Wisconsin Archives and Libraries: Difference between revisions

:Includes federal censuses 1790–1930; selected military service indexes, pension indexes, passenger lists, and naturalizations. Free computers for Ancestry, Heritage Quest, or Fold3. Federal agency, civil, and criminal court records of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and '''Wisconsin'''.<ref>[http://www.archives.gov/chicago/archives/genealogy.html Genealogy] in ''National Archives at Chicago'' (accessed 27 February 2014).</ref>

:This is the best manuscript collection in Wisconsin, including censuses, tax, and land records. They hold the famed '''''[[Draper Manuscript Collection]]''''' of pioneer history, and the '''''Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society''''' collection.<ref name="DB119">William Dollarhide, and Ronald A. Bremer, ''America's Best Genealogy Resource Centers'' (Bountiful, UT: Heritage Quest, 1988), 119. {{WorldCat|39493985}}; {{FSC|728550|item|disp=FS Library Book 973 J54d}}.</ref>

:The [[Wisconsin Historical Society]] serves as the state archives, the state library, and the American history library for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Its research collections are divided between library and archives divisions. The library houses printed and microfilmed materials, while the archives maintains the original records for Wisconsin government jurisdictions. The Wisconsin Historical Society is the largest free-standing American history library in the United States. It has the second-largest collection of newspapers in the U.S., after the Library of Congress.<br>

:[http://recollectionwisconsin.org/ Recollection Wisconsin.] Historical resourced across the state.

:The Wisconsin Historical Society and the University of Wisconsin System jointly operate a network of Area Research Centers located at UW campus libraries throughout the state. Each geographic region is served by an Area Research Center (ARC), which houses the original records from that region. Centers often have probate records, tax records, school records, church records, naturalization records, and other local historical records.

:Several guides have been published that describe the collections of the Wisconsin Historical Society. A helpful introductory guide is:

:*Danky, James P., ed. ''Genealogical Research: An Introduction to the Resources of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.'' Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1986. (FS Library book {{FSC|488907|title-id|disp=977.5 A1 no. 91.) ib}}

:Another guide to the collections at the Wisconsin Historical Society is:

:*Smith, Alice E., ed. ''Guide to the Manuscripts of the Wisconsin Historical Society''. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1944, 1957. (FS Library book {{FSC|173600|title-id|disp=977.5 A5w}}; {{FSC|173662|title-id|disp=977.5 A5w supp. 1}}.) A second supplement was published in 1966 (not available at the FamilySearch Library). These guides contain references to the papers of many families and businesses.

:The Wisconsin Historical Society's [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Content.aspx?dsNav=N:1176 website] has a number of resources of use to genealogists:

:*[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/vitalrecords/ Wisconsin Genealogy Index] - a statewide index of pre-1907 birth, marriage, and death records, 150,000 obituaries and biographical sketches  

:*[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/ Historical image collection] - thousands of images from the 19th and 20th centuries  

:*[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/roster/ Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865] - alphabetical and regimental lists of soldiers who served in Wisconsin units during the Civil War  

:*[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/genealogy/ Civil War veterans' censuses] - 1885, 1895, 1905  

:*[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/wlhba/ Local history and biography articles] - 16, 000 searchable newspaper articles  

:*[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/wch/ County histories] - 80 digitized, searchable county histories  

:*[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/wmh/archives/search.aspx ''Wisconsin Magazine of History''] - digitized, from 1917 to the present

:There are an estimated 8,500 cemeteries in Wisconsin. This society has compiled the records of about 2,000 cemeteries. They publish a newsletter in which you can place queries.

::Serves Sauk, Columbia, and Dane counties

::Serves Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempeleau, and Vernon counties

::Serves Crawford, Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette, and Richland counties

::Serves Jefferson, Rock, and Walworth counties

::Serves Kenosha and Racine counties

::Serves Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha counties. They have a great historical collection especially for German immigrants to Wisconsin.<ref name="DB119" />

::Serves Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, and Winnebago counties

::Serves Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, and Shawano counties

::Serves Adams, Juneau, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Waushara, and Wood counties

::Serves Buffalo, Eau Claire, Chippewa, Rusk, Clark, and Taylor counties. They have a large manuscript collection with many historical references.<ref name="DB119" />

::Serves Barron, Dunn, and Pepin counties

::Serves Burnett, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix counties

::This is another very good genealogy collection.<ref name="DB119" /> Serves Douglas County.

::Serves Bayfield, Ashland, Iron, Vilas, Washburn, Sawyer, Price, Oneida, and Forest counties

:Their collection has many books, periodicals, and family folders.<ref name="DB119" />

:Includes a very large genealogy section. They have a good range of materials such as local histories, county histories, newspapers, obituaries, and family folders.<ref name="DB119" />

:They have a good genealogy section.<ref name="DB119" />

:The Milwaukee County Historical Society houses a huge manuscript collection, Civil War and church records, obituaries and biographical newspaper clippings, naturalization indexes, census records, court and probate records, and coroners' inquests, with a specialty in German immigrant families.<ref name="DB119" />

:A very large genealogy and family history collection including family folders, research aids, biographies, indexes, obituaries, newspapers and a large collection for German immigrants in Wisconsin.<ref name="DB119" />[[Image:NAGC bldg 2014.jpg|thumb|right|280px|Norwegian American Gen Center in Madison]]

:This center has records of many Norwegian-Americans, including U.S. and Norwegian censuses, passenger lists, church records, family records, and Norwegian ''bygdebøker'' (farm histories).<ref>[http://www.nagcnl.org/research-tools-in-the-naeseth-library/ Available Research Tools] in ''Norwegian American Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library'' (accessed 2 November 2015).</ref>

:Their genealogy collection features books, periodicals, family folders, and indexes.<ref name="DB119" />

:This is a very good genealogy collection.<ref name="DB119" /> Includes cemeteries, federal and territorial censuses, city directories, photos, plat and fire insurance maps, manuscript histories, diaries, letters, memoirs, marriage card file 1838-1879, military records, naturalizations 1838-1906, obituaries and newspapers.<ref>[http://www.racineheritagemuseum.org/?page_id=19 Research Center] in ''Racine Heritage Museum'' (accessed 20 October 2015).</ref>

:They have a very large manuscript collection. It has many historical documents.<ref name="DB119" />

:This is the second-largest genealogy collection in the United States<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_County_Public_Library Allen County Public Library] in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' (accessed 28 April 2010).</ref> and the largest genealogy collection in a public library. Its holdings include more than 350,000 printed volumes and 513,000 items on microfilm and microfiche.<ref name="ACPLGC">[http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/ Genealogy Center] in ''Allen County Public Library'' (accessed 28 April 2010).</ref> It has a premier genealogical periodical collection, local histories, genealogies, databases, military, censuses, directories, passenger lists, ethnic sources, and Canadians. They have a great '''Wisconsin''' collection.<ref>[http://www.genealogycenter.org/docs/default-source/resources/aboutusbrochure.pdf?sfvrsn=2 Genealogy Center Collections] in ''Genealogy Center'' (accessed 27 February 2015).</ref>  

:A large Chicago repository with genealogies, local histories, censuses, military, land, indexes, vital records, court, and tax records '''many from Wisconsin''', the Mississippi Valley, eastern seaboard, Canada, and the British Isles.<ref>[http://www./genealogy-and-local-history Genealogy and Local History] in ''The Newberry'' (accessed 27 February 2015).</ref>