Archives Finding Aids:

Subjects Notebook

Lists all the subjects in our collection in alphabetical order; extensively cross referenced Recommended first resource, to determine what is in our collection.

Classification Notebook

Lists all the subjects in our collection by our in-house classification system.

Useful to determine broader, narrower, or related topics for your search.

Collections List Notebook

Lists the items, books and files in our collection; organized by our in-house classification system; also lists other resources which may be found elsewhere

A very valuable research tool; listing is not complete and is continually being expanded.

Archives Indexes:

Surname Card File

Organized by family name; contains indexes of newspaper articles to c.1892, county histories, most county cemetery tombstone information to mid-1890s, other Archives resources.

Subject Card File

Organized by business, industry or institution type; contains indexes to newspaper articles to about 1892, county histories and other Archives resources.

Photo Image Notebooks

Photocopied images and descriptions of photographs in the collection; organized by in-house classification system; cross-referenced.

Marriage Card File

Indexes county vital records from 1838 through 1879; has some later events.

Naturalization Card File

Indexes county declarations of intent and naturalizations from 1838 through 1906.

Streets Card File

Indexes street and road names, location, first appearance, and name changes.

Milwaukee Sentinel Card File

Indexes Racine County individuals, events, businesses, etc from 1837 into the 1880s.

Census Card Files

Indexes 1836, 1842, 1848 territorial censuses, federal 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses, and mortality schedules for 1850, 1860, and 1870.

1858 Land Owners Card File

Indexes land owners shown on the 1858 county plat map.

Century Family Name Card File

Indexes names in the collection of genealogies which have been submitted to receive designation of being in the county for 100 years or more.

Racine Journal Times Index

Indexes obituaries, news clippings and photographs (mostly from 1950s to 1990s) which are now in our Archives; index still under development.

Archives Collection Contents:

Books

Complete set of Racine city and county directories; atlases and plat books; fire insurance maps; published history books and pamphlets; church histories; business and institution histories; school yearbooks; military unit histories; family histories.

Compiled Materials

Obituaries in the county (organized by surname; strongest from 1942 to present); cemetery tombstone information (for all county cemeteries except West Lawn; organized by cemetery; indexed); articles of incorporation; photocopied vital records and histories from religious congregations.

Vertical Files

Clippings and information copied from newspapers and other sources; extensive information on businesses, individuals, and families; organized by in-house classification system.

Photographs

Thousands of images from the 1860s to the present; contains photos of individuals, families, organizations, schools, churches, businesses, buildings, events, railroads, ships, Case agricultural equipment, local industry.

Military Collection

County residents who served in Civil War, World War I and World War II; veterans cemetery cards; Civil War company histories; World War I participant photographs; World War II participant clippings.

J.I. Case Company Collection

*Available only by advance special request*

Photos of employees, products and facilities; product catalogs from 1880s to 1920; drawings of steam traction engines.

A limited volume of this collection is available for research due to the fact that 90% is unprocessed and stored off-site.  Annually, more of the collection is processed and made available.

Racine Journal Times Newspaper Clippings and Photo Library

News clippings mostly from 1950s to 1990s; strongest on Racine County individuals, events and institutions, with some regional, national and international materials. Obituaries clippings for that era are generally for well-known local, regional and international individuals.

Objects Collection

One-of-a-kind printed objects from institutions, businesses, families, organizations, etc.