Buffalo was created in 1853 from Jackson County. The County was named for its chief river, Beef or Buffalo River, so designated because of the former presence of that animal in the vicinity. The County Seat is Alma. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.
Counties adjacent to Buffalo County are Pepin County (north), Eau Claire County (northeast), Trempeleau County (east), Winona County, Minnesota (south), Wabasha County, Minnesota (west). Buffalo County Cities Include Alma, Buffalo City, Fountain City, Mondovi. Towns Include Alma, Belvidere, Buffalo, Canton, Cross, Dover, Gilmanton, Glencoe, Lincoln, Maxville, Milton, Modena, Mondovi, Montana, Naples, Nelson, Waumandee. Villages Include Cochrane, Nelson
PLEASE READ FIRST!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.
All Departments below can be contacted by clicking the link below for each department.NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Buffalo County Register of Deeds Officehas Birth Records from 1855, Marriage Records from 1856, Death Records from 1873 and Land Records from 1854.
In 1848 the Wisconsin Constitution established the Register of Deeds as a permanent element of the County level of governmental structure. The purpose of the Buffalo County Register of Deeds is to provide official record keeping for Records or files land record documents authorized by law, such as deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, certified survey maps, plats and Federal Tax liens. Files and indexes Birth, Death and Marriage records, Military Discharges, and issues certified copies upon request.
Buffalo County Register in Probate Office has Probate Records from 1854. It is the responsibility of the Register in Probate to maintain and update files regarding probate of estates, guardianships, protective placements, adoptions and mental commitments. This is a statutory office with the position of Register in Probate filled by judicial appointment.
Buffalo County Clerk of Court Office has Court Records from 1853. The Clerk of Court is part of the Judicial Branch of local government and as such is required to maintain a record of all documents filed with the courts, keep a record of all court proceedings, and collect various fines and forfeitures ordered by the court and specified by statute.
Below is a list of online resources for Buffalo County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Buffalo County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Wisconsin Land Records: This database contains information on Wisconsin (U.S.A.) land records. The database comes from the Bureau of Land Management's Wisconsin Pre-1908 Homestead and Cash Entry Patent and Cadastral Survey Plat Index. Information recorded in the collection includes patentee name, land office, legal description, etc.
The earliest tax records in Wisconsin appear to be for real estate. Brown County has an extant tax roll for 1824. Tax rolls are kept by the county treasurer for each county. Many of these records have been transferred to the appropriate Area Research Centers.
Below is a list of online resources for Buffalo County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Buffalo County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
Buffalo County Treasurers Office
The County Treasurer's office collects all real estate taxes including postponed and delinquent, all county revenues in addition to the research and issue tax deed applications. Our department is the holder of tax records and assessed values.
Click Here to Search Wisconsin Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Wisconsin Division of Health, Vital Records, 1 West Wilson Street, Rm 158, Madison, WI 53701. Thier mailing address is Wisconsin Vital Records Office, P.O. Box 309, Madison, WI 53701-0309. Telephone: For automated assistance 24 hours a day, please call (608) 266-1371. To contact our service counter during the hours of 8:00 A.M. to 4:15 P.M. (C.S.T.), Monday through Friday, please call (608) 266-1373. All fees are not refundable if no record is found. You must enclose a personal check or money order made payable to "Wis. Vital Records". Please do not send cash. Please include a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope with your request.
They have the following records:
Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates: In Wisconsin, official registration of births, marriages & deaths vary by county, see the table below for the Earliest available records.
Cost: $20.00 is the cost for the search, which includes one copy of the birth, marriage or death certificate, if found. Additional copies of the same record, requested at the same time as the first, are $3.00 each. The cost is the same whether you request a certified or uncertified copy of the birth certificate.
Processing Time: Filled requests take 3-6 months when ordered by mail (Application for Birth, Marriage or Death) or 2-5 Days when you order online.
Divorces: Divorces on availible since Oct 1907.
