Research Room

Most items are located on shelves and in drawers in the main research room. Microfilm and readers are in a back room.

You are welcome to visit the Vernon County Museum's research room to do your own research. If you are unable to visit, the museum staff is available to assist or work on a project for you at a rate of $15 per hour.

Just Some of the Research Material Available at the Museum:

NORWEGIAN-LANGUAGE BYGDE BOOKS

CEMETERY RECORDS

CENSUS RECORDS

CHURCH RECORDS

COMMUNITY HISTORIES

Files containing newspaper articles, photos, postcards, community history books. These are arranged alphabetically by community name. The files are stored in a back room — please ask for assistance.

FAMILY HISTORIES (PEOPLE FILES)

Files containing newspaper articles, family trees, photos, family history books. These are arranged alphabetically by family name. The files are stored in a back room — please ask for assistance.

HISTORY BOOKS

MAPS

Plat map books: 1878, 1896, 1915, 1931, and more recent books
Also see separate index of large maps

MILITARY

Here are a few selected titles:

Civil War: Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Vol.1
Civil War: Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Vol.2
Civil War: The Military History of Wisconsin, by E.B. Quiner, 1866
Post-Civil War: 1890 Union Veterans Special Census, Vernon & Crawford Cos.
World War I: Vernon County War History
Post-World War I: Autograph book for Vernon County soldiers
Vernon Co. Veterans Grave Registration

Military file boxes and additional books are stored in the back room - please ask for assistance.

NEWSPAPERS

OBITUARIES

Most are in obituary cabinet
Others can be found inside the red binders (mainly Hillsboro area)
Still more are found in binders and books above the scrapbook index:

•Obits from Hillsboro Sentry-Enterprise 1987-1995 (3 vols.)
•Obits from Kickapoo Scout and other Soldiers Grove newspapers, 1883-1942
•Obits from Vernon County Broadcaster: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

SCHOOLS

Rural school histories are found in green boxes on shelves in main research room
Normal School history is also stored in main research room
Viroqua public schools histories are stored in the back room - ask for assistance
Town school histories and high school yearbooks are stored in the Alumni Room on 2^nd floor
School record books are kept in a storage room on 2^nd floor - ask for assistance

SCRAPBOOKS

Our collection of more than 200 scrapbooks has been indexed - see the card catalogue in the main research room. The scrapbooks contain a wealth of genealogical information.

TAX BOOKS

All tax records from 1859-1950 are stored at Murphy Library at the Univeristy of Wisconsin - La Crosse. After that, Murphy Library has years ending in 0's and 5's (i.e. 1955, 1960...). Everything else from 1951 onwards is stored at the Vernon County Museum. When researching tax books and other land records, you will need to know the section, township, range, and parcel number.

TOWN RECORDS

Some early town records are stored at the museum. Please ask for assistance.