Guide to Church and Cemetery Records: Buffalo County, WI, 1860-1983
Last Updated
Summary Information
Title: Church and Cemetery Records (Genealogical Society of Utah Project): Buffalo County, Wisconsin
Inclusive Dates: 1860-1983
Call Number: Eau Claire Micro 28
Quantity: 7 reels of microfilm (35mm)
Repository: Housed at the Area Research Center, William D. McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Library-Archives Division
Archival Locations: UW-Eau Claire McIntyre Library / Eau Claire Area Research Ctr.
Abstract: Copies of records of numerous churches and cemeteries in Buffalo County, Wis., microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah in cooperation with the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Representing various denominations, the records usually consist of membership and sacramental record books.
Note: This collection is available only on microfilm. This microfilm was produced in 1981 and 1984 by the Genealogical Society of Utah which holds the master negative.
Language: English, German, Norwegian
Search Terms/Subject Terms
- Evangelical and Reformed Church—Wisconsin
- Lutheran Church—Wisconsin
- Church Records and Registers—Wisconsin—Buffalo County
- Buffalo County (Wis.)—Church history—Sources
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Genealogical Dept.
Scope and Content Note
The Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU) and the Wisconsin Historical Society cooperated in a project to borrow and film Wisconsin church and cemetery records of interest to genealogists. The project produced 311 reels of microfilm containing records from 32 Wisconsin counties, dating from the 1830s to the 1980s. Positive copies of the microfilm are available at the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Area Research Centers; each location houses different portions of the collection.
The microfilm has been grouped according to county where the church or cemeteries are located and each county group has been assigned a unique call number. Due to the filming process, there is occasionally a record of a church or cemetery from a different county located on a reel of film predominantly of another county, but generally a reel of microfilm almost always contains only records of churches and cemeteries from one county. Each call number therefore represents records primarily of one county (call number “Milwaukee Micro 70” for Milwaukee county records for example). An exception is “Stout Micro 25” which contains records from both Dunn and Barron counties.
Accuracy of this finding aid is limited by readability of the film, completeness of the record, and staff knowledge of foreign languages and scripts. In-depth research into church history was not done by Archives staff. Some records do not name the church which created them; in those cases the information recorded by the filmer is used and often is the present custodian of the record. Missing information, particularly the “record type” in the reel lists, is due to the occasional necessity of working from camera operators' reports or other finding aids rather than from the film itself. Annotations and corrections can be forwarded to the Wisconsin Historical Society for inclusion in future versions of this finding aid.
A separate reel list finding aid is provided for each call number. The reel lists contain detailed information on types of records included and years covered. The reel lists also indicate the languages in which the records were written and the GSU film number, in the event that a duplicate needs to be ordered. The reel lists include brief descriptions of the record types (birth, baptism, marriage, etc.); this information was compiled from the film itself. Occasionally sections, especially languages and record types, were left blank when incomplete information was available.
Place Names
A few locations are not now governmental units but apparently were in use at the time the records were created. In cases where churches moved or merged, the record is still listed under only one location. Sometimes a single record contains information crossing county lines, especially in the case of missions or circuits. If exact location is not clear, rather than misled the user with a possibly incorrect place name, the more general location of just the county is used. Thus it is important for the user to be imaginative in searching for place names.
Church and Cemetery Names
Church names, if in a foreign language, are usually entered in the English form if doing so will bring all records for one church -- both before and after the church adopted English as its language. “Saint” is sometimes spelled out and sometimes abbreviated to “St.” making it necessary for the user to search both ways.
Denomination is listed as it appeared in the records with no additional research done on denominational changed that have occurred in the 150-year scope of this collection. Thus lines are not always exact between, for example, Methodist and Methodist Episcopal or Evangelical Lutheran and Lutheran. In some cases the present denomination is indicated for a church that has changed through the years. For example, United Church of Christ may indicate churches which were formerly Congregational or Evangelical and Reformed. Some knowledge of church history is useful to the user. A denomination could not be determined for some records.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Use Restrictions: Copies may be purchased by libraries or other research organizations, with the written consent of the custodial congregation, from the Genealogical Society of Utah.
Acquisition Information:The original records were loaned for copying by their custodians and were returned when copying was completed. Accession Number: M81-003, M84-044
Processing Information: Processed by Ann Hokanson and Natalie Tinkham.
