Artificially collated collection of manuscripts materials donated by a number of individuals living in or otherwise associated with Burnett, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix Counties. Includes both primary source materials, such as abstracts, warrantee deeds, correspondence, photographs, certificates, marriage records, etc., in addition to secondary sources, such as compiled genealogies and other records. Collection is no longer being maintained or added to as of January 2020.

Records of the women's club, including minutes, bylaws, membership reports and lists, correspondence, scrapbooks, scholarship and legislative files, and papers from the state and national parent organizations.

Papers of Carl Pemble of River Falls, Wisconsin, president of Save the St. Croix, Incorporated, a citizens' group opposed to construction of a Northern States Power Company generating plant on the St. Croix River at Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, because of its potential for ecological and recreational damage.
Also present are papers on the River Falls Committee for Human Survival, a group seeking nuclear disarmament and an end to nuclear testing.

Anecdotes by Carl E. Warn concerning his family and events in Ellsworth, Wisconsin, where he was raised; plus a narrative poem by Will Carleton entitled "The First Settler's Story."

Photocopied memoir by Nelson in which he describes his childhood in Chicago, Illinois and the Manitowoc, Marshfield, and Merrill, Wisconsin areas; and his work as a lumberjack and later as a carpenter in Milwaukee and in Lincoln County.

Notes on the history of Beldenville, Wisconsin, by Carol Fenton Gilbertson and an essay on the 19th century history of Pierce County, Wisconsin, by Mrs. Abner Fenton.

A history and recollection of the early schools of Prescott, Wisconsin, written in 1925 by Carrie Hutchison Babbidge and Myrtle Bailey Meacham.

Diary and scrapbook pages kept by Catherine Ronyak Walter while a student at River Falls, Wisconsin, Normal School.

Daily cash journal, 1872-1873, a record of transit points, and a map of the company's mill known as "Junction Mill" at River Falls, Wis.
The map shows size of buildings, type of machinery, and daily capacity. The mill was owned by A.D. Andrews and Company after 1873, then became the A.A. Freeman Flouring Mill. Accompanying these records are miscellaneous expense accounts, 1904-1911, for Fred Chinnock, a millwright in Colfax and River Falls.

Records of the Cedar Lake Telephone Cooperative and its predecessor, the Cedar Lake Rural Telephone Company, consisting of minutes of meetings and financial records of the Company, 1907-1955. In 1955 the Company did not have sufficient funds to rehabilitate its lines for service and the Cooperative was formed. Records of the Cooperative include a corporation record book (1955-1956), check stubs (1957-1958), and stock certificates (1955).

Narrative poem written by Edwin T. Reed, a River Falls native, with a letter from him to Eunice Thompson, daughter of River Falls founder Joel Foster, explaining the factual source of the poem.

Miscellaneous papers of the Chapman family of River Falls, Wisconsin, consisting of three letters written by Frank Chapman to his sister Ella while he was stationed in Georgia and Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War; one Civil War letter written by "Mr. George" at Bull Run, October 15, 1863 with ink made from berry juice (with a partial transcription); a 1908 marriage invitation and certificate; deeds; and newspaper clippings.

Letters written by Charles Corcoran to his parents Mr. and Mrs. W. P. (Pat) Corcoran of River Falls, Wisconsin, during his World War I military service in the U.S. Army. Stateside letters focus on daily life as well as off-base trips to such cities as Little Rock, New York, and Philadelphia. Overseas correspondence begins on September 18, 1918 while assigned to the American Expeditionary Force in Mehun, France. Letters focus on daily life and impressions of France and England, but recount no combat action.

Papers of Madsen, Progressive Party state senator from Polk County, Wisconsin, containing legislative correspondence, campaign speeches and platforms of Polk County Progressive candidates in the 1941 elections, and material relating to the Farmer-Labor Progressive Federation of Polk County including a membership book.

Reminiscences by Parker of the town of Pleasant Valley, St. Croix County, Wisconsin, in the mid-1800's; and two clippings about Parker, an early settler there.

Letters of Charles F. and Rachael A. Blood, including an 1860 letter from Charles to his future wife Rachael A. Sturm of Elmira, Illinois, describing his life while traveling to Pike's Peak in search of gold; an 1862 letter to Charles and Rachael from Franklin A. Blood at Camp Randall, Madison, Wisconsin; a letter from Albert W. Harriman (Oct. 1861) in which he describes his experiences stationed with the Union Army near Washington, D.C.; and a letter (Sept. 8, 1887) from Nellie Beard to Rachael in which Beard describes conditions at the Hudson, Wisconsin school at which she was a teacher, and reports on the theft of $12,000 apparently from the school's building fund.

