History
In 1851, Wright County was a part of Delaware, Polk, Boone and Webster counties. In 1855, it seceded from Webster when formally organized. Swamps, marshes and prairie wildflowers constituted the landscape. Trees were non-existent other than by rivers and lakes. The county was named for two Governors: Silas Wright, twelfth governor of New York, and Governor Joseph A. Wright of Indiana; thanks to early settlers who came from these states. The first settler arrived in 1854 in Troy Township. Scandinavians were dominating settlers of Eagle Grove Township and shared Belmond with German emigrants. Germans put roots down in the Dows area as well.
Boundaries
Wright County is located in north central Iowa and is bordered by the following counties: West - Humboldt Co., NW - Kossuth Co., North - Hancock Co., NE - Cerro Gordo Co., East - Franklin Co., SE – Hardin Co., and South – Hamilton Co. and SW – Webster Co.
Current towns and communities (Zip codes given for towns having Post Offices)
1890 1990
Belmond 50421 Belmond/Pleasant 803 2,500
Clarion 50525 Lake/Grant/Lincoln/Dayton 744 2,703
Dows 50071 Blaine/Franklin Co. 600 660
Eagle Grove 50533 Eagle Grove 1,881 3,671
Galt 50101 Blaine 100 43
Goldfield 50542 Liberty/Eagle Grove 343 710
Rowan 50470 Iowa 50 189
Woolstock 50599 Woolstock 250 212
Abandoned towns
Town Township Town Township
Aldrich 1882-1891 unknown Liberty became Goldfield
Bach Grove 1858-1881 Troy Luni 1858-1888 Boone
Bruce 1883-1901 Norway Montgomery 1864 near Goldfield
Cornelia 1893-1912 Lake Cornelia/Grant Marhain 1897-1902 Wall Lake
Crown Point became Belmond Moscow 1857-1878 Dayton
Drew 1892-1901 Norway Norwich 1881- became Galtville
Dry Lake 1871-1882 Vernon Olaf 1883-1911 Belmond
Eagle Grove Junction became Eagle Grove Otisville 1858-1902 Pleasant
Eagleville never built Otsego 1855- Eagle Grove
Empire 1868-1883 Lincoln Palsville 1898-1902 Pleasant
Fryeburg 1856-1886 Blaine Rosedale 1857-1886 Troy
Galtville 1882-1888 became Galt Thrall 1882-1907 Liberty
Grant 1855-1869 became Clarion Waterman 1871-1900 Wall Lake
Holmes 1885-198- Lake Williams Point 1862-69 Troy
Lena 1882-1886 (near Belmond) Woolstock 1868-1881 near present Woolstock
Section II: Resource Centers
Courthouse:
· [WCCH] Wright County Courthouse
115 North Main Street
Clarion, Iowa 50525
Genealogical Society
· [WCGS] Wright County Genealogical Searchers
Box 225, Clarion, Iowa 50525
Libraries with Genealogical or Historical Collections
· [BPL] Belmond Public Library
440 East Main Street
Belmond, Iowa 50421
· [CPL] Clarion Public Library
302 North Main Street
Clarion, Iowa 50525
· [DPL] Dows Public Library
Main Street
Dows, Iowa 50071
· [EGML] Eagle Grove Memorial Library
101 South Caldwell
Eagle Grove, Iowa 50533
· [RPL] Rowan Public Library
Main Street
Rowan, Iowa 50470
· [IGSL] Iowa Genealogical Society Library
628 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
· [ISHL] Iowa State Historical Library
600 East Locust Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
Museums, Historic Sites and Visitor Centers
· [BHM] Belmont Historical Museum
Main Street
River Park on Highway 69
Belmond, Iowa 50421
· Rock Island Depot
302 South Main Street
Clarion, Iowa 50525
· Clarion Historical & Cultural Center
1st Avenue West
Clarion, Iowa 50525
· [4-HM] 4-H School House Museum
Central Avenue West (In city park)
Clarion, Iowa 50525
· [DHS] Dows Depot and Quasdorf Blacksmith, Wagon wheel and Machine Museum (Dows Historical Society)
Dows, Iowa 50071
· [EGHM] Eagle Grove Historical Museum
West Broadway
Eagle Grove, Iowa 50053
· [GHS] Log Cabin (Goldfield Historical Society)
West Broadway
Goldfield, Iowa 50542
Section III: Records – records may be found at the record sites abbreviated after each entry. See Section II for complete record site information.
