Historical Societies (Vernon County)

Vernon County Historical Society

Location: 410 South Center
Viroqua, WI 54665
Phone: (608) 637-7396
Web Address: vernoncountyhistory.org click on "Research Room" to find current resources
Email: museum@vernoncountyhistory.org
Hours: June-August: Monday-Saturday 12-4 p.m.
Sept.-Oct & April-May: Monday-Friday 12-4 p.m.
Nov.-March: Tuesday-Thursday 12-4 p.m.
Also open by appointment

Resources Available:

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 (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)

 Republican (1870-1872)

LaFarge: LaFarge Epitaph (1898-1914)

Viroqua: Vernon County Broadcaster (1933-1936; 1944-1995)

 Vernon County Censor (1865-1876; 1879-1885; 1890-1943; 1954-1955)

 Vernon County Leader (1882-1889; 1894-1896; 1918-1919)

 Vernon County Northwestern Times (1856-1865)

 Viroqua Expositor (1859; 1861-1863)

 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

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

Westby Area Historical Society

P. O. Box 42
Westby, WI 54667
Phone: (608) 634-4120
c/o Carol Navrestad
Website: westbywihistory.com