Cost: $20.00 is the cost for the search, which includes one copy of the divorce certificate, if found. Additional copies of the same record, requested at the same time as the first, are $3.00 each. The cost is the same whether you request a certified or uncertified copy of the birth certificate.
Processing Time: Filled requests take 3-6 months when ordered by mail (Application) or 2-5 Days when you order online.
Order On-Line: To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek.
Order In Person: You can apply in person for a copy of a marriage certificate at 1 West Wilson Street, Room 158, in Madison, Wisconsin (driving directions/parking). The office is open from 8:00 A.M. until 4:15 P.M. (C.S.T.), Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Identification is required to pick up certified copies of vital records in person. The acceptable forms of identification are listed below.
Below is a list of online resources for Buffalo County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Buffalo County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Wisconsin Births, 1820-1907: This database indexes over 985,000 births recorded in the State of Wisconsin, USA, prior to 1907. Information provided in the index includes: name, birth date, country, and source information.
Wisconsin Deaths, 1820-1907: This database indexes over 435,000 deaths recorded in the state of Wisconsin prior to 1907.
Wisconsin Marriages, 1973-1997: This database is an index to approximately 949,000 marriages that took place in the State of Wisconsin, USA, between 1973 and 1997. Information that may be found in this database includes groom's name, groom's age, groom's residence (county and/or state), bride's name, bride's age, bride's residence (county and/or state), marriage date, marriage county, and marriage certificate number.
Wisconsin Marriages, pre-1907: This index contains over 920,000 individuals married in the State of Wisconsin, USA, prior to 1907. Information that may be found in this database for each individual includes their name, marriage date, county of marriage, and source information.
Click Here to Search Wisconsin Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.
Below is a list of online resources for Buffalo County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Buffalo County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Wisconsin Census, 1820-90: This database contains indexes to the Wisconsin (U.S.A.) portions of the 1820-1860 U.S. Federal Censuses as well as indexes to the 1836-1838, 1842, 1846, and 1855 State Censuses, the 1840 Pensioners Lists, the 1890 Veterans Schedules, and other early censuses. Information contained in these indexes can include name, state, county, township, year of record, and name of record set.
Wisconsin State Censuses, 1895 and 1905: This database contains an index to the 1895 and 1905 Wisconsin state censuses. Both censuses cover all counties that existed at the time. Information listed includes: name of individual, and place of enumeration. The 1905 census also includes relationship to head of household, race, gender, age, marital status, and birthplace.
Genealogy Atlases has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Wisconsin showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Wisconsin showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here
Below is a list of online resources for Buffalo County Maps. Email us with websites containing Buffalo County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Wisconsin Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design. A list of Wars fought on American.
Below is a list of online resources for Buffalo County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Buffalo County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Wisconsin (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Buffalo County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Buffalo County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Alma Historical Society, 505 S 2nd St, Alma, WI 54610; Phone: 608-685-4975
Fountain City Area Historical Society, PO Box 114, Fountain City, WI 54629; Phone: 608-687-4500
Mondovi Area Historical Society, 250 S Washington St, Mondovi, WI 54755; Phone: 715-826-5377
Area Research Center - University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire, Special Collections Department, William D. McIntyre Library, Eau Claire, WI 54702-5010; Phone: 715/836-2739 Counties covered are Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Rusk, and Taylor.
Wisconsin Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Wisconsin Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
The Wisconsin Historical Records Survey Project of Madison published the Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Wisconsin in 1941 and Guide to Church Vital Statistics Records in Wisconsin in 1942. There are also numerous publications by the project for specific denominations. Extensive microfilm collections of church records in Wisconsin are available through the FHL. The State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Area Research Centers have a variety of church records including microfilm and original records.
Numerous cemeteries have been read and transcribed by local genealogical societies in Wisconsin. The transcriptions are frequently deposited with an Area Research Center, a local library, or the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. A considerable number have been printed in the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society Newsletter. Some have been privately published.
The Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society, 6100 West Mequon Road,
Mequon, WI 53092, publishes a newsletter and maintains an archive of tombstone inscriptions from around the state. Contact the society for membership information
Below is a list of online resources for Buffalo County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Buffalo County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Wisconsin Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Buffalo County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Buffalo County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Wisconsin Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Wisconsin Genealogy Index. Search more than 150,000 Wisconsin obituaries and biographical sketches published before 1999, as well as 1,000,000 births, 400,000 deaths and 1,000,000 marriages registered before September 1907.
Buffalo County is located within the unglaciated, Driftless Area of Western Wisconsin. Pepin and Eau Claire Counties form the northern border of the county, while Trempealeau County forms the eastern border. Three rivers also border the county; the Chippewa on the west, the Mississippi on the south and east and the Trempealeau on the lower eastern border. All of Buffalo County drains into the Mississippi River.
The land area of the county is 712 square miles, or 448,364 acres. There are 17 civil townships; Alma is the county seat. With a total population of 13,975, density is between 19 and 20 people per square mile, about the same as the mid-80’s.
There are 22 named and unnamed lakes in the county; all small and shallow totaling 358 acres. Of the named lakes, Mirror Lake in Mondovi is the largest with 44 acres. One-half of the lakes have maximum depths of less than five feet.
There are 8,390 acres of water and 73 miles of trout streams in the county. All or part of 15 streams are classified as trout streams and are stocked with brook or brown trout. Trout habitat in most Buffalo County streams is marginal due to silt or sand-covered stream bottoms. Some natural reproduction occurs, but trout populations are largely maintained by stocking adult-sized fish.
Some of the larger, warm-water streams, which flow into the Mississippi, contain northern pike, walleye, bass, sunfish, and other sport fish species as well as rough fish. The Mississippi River and its backwaters provide an extensive and varied fishery resource including a commercial fishery.
Early Settlements
The first permanent settlement of Buffalo County occurred in 1839 at Fountain City, which was formerly called Holmes' Landing after a family who traded with the Sioux and Chippewa Indian Tribes. Over the next few years many German, Swiss and Norwegian homesteaders settled in the county, attracted by the County's lumber industry, good soils, abundant water and excellent pasture land. In 1848, Twelve Mile Bluff, now called Alma, was established.
At the time Twelve Mile Bluff/Alma was settled, the county possessed limited timber resources, but was caught up in the middle of the logging boom which was centered in the Chippewa Valley, an area of over 10,000 miles of dense hardwood and coniferous forest. Logs were rafted down the Chippewa and Buffalo (formerly Beef) Rivers to mills which had sprung up all along the Mississippi River. Two (2) of these sawmills one built at Buffalo City in 1857 and one in Alma in 1865 provided another source of local employment.
Agricultural development in the county began in the early 1850's, mainly in the valleys or up on open ridges. The land was relatively easy to break at the time since portions of the county were natural prairies or oak openings. Poor roads and a lack of adequate transportation though forced most farmers to settle close to the shipping routes along the Mississippi River. Before the railroads came in the 1880s, practically all grain was shipped out on Mississippi River steamboats. This all changed though with the completion of the Winona, Alma and Northern Rail, and by 1890 grain was shipped almost entirely by rail.
The first grain was grown in the county around 1852 in what would later become an extensive wheat producing area. During the years from 1860 to 1870, wheat acreage soared from 5,608 to 41,703 acres.
The Civil War increased the demand for grain and brought prosperity and wealth to those with large acreages under cultivation. After the war, Buffalo County was rapidly settled and new agricultural land cleared of timber or brush. At the height of the wheat-growing era there were 64,290 acres grown in the county.
But with intensive cropping, soil fertility declined and farmers were plagued with insects, disease and soil erosion. Many settlers chose to move west rather than follow a program of crop rotations and fertilization. In time, with the falling of wheat prices and the advent of railways, farm enterprises shifted to milk and cheese production, with local creameries appearing around the 1880s. This in turn was followed by the introduction and proliferation of pure-bred livestock, including dairy, beef and sheep.
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