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, family history, 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
Adoption

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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 Major 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[edit | edit source]

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

For animated maps illustrating Wisconsin County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Wisconsin County Boundary Maps" (1790-1961) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

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.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

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


Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

World War II[edit | edit source]

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

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 Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Most counties started keeping records in the 1870s. In 1907, the counties began sending copies to the state.

For pre-1907 births, deaths, and marriages, search the Wisconsin Genealogy Index.

For additional information, see Wisconsin Vital Records.

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

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

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

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

  • Family History 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 family history center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

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

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  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); FHL 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); FHL 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); FHL 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.
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