By KRISTEN PARROTT | Vernon County Museum curator
Our genealogy class has been on winter break for the past few months, but it will start up again in February. The next class meeting will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, here at the museum. Barb Nelson of Viroqua will again teach the class (she also taught the class in November).
This session will focus on the use of land records, such as plat maps, in tracing family history. A plat map shows how land is divided up among different owners. The museum has old Vernon County plat maps, which genealogists find very useful, from 1878, 1896, 1915 and 1935. We also have plat maps from 1948 to the present.
Barb will also describe plans for an October bus trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. We need to have 25 to 30 people sign up for this trip to make it feasible. The price is very reasonable, and accommodations are available right next door to the library. This library is famous for the tremendous amount of information it provides to anyone doing genealogy.
Be sure to attend the class meeting to learn more about this exciting opportunity, or contact the museum for further information. New students are always welcome to join the class. Vernon County Historical Society members attend for free, and non-members are asked to pay $5 per class session.
Don’t forget to come to our grand opening reception for the museum’s new conference room. Everyone is welcome to attend this event, which will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7. Refreshments will include wine and cheese. The historical society will review highlights from 2011 and present plans for the new year. A special collection of vintage valentines will be on display around the room. We hope to see you there.
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The Vernon County Museum, 410 S. Center Ave., Viroqua, can be reached at 637-7396 or vernoncountyhistoricalsociety.org.
