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Guide to the La Crosse County, Wisconsin, Town of Greenfield Records, 1852-1972 La Crosse Series 010

Guide to the La Crosse County, Wisconsin, Town of Greenfield Records, 1852-1972

La Crosse Series 010

Summary Information

Abstract
Records of the Town of Greenfield, La Crosse County, Wisconsin, consisting of tax assessments (1861-1972), town meetings and elections (1882-1947), financial records (1854-1923; 1934-1960, roads and highway committee minutes (1852-1943), and miscellaneous material on the Greenfield public school (1889-1929), which includes class lists and financial statements. The roads and highway committee minutes are not limited to the Town of Greenfield but include material on other La Crosse County towns and townships.
Collection Title
La Crosse County, Wisconsin, Town of Greenfield Records
Date of Materials
1852-1972
Creator
Greenfield (Wis. : Town).
Call Number
La Crosse Series 010
Amount
10.4 cubic feet
Physical Description
6 archives boxes, 38 volumes
Language of Materials
English
Repository
La Crosse Public Library Archives

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], La Crosse County, Wisconsin, Town of Greenfield Records, La Crosse Series 010, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI

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Historical Note

The area that is now the Town of Greenfield was first settled in 1853 by Daniel Raymond, William Symes, Samuel McGowan, and A. Pruett. At this time Greenfield was part of the Town of La Crosse. In 1856, the Town of Greenfield was officially created and on November 11th of that year, the first town meeting was held. The first town officers were William Symes, Chairman; George Gabel and William Nicolai, Supervisors; and J.F. Hosmer was the first Town Clerk. The first store within the town was started by John Hammes in 1874 and in 1875 the first two post offices were established in Sigel and in St. Joseph.

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Scope and Contents

The Town of Greenfield records have been divided into five sections: Tax Assessments, Town Meetings and Elections, Financial Records, Roads and Highways, and Public Schools.

The Tax Assessments section covers the years 1861-1862, 1866-1867, 1869, 1870, 1873-1878, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1894, 1906, 1908-1910, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1928-1972. The assessment rolls include the names of the landowner, location of the land being assessed, description of the land, number of acres, fixed value, and various taxes on the land. There are small variations in what kind of information is given through the run of years the tax assessments cover, but the basic information mentioned above usually remains the same.

The section on Town Meetings and Elections is in two bound volumes. Volume one covers the years from April 4th, 1882 to April 5th, 1921. Volume two covers April 12th, 1921 through February 7th, 1947. Both volumes contain minutes from town meetings, including annual meetings, and results from general and town elections. This section also includes an election inspector’s statement concerning the 1906 general election results from the Town of Greenfield and a general election tally sheet from the town for the same election.

The Financial Records are made up of three volumes; accounts allowed, 1854-1923; a general account book, 1934-1957; and a journal, 1934-1960. The accounts allowed volume deals with money paid out by the town for various projects and shows the type of project involved, the amount of money requested for the project and the amount of money finally allowed for the project. The account book and the journal both contain balance sheets, receipts and payouts, with the name of the firm, organization or individual dealt with, and the amount of money involved.

The Roads and Highways section contains one volume which covers the years 1852-1943 for La Crosse, not just the Town of Greenfield. It includes minutes from meetings discussing the creation and alteration of roads and highways, petitions from town residents concerning roads and highways and orders for the laying of new roads.

The Public School section is made up of two volumes covering the years 1889-1929. One volume, the library register, includes financial statements for 1889-1900 and lists of books purchased for the school system and the price of each book. The second volume is made up of teachers’ reports that cover the years 1890-1897. These reports include a list of students in each class, the name of the teacher and the teachers’ comments on each individual student and the class as a whole.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

La Crosse Public Library Archives 1987 October

800 Main St.
La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54601
(608) 789-7136
archives@lacrosselibrary.org

Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for patron use.

Acquisitions Information

(Accession no. 1987.009) Donated by Greenfield Township via Rufus Schmaltz, Chairman, May 1987

Processing Information

Processed by Bill Petersen and Tim Hanson, October 1987

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Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

  • Greenfield (Wis. : Town).

Geographic Name(s)

  • Greenfield (Wis. : Town)--Politics and government

Subject(s)

  • Property tax--Wisconsin--Town of Greenfield
  • Public records--Wisconsin--Town of Greenfield
  • Real property tax--Wisconsin--Town of Greenfield
  • Roads--Wisconsin--La Crosse County

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OCLC Number

45265364

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Collection Inventory

Box

Tax assessments, 1861-1972 

1-4
Volume
xx

Town meetings 

Box Folder

 1882-1947 

5 1
4 6
Box Folder

General election inspector's statement, 1906 

5 2

General election tally sheet, 1906 

5 3

Financial records 

Volume

Accounts allowed, 1854-1923 

xx
Box Folder

General account book, 1934-1957 

5 4

Journal, 1934-1960 

5 5
Box Folder

Roads and highways, 1852-1943 

6 1

Public schools 

Box Folder

Library register, 1889-1929 

6 2

Teacher's report on public school students, 1890-1897 

6 3