Libraries (Vernon County)
Coon Valley: Knutson Memorial Library
500 Central Ave.
Coon Valley, WI 54623
Phone: (608) 452-3757
Web Address: http://www.wrlsweb.org/coonvalley
Email: kbernau@wrlsweb.org
De Soto Public Library
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 187
Location: 111 S. Houghton St.
De Soto, WI 54624
Phone: (608) 648-3593
Email: despl@mwt.net
Hillsboro Public Library
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 468
Location: 819 High Ave.
Hillsboro, WI 54634
Phone: (608) 489-2192
Email: hlibrary@wrlsweb.org
Hours: Tuesday 9:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m., Wednesday 11:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m., Thursday 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m., Friday 11:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Resources Available:
Books & Other Published Materials
Local family genealogies and a pamphlet "Historical Homes of Hillsboro"
Cemetery Indexes
Index to western Vernon County cemeteries
County Histories & Biographical Sketches
History of Hillsboro
Yuba history book
Vernon Co., Wisconsin, Heritage book
Trails to Hillsboro history book
Trails to Dilly history book
History of Vernon County
Newspapers published in Vernon County
Hillsboro: Hillsboro-Sentry Enterprise (1895-present)
Yearbooks
Hillsboro High School (1935-present)
La Farge: Lawton Memorial Library
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 38
Location: 18 N. Bird St.
La Farge, WI 54639
Phone: (608) 625-2015
Web Address: http://www.lafargelibrary.org
Email: lafargepl@wrlsweb.org
Ontario Public Library
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 69
Location: 313 Main St.
Ontario, WI 54651
Phone: (608) 337-4651
Web Address: http://www.wrlsweb.org/ontario
Email: ontlibr@wrlsweb.org
Hours: Monday & Wednesday 10:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m., Friday 10:00 a.m.—6:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Reaources Available:
County & Town Histories & Biographical Sketches
Always the River: A Sesquicentennial History of Ontario, Wisconsin, 1857-2007
The Memorable Kickapoo Valley (1977)
Ontario Centennial (1957)
Monroe County, Wisconsin Pictorial History (1976)
Monroe County, Wisconsin Heritage Book (1984)
History of Vernon County, Wisconsin (1884)
Vernon County, Wisconsin, Heritage (1994)
Newspapers published in Monroe County
Norwalk: County Line (August 1996-present)
Tomah: Tomah Journal & Monitor Herald (last 6 months)
Newspapers published in Vernon County
Viroqua: Vernon County Broadcaster (last 6 months)
Plat maps and books
Monroe County: 1994, 1997
Vernon County: 1992, 1993-1994, 1998
Yearbooks
Ontario: Brookwood High School (1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1975-1977, 1980-1984, 1986-1993)
Ontario High School: (1952, 1955-1960)
Norwalk: Norwalk High School (1958)
Readstown Public Library
Location: 129 West Wisconsin Ave
Readstown, WI 54652
Phone: (608) 629-5465
Email: readslib@yahoo.com
Hours: Monday—Friday 1:00 p.m.—7:00 p.m., Saturday by appointment
Resources Available:
Books & Other Published Materials
Births, Deaths Marriages & Other Genealogical Gleanings from Newspapers for Crawford, Vernon & Richland Counties, Wis., 1873-1910
Genealogical Events from Newspapers for Crawford, Vernon & Grant Counties, 1870-1901
Genealogical Gleanings from Early Newspapers for Residents in and Near Crawford County, Wis., 1897-1902
The MacFarland-Carters of Vernon County, Wisconsin
History of the Truax Family
Wisconsin -- Its Counties, Townships & Villages (1994)
County & Town Histories & Biographical Sketches
History of Vernon County (1884)
Vernon County Heritage book (1994)
The First 100 Years -- History of Soldiers Grove (1964)
History of Viola (1957)
Kickapoo Pearls -- A Collection of Kickapoo History & Folkways (1979)
Viroqua Centennial, 1846-1946
Gays Mills Sesquicentennial Souvenir booklet, 1848-1998
The Memorable Kickapoo Valley
Newspapers published in Vernon County
Readstown: Readstown Herald (1959-1973)
Viola: Viola Leaf Tobacco News (1906)
Manuscripts & Public Record Collections
Carter Family letters (includes Civil War correspondence of Charles Carter)
Plat maps and books
Richland County (1999)
Vernon County (1967, 1992, 1995-1996)
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Special Collections & Area Research Center
Murphy Library
1631 Pine St.
La Crosse, WI 54601
Phone: (608) 785-8511
Web Address: www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/Departments/archome.html
Email: specoll@uwlax.edu
Hours: Academic Year: Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m.—12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m., Wednesday 7:00 p.m.—9:00 p.m.
