Historical Societies

2010-02-19 11:11:38 By: Anita the Archivist

Hillsboro Area Historical Society
Hillsboro, WI 54634
Phone: (608) 489-3192
c/o Betty Havlik

Norskedalen Library
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 235
Location: N455 O. Ophus Rd.
Coon Valley, WI 54623
Phone: (608) 452-3424
Web Address: www.norskedalen.org
Email: info@norskedalen.org

Vernon County Historical Society
Location: 410 South Center
Viroqua, WI 54665
Phone: (608) 637-7396
Web Address: www.frontiernet.net/~vcmuseum
Email: vcmuseum@frontiernet.net
Hours: mid-May to mid-September: Monday--Saturday 12:00 p.m.—4:00 p.m.; mid-September to mid-May: Tuesday--Thursday 12:00 p.m.—4:00 p.m. Also open by appointment

Books & Other Published Materials

Genealogy & other biographical files and books (family histories)
High school annuals
High school histories, pictures and newspaper clippings
Norwegian county history books and other history books, including: Luster, Ardal, Vik, Luster and lots more
Church histories, pictures, directories and newspaper clippings
Civil and other wars (soldier rosters, war history, etc.)
History and genealogy about other states, including Iowa & Minnesota
Many more helpful books about Wisconsin history and family history than can be listed here!

Cemetery Indexes (Vernon County)

Cemetery file of Vernon County (complete) of stones read up through 2001; index cards by surname
Cemeteries of Vernon Co. (location, history and picture only)
Cemetery stones read and filed by townships up to 1975
Hillsboro Area Cemeteries by B. Kretche
Viola and Czech National Cemetery by David Thompson

Census Materials

Federal Census -- Wisconsin (Vernon County), 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920
State Census -- Wisconsin (Vernon County), 1855, 1875, 1885, 1895

County Histories & Biographical Indexes

Have many county and town histories, including materials for:
Crawford, Dane, Dunn, Green, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, La Fayette, Milwaukee, Monroe, Outagamie, Pepin, Pierce, Portage, Richland, Sauk and Winnebago counties, Wisconsin.

Settlers in Vernon County by 1850
1884 Vernon Co. History Book (indexed)
1907 Vernon Co. History/Memoirs of Vernon Co. (indexed)
1994 Vernon Co., Wisconsin Heritage (indexed)
Coon Prairie and Coon Valley history books

Newspapers published in Vernon County

De Soto -- Chronicle, 1886-1889
De Soto -- Republican, 1870-1872
LaFarge -- LaFarge Epitaph, 1898-1914
Viroqua -- Vernon County Broadcaster, 1933-1936; 1944-1995
Viroqua -- Vernon County Censor, 1865-1876; 1879-1885; 1890-1943; 1954-1955
Viroqua -- Vernon County Leader, 1882-1889; 1894-1896; 1918-1919
Viroqua -- Vernon County Northwestern Times, 1856-1865
Viroqua -- Viroqua Expositor, 1859; 1861-1863
Viroqua -- Viroqua Republican,1897-1911
Westby -- Westby Times, 1917-1919; other various issues

Manuscripts & Public Records Collections

picture file
Henthorn Undertaker records (Viola) (index cards)
over 200 scrapbooks in order by year
Viola City Hall (index cards)

Church Records

Bad Axe Lutheran Church
     membership, 1883-1983
     minutes, 1869-1960
Coon Valley Pontoppidan
     membership, 1879-1889
De Soto Lutheran Church
     membership, 1896-1977
Freeman Lutheran Church
     membership, 1904-1977
Northwest Prairie Lutheran Church
     membership, 1878-1900; 1878-1983
     minutes, 1879-1972
Southwest Prairie Lutheran Church
     membership, 1874-1983
West Prairie Hauge Lutheran Church
     minutes, 1859-1910
West Prairie Lutheran Church
     membership, 1858-1883
     minutes, 1881
Westby Coon Prairie Lutheran Church
     membership, 1851-1900
     minutes, 1853-1900

Newspaper Indexes

Births, Deaths, Marriages and other Genealogical Gleanings from Newspapers for Crawford, Vernon and Richland Counties, WI, 1873-1910 by Vernon D. Erickson (book)
Genealogical Gleanings from Early Newspapers for ... Crawford County, WI, 1897-1902 by Vernon D. Erickson (book)
Lutheran Messenger (index cards)
Extractions of genealogical information from many newspapers covering different time periods and subjects. Contact us for more specific information.

Plat maps and books

Crawford County, 1878 (indexed), 1901-1902, 1930
Monroe County, 1915, 1977, 1980, 1983
Vernon County, 1878 (indexed), 1896 (indexed), 1915, 1931, 1949, 1955, 1956, 1965, 1966-67, 1968, 1972, 1974, 1986-1987, 1988, 2001  Atlas & pictorial: 1967, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1988, 1992  We also have Sanborn Fire Insurance maps of Viroqua 1911, 1922, 1933

Vital Records Indexes

The following indexes are on microfiche and were produced by the State Bureau of Vital Statistics:

Index to Wisconsin Marriages, 1973-1984
Index to Wisconsin Divorces, 1965-1984
Index to Wisconsin Deaths, 1959-1967, 1969-1970, 1979-1984

Crawford Co. births records (earliest to 1907)
Crawford Co. marriages (now part of Vernon Co.)
Early marriage & death records of Vernon Co.
Birth records, 1860-1877
Early Vernon Co. death records
Membership, baptisms, marriages, deaths -- Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Crawford, Grant, Monroe, Vernon Counties, 1877-1920

Westby Area Historical Society
P. O. Box 42
Westby, WI 54667
Phone: (608) 634-4120
c/o Carol Navrestad