Eau Claire County, Wisconsin Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Eau Claire County 721 Oxford Avenue Eau Claire, WI 54703-5481; Phone. 715.839.4803

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

Parent County
1856--Eau Claire County was created 6 October 1856 from Chippewa County. County seat: Eundefinedau Claire


 * This county was first known as the town of "Clearwater," being the southern-most township in Chippewa County. Later, it was renamed the "French translation of Clearwater" = "Eau Claire."

Boundary Changes
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.

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

Cities:
Eau Claire: This city is partially in Eau Claire County and Chippewa County.

Neighboring Counties
Buffalo • Chippewa •  Clark •  Dunn •  Jackson •  Pepin •  Trempealeau

TABLE - Places and Localities
How each column helps you with your research:

1. PLACE/LOCALITY column: names the "place" or "locality" of interest.

2. TYPE column: gives type of place or locality (i.e. village, town, city, etc.).

3. FHL CATALOG column: links the "catagories of sources" available in the Family History Library for the place or locality.

4. WIKIPEDIA column: like WIKI, gives background information regarding the place or locality.

5. GOOGLE MAPS column: shows the whereabouts of this place or locality on a map.

6. WORLDCAT.ORG column: shows sources from other libraries/repositories, etc. for this place or locality.

7. US HOMETOWN LOCATOR column: gives current information about the place or locality.

FOOTNOTES FOR CITIES, TOWNS, VILLAGES, and UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITIES :

1 -Indicates a municipality considered part of the Eau Claire-Chippewa Falls metropolitan area

2 -Historical Community.

3 -CDP = Census Designated Place.

4 -Now a part of the city of Eau Claire.undefined

5 -UC = Unincorporated Community in Eau Claire County.

Biography
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above 


 * Eau Claire Historical Search: This tool searches the local historical databases available at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Library which is maintained by the Genealogical Research Society of Eau Claire.

Cemeteries
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above


 * Forest Hill Cemetery records (Eau Claire, Wisconsin) ca. 1880-1967 Forest Hill Cemetery in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. First volume ca. 1900-1967, is arranged by block and lot, covers block A-M and gives name and date; second volume ca. 1880-1930, is arranged alphabetically and gives name, lot, block, and year.
 * Cemetery Burial Records - database of burial records for Forest Hill and LakeView.

Census
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above

SEE ALSO: WIKI "Wisconsin Census" for more records and links.


 * 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 - 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 - at FamilySearch — index and images. Identifies head of household by name. Other information is statistical.
 * 1905 - at FamilySearch — Name index and images of population. Enumerates by name all inhabitants.

Church History and Records
Church also known as Second Methodist Episcopal Church, later became the United Methodist Church. Contains members, class records, probationers, marriages, and baptisms. 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, 1860-1947 [Eau Claire, Wisconsin] First Presbyterian Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
 * Church records, 1861-1940 [Eau Claire, Wisconsin First Baptist Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
 * Church records, 1865-1947 [Eau Claire, Wisconsin] 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 [Eau Claire, Wisconsin] 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 [Eau Claire, Wisconsin] United Methodist Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
 * Church records, 1890-1920 [Eau Claire, Wisconsin] United Methodist Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
 * Church records, 1893-1947 [Eau Claire, Wisconsin] Epiphany Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Text in English and German. Contains history, baptisms, confirmations, communions, marriages, and burials.
 * Church records, 1897-1958 [Eau Claire, Wisconsin] 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 [Eau Claire, Wisconsin] 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 [Eau Claire, Wisconsin] 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 [Eau Claire, Wisconsin] 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 [Eau Claire, Wisconsin 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 ($).

SEE "SOURCES" Table Above

Court Records
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above

Directories
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above

History
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above


 * Histories of various locations in this county: Eau Claire Co. WIGenWeb
 * Old photos of people in this county: Eau Claire Co. WIGenWeb
 * Old photos of places in this county: Eau Claire Co. WIGenWeb

School Records

SEE "SOURCES" Table Above

Land and Property
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases &amp; Maps of Wisconsin
 * Family Maps of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Courtesy of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Library:


 * Sanborn Digital Fire Insurance Maps: 1883, 1885, 1889, 1897 and 1931

Military History and Records
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above

Civil War
Civil War service men from Eau Claire County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are many companies or regiments that were formed from men of Eau Claire County.


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

Naturalization and Citizenship
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above

Newspapers
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above

Probate Records
Online Records

SEE "SOURCES" Table Above
 * 1800 – 1987 Wisconsin Wills and Probate Records 1800-1987 at Ancestry.com — images and index $
 * 1848 – 1948 at FamilySearch — images

Repositories
See also a List of Wisconsin Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Archives, Libraries and Museums
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above

Family History Centers

 * Eau Claire Wisconsin Family History Center

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

Taxation
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above

Vital Records
SEE "SOURCES" Table Above


 * At the Eau Claire Co. WIGenWeb

Birth Records

 * 1826 - 1926 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1820 - 1907 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1826 - 1908 Wisconsin, Births and Christenings Index, 1826-1908 at Ancestry.com — index $

Marriage Records

 * 1836 - 1930 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1973 - 1997 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1973 - 1997 Wisconsin Marriages, 1973-1997 at Ancestry.com — index/images $

Divorce Records

 * 1965 - 1984 at FamilySearch.org — index

Death Records

 * 1867 - 1907 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1835 - 1968 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1820 - 1907 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1959 - 1997 at FamilySearch.org — index

Websites

 * Eau Claire County, WI History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Wisconsin Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Wisconsin Genealogy Network Group on Facebook

General Websites for this county:

 * Family History Library for Eau Claire County, Wisconsin
 * Eau Claire County Wikipedia
 * Family Search Record Search for Wisconsin
 * Eau Claire County GENWEB
 * Eau Claire County Archives GENWEB Projects
 * Google Web information for Eau Claire County &amp; Google Map of this county
 * Eau Claire County in WorldCat.org
 * Linkpedium Eau Claire County Genealogy and Family History
 * Kindred Trails Eau Claire County Genealogy
 * CensusFinder for Eau Claire County, Wisconsin

State Websites for this county:

 * L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in the City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin
 * WISCONSIN GENEALOGY TRAILS for Eau Claire County, Wisconsin