Census
· Federal: 1856, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930; microfilm: [IGSL] , [ISHL] ; (1880-1920), microfilm: [CPL] ; 1856, transcript: [IGSL] , 1860, transcript: [IGSL] , [CPL]
· Federal indices: 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1920: [CPL] ; 1870: [CPL] , [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· State: 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925: [CPL] , [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Willemssem: 1856 Census for Wright County, (1978): [ISHL]
· Wright Co Gen Searchers: Index to the 1880 Federal Census for Wright Co (1982): [ISHL]
Vital Records
· Births: from 1880, originals: [WCCH] ; 1880-1938, microfilm: [IGSL] , [ISHL] ; 1880-1884, transcript: [IGSL]
· Deaths: from 1880, originals: [WCCH] ; 1880-1940, microfilm: [IGSL] , [ISHL] ; 1855-1884, 1880-1899, transcript: [IGSL]
· Marriages: from 1855, originals: [WCCH] ; (1885-6), transcripts: [CPL] ; 1856-1925, microfilm: [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Early Marriages, 1855-1884, transcript: [IGSL]
· Hines: Wright County marriages 1855-1869, (1981), transcripts: [ISHL]
Probate and related records
· Probate records: from 1855, originals: [WCCH]
· Probate records, 1856-1926, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Will records, 1862-1924, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Abstracts of Probates, books 1 and 2: [IGSL]
Land and related records
· Land records, from 1855, originals: [WCCH]
· Land deed records, 1855-1888, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Town lot deeds, 1857-1913, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Homestead records, c1862-1904, microfilm: [ISHL]
·
Original Land Entries, General
Index Deed Book 1, transcript:
[IGSL]
Maps, atlases and gazetteers
· Area maps atlases, plat books: [BPL] , [DPL] , [EGML]
· Andreas: 1875 Iowa Atlas: [EGHM]
· Ogle: Standard Atlas of Wright Co., Iowa (1912): [ISHL]
· Smith: Directory of Wright Co., Iowa cities, towns and rural routes (1915): [ISHL]
Court records
· Court records, from 1857, originals: [WCCH]
· Civil Court Records: from 1873, originals: [WCCH]
· Naturalization records: 1857-1929: [WCCH] ; 1862-1879, transcript: [IGSL] ; 1857-1887, microfilm: [ISHL]
Cemetery
· Local cemetery records: [BPL] , [DPL] , [RPL]
· French Creek & Troy center cemeteries: [EGML]
· Wright Co Gen Researchers: The cemetery records of Wright Co., 6 vol. (1976): [IGSL] , [ISHL] ; 1860-1976, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Works Progress Administration Grave Registration of Wright Co. (c1938): [IGSL] , [ISHL]
· Civil War Graves registrations, 1860s, microfilm: [ISHL]
Funeral homes (current listing)
· Belmond
- Tenold Funeral Home
516 1st St. S.E., Belmond, Iowa 50421
- Dugger Ewing Funeral Home
111 Luick Lane, South, Belmond, Iowa 50421
· Clarion
- Eyler-Willim Funeral Home
602 North Main Street, Clarion, Iowa 50525
· Dows
- Elledge Funeral Home
100 North Lee Street, Dows, Iowa 50071
· Eagle Grove
- Foust Funeral Home
103 North Cadwell Avenue, Eagle Grove, Iowa 50533
· Funeral records, 1906-1923, microfilm: [ISHL]
Obituaries
· Area Obituaries (from 1948): [CPL]
· Wright County obituary file, 1888-1982, microfilm: [ISHL]
Church, Bible
· Local church records: [BPL] , [DPL] , [RPL]
· Local Bible records: [RPL]
· St. Johns Lutheran Church, Clarion, 1887-1939, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Kanawha Lutheran Church, Clarion, 1901-1957, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Twin Lakes Lutheran Church, 1892-1925, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Eagle Grove Baptist Church, 1907-1930, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Bethel Church of God, 1893-1930, microfilm: [ISHL]
· United Church of Christ, Congregational Church, 1872-1937, microfilm: [ISHL]
· First Methodist Church, 1874-1960, microfilm: [ISHL]
· United Methodist Church of Goldfield, 1899-1917, microfilm: [ISHL]
· United Methodist Church of Eagle Grove, 1881-1922, microfilm: [ISHL]
Military
· World War I military records: [WCCH] , [CPL]
Newspapers: (on microfilm)
· Belmond
- Belmond Independent (from 1943) bound: [BPL] ; (1922-1951), microfilm: [BPL] ; (1919-1996), microfilm: [ISHL]
- Belmond Independent Herald Press (1927-1938), microfilm: [ISHL]
- Belmond Herald (1876-1945), microfilm: [BPL] ; (1876-1914), microfilm: [ISHL]