Photographs created by Charles Francis Smith of houses and families in the vicinity of Elmwood, Wisconsin, circa 1887-1893. Also included are index cards with detailed descriptions for many, but not all, of the included images.

Papers of Stratton, River Falls State Normal School, River Falls, Wisconsin, relating chiefly to his appointment as an assistant cartographer on the staff of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, 1918-1919; and a letter, August 19, 1925, concerning maps used by the Commission.

Memoir written after 1935 by Pearson, describing his early life in Sweden and Denmark, immigration to Boston in 1880, relocation to Minneapolis in 1883, and removal to the Mann Valley area of Pierce County, Wisconsin in 1899; as transcribed and translated from the Swedish original by Edith Pearson in 1966.

Various household account books and insurance sales records kept by Hanson, an insurance agent probably located in Ellsworth, Wisconsin. Included are cash books, an insurance invoice register, and policy registers for Citizens Insurance of Missouri policies and Northwestern Fire and Marine Insurance Company policies.

Papers including genealogical information, photocopies of photographs, and biographical recollections of Charles N. Cox concerning his youth and family in the River Falls, Wisconsin, area.

Papers of Staples, an Osceola, Wisconsin, druggist and Grand Master of the State Independent Order of Odd Fellows, consisting of diary fragments, 1882-1906, speeches made before fraternal groups, clippings, and other materials.

Christian and Anna Junkman papers and photographs (undated, 1846-1918, 2021) include materials relating to Anna's parents and siblings, the extended Cope family, and well as Christian's father, William; Glen Junkman and family papers and photographs (1911-1992), also include papers of their daughter, Mary Lorenzen; Estella Clarke (nee Junkman) papers and photographs (1864-1945, 2021) also contain materials related to her husband, William, including the Clark, White, and Ingli families.

Biography of Christine Pedersen of River Falls, Wis., written by Huelskamp. The daughter of Danish immigrants, she was born in 1900 on a dairy farm on what is today the campus of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, graduated from River Falls, and was employed as a teacher and a librarian before retiring in 1965 and spending time on numerous volunteer activities.

Papers concerning the history of the parish of the Church of St. Anne, Somerset, Wisconsin; including reminiscences by missionary Chrysostom A. Verwyst and genealogical information on the descendants of Alexandre Belisle.

Criminal case files filed in Circuit Court and County Court for Burnett County. Complaints, notes, summonses, transcripts, evidence, rulings, orders, judgments, appeals, and execution orders. Cases relate to felony criminal offenses such as murder, assault and battery, adultery, larceny, fornication, rape, illegal liquor sales, vandalism, and gambling. Circuit Court ranges from approximately 1927-1948. County Court cases range from approximately 1895-1943.

Records of naturalization proceedings in the Circuit Court of Burnett County. Records include Declarations of Intention (1907-1950), Petitions for Naturalization (1907-1953), Naturalization Records (1888-1906), Naturalization Petitions Granted (1929-1953), Index to Naturalizations (ca. 1870-1945), and Certificates and Oaths (1907-1944).

Case files relating to criminal and civil cases brought before the St. Croix County Circuit Court. Cases may include complaints, summonses, warrants, motions, appeals, judgments, and orders. Criminal offenses may relate to cases such as murder, assault and battery, adultery, larceny, fornication, illegal liquor sales, vandalism, and gambling. Civil suits may involve monetary transactions, personal disputes, divorce cases, and other family court-related matters.

Records showing the daily proceedings and judgments of the courts.

Record of judges' decisions in civil cases. Includes names of plaintiffs, defendants, a case summary, dates of actions, and name of judge. Vols. B-Q and one volume labeled "Rule Book" (1851-1957).

Records, 1909-1932, of the bank, including general correspondence, general ledgers and journals, daily journals, and cash balance records; plus deposit ledgers, 1899-1918, of the Bank of Ellsworth.

Account book and miscellaneous papers of the Civic League of Hudson, an organization which became the Hudson Law Enforcement League in 1916.
Recorded are receipts, disbursements, lists of members, and one entry, Nov. 1, 1917, showing a $59.45 payment for detective work.

