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Area Research Center

The Eau Claire Area Research Center (ARC) in the Special Collections Department of McIntyre Library includes both public records and manuscript collections for the counties of Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Rusk, and Taylor.

Pre 1907 Vital Records

Birth Records: Alphabetical and chronological index to births that were registered in the state of Wisconsin prior to 1907. Index covers the entire state; we have birth registrations for Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Rusk, and Taylor counties. Records may not be found for all individuals. Sometimes the names are badly misspelled in the indexes. Also, it was not required by law to register births with government officials until 1907.

Death Records: Alphabetical index to deaths that were registered in the state of Wisconsin prior to 1907. Though the index covers the entire state, we only have death registrations for Buffalo, Clark, Eau Claire, Rusk, and Taylor counties - no Chippewa County! Records may not be found for all individuals. Sometimes the names are badly misspelled in the indexes. Also, it was not required by law to register deaths with government officials until 1907.

Marriage Records: Alphabetical index by both bride and groom's name to marriages that were registered in the state of Wisconsin prior to 1907. Index covers the entire state; we have marriage registrations for Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Rusk, and Taylor counties. Records may not be found for all individuals. Sometimes the names are badly misspelled in the indexes. Also, it was not required by law to register marriages with government officials until 1907.

Use the Wisconsin Historical Society index to see if we might have the record you seek.

Naturalization Records

These papers may contain helpful genealogy information such as: birthplace and birth date of the immigrant, date and port of entry in the United States, the name of the ship in which the immigrant traveled, or even the names of the immigrant's wife and children. These collections include different types of records, including declarations of intent, petitions, and certificates/stub books. We have naturalization records for Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Rusk, and Taylor counties.

Court Records

Use court records to find divorces, civil suits (disputes over property, nonpayment of debt, mortgage foreclosures, etc.) and criminal cases (murders, rapes, burglary, etc.). Adoptions/guardianship cases are normally handled through the Probate Court (use Probate Case File Request Form for these types of cases).

Probate Records

These files contain wills and documents pertaining to an individual's estate upon his/her death. A portion of probate case files also pertain to adoption and guardianship.

Census Records

Census records list valuable historical and genealogical information such as: names of individuals, their family members, their occupations, number of years married, whether they were U.S. citizens, and much more. The earlier censuses do not give as much information as the later ones.

Tax Rolls

These records contain documentation of personal and property taxes including but not limited to: tax rolls, assessment rolls, tax sale records, tax certificate accounts, and assessment annual statistical reports. Dates vary based on city/county and type of record. 

Manuscripts, Diaries, and Organizational/Business Records

Our manuscript collection includes personal papers (diaries, reminiscences, letters, scrapbooks, etc.), organizational records (membership lists, newsletters, financial records, etc.) and business records (personnel files, correspondence, legal documents, etc.) from the Chippewa Valley from the 1850s to the present.

Other

Other types of materials not identified above are also available, such as city directories, county histories, church records and congregational histories, photos, maps, and university archives materials.

Ancestry.com: Access is available for onsite access; offsite access to Blugold card holders only.

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