Summer Session & School Breaks: Call ahead It’s always good to call ahead to check open hours!
UW-La Crosse ARC covers the territory of Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau and Vernon Counties, Wisconsin
Resources Available:
Books & Other Published Material
Search the online catalog for book holdings: www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/
They have among their cataloged book collection such items as village, town, city and counties history, for places throughout Wisconsin. The Wisconiana collection of printed materials totals over 6,000 volumes.
City & County Directories
Business gazetteers for Wisconsin
County Histories & Biographical Sketches
Search the online catalog for book holdings: www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/
Among the cataloged book collection are items such as village, town, city and counties history, for places throughout Wisconsin. The Wisconiana collection of printed materials totals over 6,000 volumes. Specifically they have county histories for Vernon Co., 1884.
Manuscripts & Public Records Collections
Photographs
The photographic place files include pictures for over 1,000 Wisconsin cities and villages, and they have a very comprehensive collection of La Crosse area photos that include individual people, organizations, businesses, etc. Also one of largest steamboat and inland boat photo collections is a strength.
Manuscripts
The La Crosse ARC has over 300 linear feet of manuscript collections and over 450 feet of public records of possible value to genealogists. Examples include certain school districts; county court, clerk, tax sale and treasurer records; and papers of businesses, organizations, and individuals. Search Arcat for manuscript & public records for collections related to any manuscript or public record collection.
Public Records
Probate case files and index, 1850-1987
County tax rolls, 1859-1960 (intermittent)*
Naturalization records, 1853-1947
Circuit Court:
Record books, 1878-1936 (7 vols.)
Criminal record books, 1880-1952 (3 vols.)
Minute books, 1859-1934 (4 vols.)
*For county tax rolls, every year available is kept until circa 1900; then generally every fifth or tenth year after that is kept.
Plat Maps & Books
Approximately 500 maps and other county plat books are at the La Crosse ARC. You can search their online catalog for plat book holdings: www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/. Ask them about individual map holdings. For Vernon County specifically, have 1915-present.
Vital Records Indexes
The Archives has the following indexes on microfiche. These were produced by the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and are also available from the Wisconsin Historical Society online site www.wisconsinhistory.org/genealogy:
Index to Wisconsin Births, pre-1907
Index to Wisconsin Marriages, pre-1907
Index to Wisconsin Deaths, pre-1907
Pre-1907 registers/certificates of Wisconsin births, marriages and deaths for Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe,
Trempealeau and Vernon counties on microfilm
Viroqua: McIntosh Memorial Library
Location: 118 E. Jefferson St.
Viroqua, WI 54665
Phone: (608) 637-7151
Web Address: http://www.wrlsweb.org/viroqua
Email: s.creager@wrlsweb.org
Hours: Monday—Thursday 10:00 a.m.—8:00 p.m.; Friday 10:00 a.m.—6:00 p.m.; Saturday 9:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.
Resources Available:
County Histories & Biographical Sketches
Memories of Vernon County & index
Vernon County history books (1884 & 1994)
binders of selected Broadcaster newspaper articles about Viroqua
Newspapers published in Vernon County
Viroqua: Vernon County Broadcaster (previous year to the present)
Plat maps and books
Vernon County, 1896, 1931, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001
Illustrated Historical Atlas of Wisconsin (1878)
Westby: Bekkum Memorial Library
206 N. Main St.
Westby, WI 54667
Phone (608) 634-4419
Web Address: http://www.wrlsweb.org/westby
Email: bekkuml@wrlsweb.org