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.
Go

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.

Go
BadgerLink

BadgerLink

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

Go
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.

Go
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.

Go
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.

Go
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!