A collection of over 10,000 photographs, postcards and stereo cards depicting Sauk County towns, villages, events and people - most taken in the early 1900's - has been scanned and is available for researchers. The collection consists of photographs of Baraboo, Black Hawk, Badger Ordnance Works (Powder Plant), C&NW Railroad, Churches, Circus, Devil’s Lake, Ironton, Lake Delton, LaValle, LaRue, Leland, Lime Ridge, Loganville, Merrimac, Military, Native American, North Freedom, People, Plain, Prairie du Sac, Reedsburg, Ringling Family, Rock Springs, Sauk City, Schools, Spring Green, Tuckertown, Valton, White Mound, Wisconsin Dells and Witwen. The collection also contains photographs of area Civil War soldiers. Researchers and genealogists may obtain reprints of any of the museum's photographs (hard copy or on a CD) for $10 each image plus postage.
Sauk County has a rich heritage of newspapers in German and English. Many Sauk County newspapers can be found at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in Madison or at various city libraries throughout the county. The Baraboo Public Library has an online newspaper index to births, deaths and marriages for Baraboo at their website. The Reedsburg Public Library also has an online newspaper index for Reedsburg available at their website. The Spring Green Public library has an index for births, weddings, and obituaries for the local paper for 1877-1924. The libraries in Sauk City and Prairie du Sac also have local newspapers on microfilm.
Probate records consist of the documents that settle an estate after someone’s death, whether they died with a will (testate) or without one (intestate). Probate records are important to genealogists because they can provide important information about other family members and the estate of the deceased.
Obituaries An extensive compilation of obituaries from Sauk County newspapers.
Church Records A list of churches in Sauk County and availability of their congregation records (births, marriages, confirmation, death).
These letters home from soldiers of WWI (or the Great War as it was known at the time) were originally published in the Baraboo News Republic. Transcriptions of each letter are included on these pages, along with a photo of the soldier when available.
Files on hundreds of Sauk County families are available along with many family histories. The Society also houses all Sauk County probate records prior to 1916. Genealogists may make an appointment to use the various research material at the museum for research on their own. Please contact the museum for further information or assistance with your research.
The federal census was taken every ten years and began in Sauk County in 1850. A state census was also taken every ten years although five years staggered from the federal census (1855, 1865 etc.) Census records can be invaluable in giving us clues about particular people, (i.e. age, occupation, nationality etc.) One of the most helpful records is the 1900 federal census which listed more personal information than previous censuses. It also important to note that the 1890 federal census was lost due to fire. Federal census records for Sauk County are contained on microfilm at the Baraboo Public Library, the Reedsburg Public Library and at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in Madison. Federal census records for the entire nation are also found on subscription websites like ancestry.com and genealogy.com Many of the census records have been indexed at these sites making searching much easier.