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Waupaca County, Wisconsin Genealogy


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

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County Facts
County seat: Waupaca
Organized: February 17, 1851
Parent County(s): Brown and Winnebago Counties[1]
Neighboring Counties
Marathon  • Outagamie  • Portage  • Shawano  • Waushara  • Winnebago
See County Maps
Courthouse
Waupaca County Wisconsin Courthouse.jpg
Location Map
WI Waupaca.png
Adoption

County InformationEdit

DescriptionEdit

The County was named for the Waupaca River, a Menominee language name meaning 'white sand bottom', 'pale water', or 'tomorrow river'. The County is located in the central area of the state.[2]

County CourthouseEdit

Waupaca County Courthouse
811 Hardin Street
Waupaca, WI 54981
Phone: 715-258-6200
Waupaca County Website

Register of Deeds has birth, marriage, death and land records from 1852.
Clerk of Circuit Courts has divorce records from 1907 and court records from 1880.
Register in Probate has probate records from 1857. [3]

Waupaca County, Wisconsin Record DatesEdit

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
1852 1852 1852 1880 1852 1857 1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1907. General compliance year unknown.

Record LossEdit

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

Boundary ChangesEdit

  • 1851--Waupaca County was created 17 February 1851 from Brown and Winnebago Counties.
  • County seat: Waupaca, WI[5]

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 PlacesEdit

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


History TimelineEdit

ResourcesEdit

Bible RecordsEdit

BiographiesEdit

Business, Commerce, and OccupationsEdit

CemeteriesEdit

Cemeteries of Waupaca 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

 

  • Waupaca County Headstone Photo Index Waupaca County History and Genealogy Website. Use this index to find photos in specific cemeteries in the Tombstone Photograph Pages below. (WIGenWeb Project)

Census RecordsEdit

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1860 8,851 —
1870 15,539 75.6%
1880 20,955 34.9%
1890 26,794 27.9%
1900 31,615 18.0%
1910 32,782 3.7%
1920 34,200 4.3%
1930 33,513 −2.0%
1940 34,614 3.3%
1950 35,056 1.3%
1960 35,340 0.8%
1970 37,780 6.9%
1980 42,831 13.4%
1990 46,104 7.6%
2000 51,731 12.2%
2010 52,410 1.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

State 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.

Federal Census

Church RecordsEdit

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.

Lutheran
Iola

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

Trinity Lutheran Church, Dupont

  • Records of Trinity Lutheran Church, Dupont, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Court RecordsEdit

DirectoriesEdit

Emigration and ImmigrationEdit

Ethnic, Political, and Religious GroupsEdit

Funeral HomesEdit

GenealogiesEdit

GuardianshipEdit

Land and Property RecordsEdit

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.

Wisconsin Land Patents Database, Waucapa County

Local HistoriesEdit

Maps and GazetteersEdit

Marathon CountyShawano CountyOutagamie CountyWinnebago CountyWaushara CountyPortage CountyWI WAUPACA.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


MigrationEdit

Military RecordsEdit

Civil WarEdit

Regiments. Service men in Waupaca 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 Waupaca:

- 1st Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company M
- 8th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company A
- 14th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company B
- 15th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company I

World War IIEdit

Army Enlistees from Waupaca County, Wisconsin

Naturalization and CitizenshipEdit

NewspapersEdit

ObituariesEdit

Waupaca County, Wisconsin - Obituary & Death Notices (WIGenWeb Project)

Other RecordsEdit

PeriodicalsEdit

Probate RecordsEdit

Probate records are held by the Waupaca Clerk of Circuit Court and are housed at the Waupaca 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 RecordsEdit

Tax RecordsEdit

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 RecordsEdit

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.

BirthEdit

MarriageEdit

DeathEdit

DivorceEdit

Research FacilitiesEdit

ArchivesEdit

  • Neils R. Kampenga Archives and Area Research Center
    University of Wisconsin Library
    900 Reserve Street, Room 520
    Stevens Point, WI 54481-1962
    Phone: 715-346-2586
    Website
    Email: archives@uwsp.edu
    Facebook

Family History CentersEdit

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.

LibrariesEdit

  • University of Wisconsin Library
    Nelis R. Kampenga Archives and Area Research Center
    900 Reserve Street, Room 520
    Stevens Point, WI 54481-1962
    Phone: 715-346-2586
    Website
    Email: archives@uwsp.edu
    Facebook

MuseumsEdit

SocietiesEdit

  • Waupaca Area Genealogical Society
    PO Box 42
    King, WI 54946-0042
    Website
  • Waupaca Historical Society
    321 South Main Street
    Waupaca, WI, 54981-1745
    Phone: 715-256-9980
    Email: wauphistsoc@waupacaonline.net
    Website
  • Clintonville Area Historical Society
    38 S Main St
    Clintonville, WI 54929
    Phone: 715-823-6252
    Facebook
  • Iola Historical Society
    PO Box 412
    Iola, WI 54945
    Phone: 715-445-4652
    Website
  • Marion Area Historical Society
    PO Box 321
    Marion, WI 54950
    Phone: 715-754-4969
    Website
  • New London Heritage Historical Society
    612 W Beacon Ave
    New London, WI 54961-1322
    Phone: 920-982-5186
  • Rural Historical Society
    E1449 Main St
    Rural, WI 54981
    Phone: 715-258-0334
  • Friends Of Scandinavia History (FOSH)
    PO Box 15
    Scandinavia, WI 54977
    Phone: 715-467-2729
    Website

WebsitesEdit

Research GuidesEdit

ReferencesEdit

  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, "Waupaca County, Wisconsin " in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waupaca_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), Waupaca 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, "Taylor County, Wisconsin," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waupaca_County,_Wisconsin#Communities, accessed 13 Dec 2018.
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