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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Eau Claire (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Eau Claire. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Name Variations for Eau Claire ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

In past government published Postal Guides, Eau Claire was referred to as Eau Claire Courthouse.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Eau Claire. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Eau Claire.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Eau Claire is primarily located in Eau Claire County and is the County Seat. A portion of Eau Claire extends into Chippewa County.

To see how the shape of Wisconsin's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Eau Claire County: Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Jackson, Pepin & Trempealeau.

Below are the counties that are near Eau Claire. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Eau Claire:

  • Eau Claire County     (The home county of Eau Claire)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Altoona
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Altoona is located in Eau Claire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,062 people
    • Shawtown
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Seymour
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Seymour is located in Eau Claire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour
    • Lufkin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Fall Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Fall Creek is located in Eau Claire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall Creek
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,291 people
    • Allen
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Augusta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Augusta is located in Eau Claire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,517 people
    • Hay Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Fairchild
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Buffalo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Mondovi
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Springdale ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Springdale is located in Buffalo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
    • Lookout
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Gilmanton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Chippewa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Lake Hallie
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Lake Hallie is located in Chippewa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Hallie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,779 people
    • Irvine
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Chippewa Falls
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Albertville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Wissota
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lake Wissota is located in Chippewa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Wissota
    • Eagleton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Bloomer
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Cadott
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Cadott is located in Chippewa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadott
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,411 people
    • Drywood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Boyd
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Boyd is located in Chippewa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 528 people
    • New Auburn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Cornell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Cornell is located in Chippewa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,400 people
  • Dunn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Elk Mound
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Elk Mound is located in Dunn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Mound
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
    • Rock Falls
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Falls City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Falls City is located in Dunn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls City
    • Meridean
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Colfax
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Colfax is located in Dunn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colfax
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,151 people
    • Tainter Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Tainter Lake is located in Dunn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tainter Lake
    • Dunnville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Menomonie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Wheeler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Wheeler is located in Dunn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
    • Eau Galle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Boyceville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Knapp
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Requa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Levis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • York
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Pepin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Durand
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Arkansaw
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Trempealeau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Eleva
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Strum
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Osseo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Russell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Pigeon Falls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Eau Claire, see our County-by-County Page for Eau Claire.

Cemeteries Near Eau Claire ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Eau Claire.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Eau Claire - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Eau Claire covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Eau Claire had a population of 17,415 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Eau Claire had a population of 69,087 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.

  • Shawtown
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Altoona
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Altoona is located in Eau Claire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,062 people
  • Truax
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Truax is located in Eau Claire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truax
  • Irvine
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Caryville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Caryville is located in Dunn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caryville
  • Chippewa Falls
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Elk Mound
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Elk Mound is located in Dunn County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Mound
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
  • Rock Falls
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Fall Creek
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Fall Creek is located in Eau Claire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall Creek
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,291 people
  • Nix Corner
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Nix Corner is located in Eau Claire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nix Corner
  • Bateman
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Bateman is located in Chippewa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bateman
  • Meridean
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Eagle Point
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Eagle Point is located in Chippewa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Point
    • Eleva
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Colfax
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Colfax is located in Dunn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colfax
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,151 people

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Eau Claire. See our List of 1890's Communities around Eau Claire.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Eau Claire ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 122 newspapers that have been published in the area around Eau Claire.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Eau Claire. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Eau Claire and those printed in the larger area surrounding Eau Claire.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Eau Claire.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Eau Claire:

Footnotes ...

<1>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<2>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Eau Claire, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Eau Claire) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.