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Vernon County, Wisconsin Genealogy

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Guide to Vernon County, Wisconsin ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Viroqua
Organized: 1851
Parent County(s): Bad Ax County[1]
Neighboring Counties
Allamakee (IA) • Crawford • Houston (MN) • Juneau • La Crosse • Monroe • Richland • Sauk
See County Maps
Courthouse
Vernon County WI Courthouse.jpg
Location Map
WI Vernon.png

County Information

Description

The county was named for the county's green fields of wheat and to evoke Mount Vernon. The county is located in the west-central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Vernon County Courthouse
400 Courthouse Square Street
Viroqua, WI 54665
Phone: 608-637-5380
Vernon County Website

Register of Deeds has birth, marriage, death and land records.
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records.
Register in Probate has probate records. [3]

Vernon County, Wisconsin Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1863 1855 1878 1853 1851 1850 1820
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1907. General compliance year unknown.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]


Cities
Towns
Villages
Unincorporated communities


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Vernon County, Wisconsin online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Wisconsin Cemeteries for more information

 

  • In the town of Forest is the Mount Tabor Cemetery. Even though the cemetery is listed under the town of Forest, Wisconsin, google maps places the cemetery in Hillsboro, Wisconsin. A common surname in this cemetery is Cox.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1860 11,007 —
1870 18,645 69.4%
1880 23,235 24.6%
1890 25,111 8.1%
1900 28,351 12.9%
1910 28,116 −0.8%
1920 29,252 4.0%
1930 28,537 −2.4%
1940 29,940 4.9%
1950 27,906 −6.8%
1960 25,663 −8.0%
1970 24,557 −4.3%
1980 25,642 4.4%
1990 25,617 −0.1%
2000 28,056 9.5%
2010 29,773 6.1%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Vernon census records online, see: Wisconsin Census.

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Wisconsin denominations, view the Wisconsin Church Records wiki page.

Lutheran

  • Records of Zion Lutheran Church, Vernon County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Wisconsin Land and Property for additional information about early Wisconsin land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

La Crosse CountyMonroe CountyRichland CountyCrawford CountyAllamakee CountyHouston CountyWI VERNON.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Vernon served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Vernon:

- 1st Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company H
- 6th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company I
- 7th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company H
- 8th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company F
- 12th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company I
- 13th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company B
- 14th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company H, with men from the town of Forest, which is found in Fond du Lac County, Richland County, St. Croix County or Vernon County

World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

Probate records are held by the Vernon Clerk of Circuit Court and are housed at the Vernon Courthouse. See the wiki page Wisconsin Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.

Content: Probate records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, and adoptions.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

Wisconsin tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned property or other items that could be taxed were listed, some residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records. For more information see the Wiki page, Wisconsin Taxation.

Vital Records

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Vernon County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.

  • Area Research Center
    Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin, La Crosse
    1631 Pine St.
    La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601
    Telephone: 608-785-8511
    Email: specoll@uwlax.edu
    Website
    Facebook

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Vernon County. For state-wide library facilities, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.

  • Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin, La Crosse
    Area Research Center
    1631 Pine St.
    La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601
    Telephone: 608-785-8511
    Email: specoll@uwlax.edu
    Website
    Facebook

Museums

Societies

Listed below are societies in Vernon County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Wisconsin Societies.

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Vernon County, Wisconsin " in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_County,_Wisconsin."
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Vernon County, Wisconsin. Page 755-760, At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 757-759.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Vernon County, Wisconsin," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_County,_Wisconsin, accessed 12 Dec 2018.
v • d• e
Links to Wisconsin-related articles
Topics
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Extinct Co.
Major
 Repositories
National Archives at Chicago · Wisconsin Historical Society · Wisconsin State Genealogical Society · Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society · Area Research Centers: 1. Wisconsin Historical Society, 2. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 3. University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 4. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 5. University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 6. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 7. University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 8. University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 9. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 10. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 11. University of Wisconsin-Stout, 12. University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 13. Superior Public Library, 14. Northern Great Lake Center · Beloit Public Library · Brown County Library · Kenosha Public Library · Milwaukee County Historical Society · Milwaukee Public Library · Norwegian American Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library · Oshkosh Public Library · Racine Heritage Museum Research Center · University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Library · Allen County Public Library · Newberry Library
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