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Genealogy: Home

This guide will help you with the genealogical resources we have here in Murphy Library and direct you to other places and links for further information.

Library Online Catalogs & Discovery Tools

Here are links to library catalogs frequently used.

Murphy Library Resources

Here in the Area Research Center we have historic public governement documents on microfilm, microfiche and in original book format.  We can also direct you to other sources such as the Wisconsin Historical Society, the La Crosse Public Library and other online sources.

We are a regional depository of the Wisconsin Historical Society ARC network.  Each ARC covers different counties.  Here in La Crosse we cover the following counties: Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau and Vernon.

Examples of public governement documents and other items that we have here and that are useful to genealogists are: tax rolls, school records, court records, criminal court records, naturalization papers, land deeds, probates, vital records (birth, death and marriage pre 1907), plat maps, Sanborn maps, school yearbooks, city directories for La Crosse starting in 1866, our vertical file collection (of clippings and other miscellaneous documents) and locally published town or church histories.

For a complete listing, please call (608) 785-8511 or email specoll@uwlax.edu

Area Research Centers (ARCs) in Wisconsin

If you are looking for records outside of our five counties (Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau and Vernon), here is a map of the ARC network and the counties they cover.

Research Assistance

Reference Desk

Librarians can help you learn to make the most of the information resources, tools, and services of Murphy Library and beyond!

Weekdays & Sunday afternoons (fall/spring):

  • Visit us at the reference desk (1st floor)
  • Call us at 608.785.8508
  • Web Chat with us

Any time (year-round):


Local history and/or archives research? Special Collections / Area Research Center specialists are available!