Content List
Reel/Item 1/1Saint Paul's Lutheran Church, 1909-1962
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Modena
Record types: baptism, confirmation, marriage, burial
Languages: German
GSU Number: 1392622
Note: Denomination: Evangelical
Place name: Alma.
Record types: pastors, membership, baptism, burial, history, expenditures
Languages: German
GSU Number: 1392622Reel/Item 1/3St. Paul's Church, 1891-1938
Note: Denomination: Evangelical
Place name: Alma
Record types: Pastoral Register, Membership, Baptisms, Marriages, Burials, History Constitution
Languages: German
GSU Number: 1392622Reel/Item 1/4Immanual Reformed Church, 1862-1945
Note: Denomination:
Place name: Eagle Valley
Record types: pastor, communicants, baptism, marriage, confirmations, burial, history
Languages: German
GSU Number: 1392622Reel/Item 1/5Saint John's Reformed Church, 1888-1956
Note: Denomination:
Place name: Fountain City
Record types: pastor, communicants, baptism, marriage, confirmations, burial, history
Languages: German
GSU Number: 1392622Reel/Item 2/1Trinity Lutheran Church, 1873-1884
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Mondovi
Record types: baptism, confirmations, marriage, burial, membership
Languages: Norwegian
GSU Number: 1392623Reel/Item 2/2Trinity Lutheran Church, 1886-1889
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Mondovi
Record types: baptism, confirmations, marriage, burial, membership
Languages: Norwegian
GSU Number: 1392623Reel/Item 2/3Trinity Lutheran Church, 1889-1915
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Mondovi
Record types: baptism, confirmations, marriage, burial, membership
Languages: Norwegian
GSU Number: 1392623Reel/Item 2/4Trinity Lutheran Church, 1878-1887
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Mondovi
Record types: baptism, confirmations, marriage, burial, membership
Languages: Norwegian
GSU Number: 1392623Reel/Item 2/5East Bennet Valley Church, 1901-1918
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: East Bennet
Record types: baptism, confirmations, burial, memberships
Languages: Norwegian
GSU Number: 1392623Reel/Item 2/6West Bennet Valley Church, 1913-1916
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: West Bennet Valley
Record types: baptism, confirmations, marriage, burial, membership
Languages: Norwegian
GSU Number: 1392623Reel/Item 2/7West Bennet Valley Church, 1913-1953
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: West Bennet Valley
Record types: baptism, confirmations, marriage, burial, communion, membership, pastors
Languages: Norwegian
GSU Number: 1392623Reel/Item 3/1Modena Lutheran Church, 1911-1962
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Modena
Record types: baptism, confirmations, marriage, memberships, burial, annual summaries
Languages: Norwegian, English
GSU Number: 1392624Reel/Item 3/2Thompson Valley Lutheran Church, 1866-1952
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Thompson Valley
Record types: confirmations, baptism, marriage, membership, burial
Languages: Norwegian
GSU Number: 1392624Reel/Item 4/1Central Lutheran Church, 1907-1918
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Mondovi
Record types: baptism, confirmations, marriage, burial, memberships
Languages: Norwegian, English
GSU Number: 1392625Reel/Item 4/2Little Thompson Valley Church, 1888-1914
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Mondovi
Record types: baptism, marriage, burial, memberships, communicants
Languages: Norwegian
GSU Number: 1392625Reel/Item 5/1Saint Michael's Lutheran Church, 1860-1876
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Fountain City
Record types: memberships, baptism, marriage, burial Languages: German
GSU Number: 1392626Reel/Item 5/2Saint Michael's Lutheran Church, 1874-1917
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Fountain City
Record types: baptism, confirmations, marriage, burial Languages: German
GSU Number: 1392626Reel/Item 5/3Saint Michael's Lutheran Church, 1918-1983
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Fountain City
Record types: baptism, marriage, burial
Languages: German, English
GSU Number: 1392626Reel/Item 6/1Zion's Lutheran Church, 1883-1941
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Alma
Record types: baptism, marriage, confirmations, annual meetings
Languages: German, English
GSU Number: 1392627Reel/Item 6/2Oak Valley Lutheran Church, 1876-1894
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Oak Valley
Record types: baptism, confirmations, marriage, burial Languages: German
GSU Number: 1392627Reel/Item 7/1Dr. Martin Lutheran Church, 1860-1895
Note: Denomination: Lutheran
Place name: Buffalo City
Record types: Taufen, Constitution, Konfirmanden, Sterbe, Trauungen, Communion
Languages: German
GSU Number: 1295654