Genealogy & History

Vilas County Resources

Research Tools

Other Websites

May require account creation.

  • Cyndi’s List – categorized and cross-referenced list of links pointing to genealogical research sites online.
  • RootsWeb –  owned by Ancestry.com.  Hosts many volunteer genealogy projects on the internet.  Provides a mailing list, message board and free webspace to build your own genealogy webpages.
  • Wisconsin Historical Society – collects, preserves and makes available materials about the history of Wisconsin, the United States and North America.
  • Library of Congress Chronicling America – Search America’s historic newspaper pages from 1789-1924 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
  • Preservation Directory.com – online resource for historic preservation, building restoration and cultural resource management in the United States & Canada.

Research Centers

  • Family History Centers – affiliate branches of the Family History Library operated by the LDS Church.  Regionally located at Olson Memorial Library, as well as Three Lakes and Minocqua.
  • UW Milwaukee Archives – an Area Research Center for the Wisconsin Historical Society, providing access to primary sources from all around the state.
  • UW Stevens Point Research Center – repository of University records, Portage County Historical Society collections and Wisconsin Historical Society – Area Research Center Network collections
  • UW Madison Archives – official repository for all UW-Madison, UW-System Administration, UW-Extension, and UW Colleges records appraised to have permanent or archival value.
  • Northern Great Lakes History Center and Archives –  includes naturalization records; pre-1907 registrations of births, deaths, and marriages; census records for each of the eight counties as well as Native American census rolls for Northern Wisconsin tribes; area newspapers on microfilm; court and tax records; and Ashland city directories.
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Library Online Resources

Archive of Wisconsin Newspapers

Archive of Wisconsin Newspapers

Wisconsin Newspapers Digital Research Site is a service of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association that provides access to 235 daily and weekly Wisconsin newspapers both historical and current.

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BadgerLink

BadgerLink

Access family history resources such as “Archive of Wisconsin Newspapers”, “HeritageQuest Online”, “Wisconsin Historical Society Family History Records”, and more.

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Family Search

FamilySearch Affilate Library

Olson Memorial Library is a Family Search Affiliate Library. A free genealogy website that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, at OML you have access to over 2 billion digitized records, including 400 million images that are currently not available to the public outside of our Library or a FamilySearch family history center.

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Heritage Quest Online

Heritage Quest Online

Access genealogical research: all U.S. Federal Census records, family and local histories, and access to PERSI PERiodical Source Index.

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newspapers.com

Newspapers.com

Historical newspapers archive from the 1700s-2000s containing thousands of well-known regional, state, and small local newspapers in the United States and other countries.

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Transparent Language Online

Transparent Language Online

100+ languages at your fingertips. Learn ASL, Ojibwe, Spanish, ESL, and more. Create an account with your library card number!

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