiments. Service men in Eau Claire served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Eau Claire:

- 2nd Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company L
- 5th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry Reorganized, Company K
- 8th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company C

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Probate records are held by the Eau Claire Clerk of Circuit Court and are housed at the Eau Claire Courthouse. See the wiki page Wisconsin Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.

Content: Probate records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, and adoptions.

Online Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Wisconsin tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned property or other items that could be taxed were listed, some residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records. For more information see the Wiki page, Wisconsin Taxation.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Most counties started keeping records in the 1870s. In 1907, the counties began sending copies to the state.

For pre-1907 births, deaths, and marriages, search the Wisconsin Genealogy Index.

For additional information, see Wisconsin Vital Records.

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

Libraries[edit | edit source]

  • L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library
    400 Eau Claire Street
    Eau Claire, WI 54701
    Phone: 715-839-1648
    Website

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

  • Genealogical Research Society of Eau Claire
    PO Box 1204
    Eau Claire, WI 54702
    Website

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Eau Claire County, Wisconsin " in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eau_Claire_County,_Wisconsin."
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Eau Claire County, Wisconsin. Page 755-760, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 757-759.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Eau Claire County, Wisconsin," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eau_Claire_County,_Wisconsin, accessed 7 September 2018.
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "List of unincorporated communities in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unincorporated_communities_in_Eau_Claire_County,_Wisconsin, accessed 7 September 2018.
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