- The Herald Press (1916-1927), microfilm: [ISHL]
- Iowa Valley Press (1895-1936), microfilm: [BPL] ; (1895-1914), microfilm: [ISHL]
· Clarion
- The Clarion Clipper (1905-1920), microfilm: [ISHL]
- Wright County Democrat (1893-1905), microfilm: [ISHL]
- Wright County Monitor (1870-1987), microfilm: [CPL] ; (1869-1997), microfilm: [ISHL]
· Dows
- Dows Advocate (1881-1982): [DPL] ; (1893-1997), microfilm: [ISHL]
- The Dows Reporter (1963-1971), microfilm: [ISHL]
- Wright County Reporter (1927-1963), microfilm: [ISHL]
· Eagle Grove
- Eagle Grove Eagle (1921-1987) bound: [EGML] , (1895-1915) microfilm: [EGML] ; (1927-1997), microfilm: [ISHL]
- Eagle Grove Times Gazette (1888-1921) microfilm: [EGML]
- Boone Valley Gazette (1888-1898): [EGML]
· Goldfield
- Goldfield Chronicle (1893-1924) microfilm: [EGML] , [ISHL]
- Goldfield Gazette (1931-1948) microfilm: [EGML] , [ISHL]
- Goldfield Boosters (1929-1931) microfilm: [EGML] , [ISHL]
- The Eagle Grove Eagle and Goldfield chronicle (1927-1927), microfilm: [ISHL]
Educational, business and other: (school annuals for this county)
· The Order of Railway Conductors Minutes Book (1935): [EGHM]
· Boy and Girl Scout records: [EGHM]
· Country Cousins Club records: [CPL]
· 4-H records: [4-HM]
· Area high school annuals: [BPL] , [CPL] , [DPL] , [EGML] , [RPL]
· Old high school records: [DPL]
Miscellaneous records:
· Old Age assistance tax, 1934-1936, microfilm: [ISHL]
· Area family histories: [BPL] , [CPL] , [DPL] , [EGML] , [RPL]
· Wright Co. miscellaneous records, 1883-1884, births, etc (1978): [IGSL]
County & Local Histories:
· History and Business Directory of Wright Co., Iowa (1870): [EGML]
· Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Hamilton and Wright Counties (1889): [ISHL] , [CPL] , [DPL] , [EGML] , [BPL]
· Midland Directory and Publishers: Wright County Directory and History (1905): [ISHL]
· Birdsall: History of Wright Co., Iowa (1915): [BPL] , [CPL] , [DPL] , [EGML] , [ISHL]
· 1776-1976 Pictorial History of Wright (1976): [EGML] , [IGSL]
· History of Kossuth and Wright Cos. : [EGML]
· Eagle Grove Centennial Book (1981): [EGML] , [IGSL]
· Goldfield Centennial Book 1855-1955: (1955) [EGML]
· Belmond Hist. Soc.: Belmond Quasiquicentennial 1856-1981 (1981): [BPL] , [ISHL]
· Belmond, Iowa 1966 n.d.: [IGSL]
· Thorson: History of Wright Co., Iowa: [GHS] , [CPL] , [DPL] , [EGML]
· Clarion Centennial 1865-1965, (1965): [DPL]
· Dows Centennial 1880-1980, (1980): [DPL]
· Pictorial History of Cities, Towns & Communities in Wright Co.: [DHS]
· Brook: Echo’s from Rowan … early setters (2000): [IGSL]
· Wright Co. Bicentennial Committee: Remember our Heritage (1976): [ISHL]
· A Walk Through the Past of Wright Co., Iowa (1996): [ISHL]
Publications
· Iowa Genealogical Society: Hawkeye Heritage articles through 1993: [IGSL] (Entries indicate year, issue number and page number.)
- Abandoned Cemetery [Amish], Dayton Township (1978) 1:10
- Abstracts of Probates, Books 1, 2, 3 and 5 (1978) 1:20
- Belmond Township Cemetery, formerly Hickory Grove Cemetery Society (1977) 3:144
- Wright County births: 1880-1882 (1977) 3:136; 1883-1884 (1978) 1:11
- Wright County deaths: 1880-1887 (1977) 3:119; 1898-1899 (1978) 1:18
- Wright County deaths: 1880-1899 [persons died in Wright Co., buried elsewhere] (1977) 3:130
- Wright County early marriages, Book 1: 1855-1884 (1977) 3:108
- Naturalization Records, Final Papers: 1862-1879 (1977) 3:134
- Original Land Entries, General Index, Box 1 (1978) 1:7
- Ringsaker – Norwegian Cemetery Assn., Belmond Township (1977) 3:144
- Simonson Family Cemetery Plot, Belmond Township (1977) 3:141
- St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Woolstock Township (1977) 3:142
- Wright Co. Burying Grounds, one half mile west of Goldfield (1978) 1:10
· The following Wright County Publications are for sale through the Iowa Genealogical Society. Consult the Iowa Genealogical Society webpage for details and availability.
- Wright County marriages, 1855-1869
Section IV: Credits
We wish to acknowledge the contributions made by members of the Wright County Genealogical Searchers, the Wright County Courthouse, the Iowa State Historical Society and volunteers at the Iowa Genealogical Society in providing data contained in this research guide. Their efforts have been of immeasurable help in gathering this information.