Why I Keep Coming Back to the Wisconsin Historical Society as a Genealogist
One of my favorite parts of living in Madison, Wisconsin is that this is a city full of history. Delightfully, if you are interested in history and stop by the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Headquarters in downtown Madison, you’ll be immersed in it from the stones of the building to the library and archives it contains.
Yes, to be clear, part of why I love visiting the Wisconsin Historical Society to do some research is because it was built in 1900 and it looks like this.
Wisconsin Historical Society’s Headquarters, 816 State Street, Madison
The WHS building is on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which causes the only downside to visiting: parking can be a mess. But that aside, it’s gorgeous and was built in 1900 to be the home of WHS—which it’s been since then! Even as they preserve our state’s history, they are part of it. Pretty cool, huh?
Wisconsin Historical Society’s Library for Genealogists
So you might be asking yourself what all of this has to do with genealogy. First, besides what is held within these walls, WHS puts on a variety of genealogy webinars that are pretty great. They also have staff that is knowledgeable if you have genealogy questions. But more than anything, it’s the WHS library and archives that hold gold for family history research.
Archives vs. Library
You should know before you visit that the Archives are in one part of the building (4th floor) and require a little more planning ahead of time, while the Library and Reading Room (2nd floor) are more accessible down to the stacks. Both have a lot to offer genealogists, and if you’re coming from further away, I’d recommend planning your visit by reviewing their collections online and reserving any materials that require it.
Archive
The WHS Archive holds a lot of original records and materials not just from Wisconsin but also from the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest areas of the United States. They hold a variety of items given to them for holding by places like Superior Courts or county governments. Although the Madison location has a lot of the materials tied to Dane County (where we’re located), even if WHS has records that are held further away, you can still request them to be brought to the Madison location to be reviewed. While visiting, I’ve reviewed everything from probate files to Sanborn maps to naturalization paperwork. It’s an incredible treasure trove that I feel like I’ve only barely touched the surface of! (Someday I’ll tell the story of finding business records for a family business in the archives and how fascinating it was)
Library
Most often, if I’m doing genealogical research, I’m visiting the WHS Library and Reading Room. And sure, part of it is because I get to research in a place that looks like this.
Wisconsin Historical Society Library’s Reading Room
During the academic year, it is often fairly full of students who are hard at work, so be forewarned. But generally it’s easy enough to find a spot to sit for your research, whether that’s at one of these tables, an armchair, a computer, or a microfilm reader.
The Library is really incredible, including six floors of genealogy materials in the stacks. I’ve been told it’s the 5th largest collection of genealogy publications in the United States! This includes many genealogy journals, books, etc. that maybe were printed in very limited quantities. They also are a FamilySearch affiliate so you can access certain records via their computers that you can’t from home, and similarly have multiple research databases from Ancestry to general history databases that can be useful.
Besides the publications and the computers, the microfilm collection is where I spend a ton of time. WHS has a robust collection of Midwestern newspapers and city directories on microfilm. Pro genealogist tip: city directories are an incredible resource for locating your family, especially in non-census years!
One of the things I enjoy about visiting WHS as an introvert is that the stacks and microfilm is all self-serve. You can wander the aisles of microfilm drawers or bookshelves to find what you want and don’t have to interact with other humans. If you do need to talk to humans, the ones that work there are generally quite helpful, especially the dedicated genealogy staff. Their pamphlet collection does require going through the circulation desk, given the more fragile nature of pamphlets vs. books. Even that is easy, although I do prefer wandering the stacks. Sometimes I’m a little concerned they’re haunted, but can you blame me?
Wisconsin Historical Society Library’s Stacks
What will you find at the Wisconsin Historical Society Library?
I’ve touched on it a little above, but to clarify the types of things you can find at the WHS Library, they include:
Microfilm records of births, marriages, and deaths in Wisconsin
Large microfilm collection of Midwest newspapers and city directories
Family history publications including written genealogies, pamphlets and genealogy journals
Various genealogy publications from all over the United States and some from Canada, all organized by location
Local and county histories from Wisconsin especially but also many other locations in North America—many of which are out of print
General history publications, which often can be checked out if you get a library card
Maps of Wisconsin, the Midwest, and North America, like the beautiful Madison one below.
Map of Madison in an atlas at the Wisconsin Historical Society Library Reading Room
What can you find at the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives?
So what about the Archives? Among their massive collection, genealogists can find:
Personal papers from Wisconsin residents, such as musicians, judges, lawyers, historians, activists, and more
Company records for Midwestern companies, especially Wisconsin
Probate records for counties across Wisconsin
Miscellaneous court records from across Wisconsin
Immigration and naturalization papers from Wisconsin Circuit Court
Historic maps like Sanborn Fire maps
Audio and video records like old news reels
Hint: you can search the finding aids for the WHS Archives here, but remember to pay attention to where the items are located and request them ahead of time if needed.
Don’t forget all of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s other resources
While the Headquarters is near and dear to my heart and where I do the bulk of my in-person research here in Madison, it’s not the only WHS location I like to visit. They actually have locations all across Wisconsin from smaller archives and libraries at other campuses to historic sites. To end on another historic building(s) I love, WHS runs Old World Wisconsin, a beautiful site in rural Wisconsin where you can experience different types of farms from our history, visit a small town, and see real historic buildings that were brought to the site to preserve our history. I love to visit OWW, so very much that my spouse jokes that one day I might refuse to leave.
An interpreter makes bread at Old World Wisconsin during their holiday event
Clearly I’m a big fan of the Wisconsin Historical Society. It’s nice as a genealogist to be able to visit places that really make history come alive for me, whether that’s through original records I get to hold in my hands, unique books I can’t find anywhere else, or pretending I’m in the eras of my ancestors.
Did I mention if you need someone to look up anything at WHS, I can do that for you? Go ahead, enable me.