Statement of principles, reports of meetings, emergency operating procedures, survival plans, sequence dialing lists, and Department of Agriculture bulletins.

Papers of Clarence Julius Reiter, editor of the Hudson Star Observer, 1928-1952, primarily letters to him regarding issues in St. Croix County, Wisconsin. Correspondents include Congressman James A. Frear discussing personal matters and referring to national and state politics (1929-1939), State Senator Warren P. Knowles, the county highway commissioner, a World War II soldier in France, and a resident complaining about crime and lack of action by the sheriff (1930-1947) (all in River Falls SC 27). A 1951 series of letters (in River Falls SC 213) relate to dedication ceremonies and publicity arrangements for the interstate bridge over the St. Croix River at Hudson, Wis. This file also includes an historical sketch of both the new bridge and the old toll bridge it replaced.

Photocopied genealogy of the Clark and Thompson families compiled by Sullivan, circa 1977.
The genealogy, 1796-1976, includes charts and copies of letters and news articles.

Papers concerning the families of Ira, George, and Clark Smith of Elmwood, Wisconsin; consisting of legal documents on land transactions in Pierce and Dunn counties, articles by Clark Smith on his memories of Farmhill in Rock Elm Township, Pierce County, and financial and other records.

Reports and papers filed by the City Clerk including petitions, communications, and reports to the Common Council; Council resolutions and ordinances; utility franchises; copies of legislative acts, 1857-1860, chartering and amending the charter of the city; and other records.

Annual printed directories of public officials having jurisdiction within the county, prepared and published by the county clerk. Directories list national and state officers and legislators, court justices and officers, county board members, county officers and certain county employees, and town, village, and city officers and supervisors.
More recent directories also show members of each county board standing committee, and U.S. census population totals for each local unit.
Included are directories for the following years: 1908-1910, 1912-1914, 1916-1920, 1922, 1924-1927, 1929-1980, 1986-1989, 1992-1993, 1996-1998, 2000-2003, and 2005-2019. Additional directories may have been added since this cataloging.

Annual printed directories of public officials having jurisdiction within the county, prepared and published by the county clerk. Directories list national and state officers and legislators, court justices and officers, county board members, county officers and certain county employees, and town, village, and city officers and supervisors. $$b More recent directories also show members of each county board standing committee, and U.S. census population totals for each local unit.
Included are directories for these years: 1923, 1942, 1956, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1973, and 2007/08-2008/09. Additional directories may have been added since this cataloging.

A certified abstract of assessment rolls for real estate and personal property for several cities, villages, and towns; and a certified statement of the principal farm products growing in the county.
Included are abstracts for 1910, 1916, and 1953.

Annual printed directories of public officials having jurisdiction within the county, prepared and published by the county clerk. Directories list national and state officers and legislators, court justices and officers, county board members, county officers and certain county employees, and town, village, and city officers and supervisors.
More recent directories also show members of each county board standing committee, and U.S. census population totals for each local unit.
Included are directories for these years: 1905/6-1934/5, 1936/7-1941, 1943-1979, and 2005-2009. Additional directories may have been added since this cataloging.

Records of the County Clerk including proceedings of the County Board of Supervisors, correspondence, resolutions and petitions, committee reports, financial reports, and annual reports of county offices and divisions.

Minutes from select county committees for St. Croix County. Includes Agriculture, Emergency Management, Fair Board, Health and Human Services, Law Enforcement, Natural Resources, Planning, Transportation, and Veterans Services. See contents list for complete list of committees.

Transcript of a hearing conducted November-December, 1943, by the County Board Committee of Inquiry for the purpose of making a full investigation of criticisms regarding the administration of the Highway Commissioner and the Highway Committee and the dealings of the chairman of the County Board with the Highway Department.

Annual departmental reports for St. Croix County offices made in accordance with state law, including information on personnel, finances, and general operations. Each volume contains a table of contents.

Record of marriage licenses arranged by the last name of the bride giving name of woman and man and their ages, date of license, and license number.

Application and marriage license record including date of application, name of contracting parties, age, place of residence, name of parent or guardian giving consent, names of witnesses, by whom application issued, date marriage license issued, number of marriage license, and amount of fee.

Proceedings of the annual meetings of the County Board of Supervisors including minutes, register of county expenses, names of town, city, and village supervisors and attendance record, lists of orders drawn, member lists of county standing committees, and voting record of supervisors.