More about the collection

County-wide Histories

Pioneer life in the Fox River Valley by Annie McLenegan. This short study connects the history of the counties and communities on the lower Fox River: Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago Counties.

Geographical and statistical history of the county of Winnebago ... to which is prefixed a general view of the state of Wisconsin, together with a census table from its first settlement to the present time by Martin Mitchel and Joseph H. Osborn, (1856). The first published history of Winnebago County, it includes an overview plus sections on each Civil Town.

History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and early history of the Northwest by R. J. Harney, (1880). Over 300 pages of history, both general and on the cities and Civil Towns within the county. There is a list of farmers by Civil Town, with section, number of acres and post office address, and business directories for each city and village. Index to History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and early history of the Northwest by David A. Langkau (1992) increases access by offering a list of names in all the varied forms and spellings used.

History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: its cities, towns, resources, people by Publius V. Lawson, editor in chief. 1908. This history concentrates on urban areas and industries. Biographies of prominent businessmen are found in the last section of the book.

Biographical and Statistical History of the City of Oshkosh, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin: Its early history, progress, and present condition, prepared and published in the "Northwestern" (1867) provides more detail on the early history of Oshkosh, the county seat of Winnebago County and one of the fastest growing communities in the state.

Local Area Histories

Biographical and Statistical History of the City of Oshkosh, Winnebago Co., Wisconsin: Its early history, progress, and present condition, prepared and published in the "Northwestern" (1867) provides more detail on the early history of Oshkosh, the county seat of Winnebago County and one of the fastest growing communities in the state.

Westover, Ruth. Waukau, a history. Waukau centennial pageant. The Waukau Methodists, 1867-1986. These three items combine to give the history of Waukau, a once-prosperous village in the southwestern part of Winnebago County which has faded away. They are published here with the kind permission of Mrs. Westover's daughters.

Turner, Mildred. Building for tomorrow -- Eureka United Methodist Church: centennial, 1868-1968. This item is published with the kind permission of the author.

Velte, Charles H. Historic Lake Poygan. This history covers the people and industries around Lake Poygan, primarily in the Towns of Poygan and Wolf River where the author grew up.

• Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Welsh settlement centennial, 1847-1947 : a translation of . . . the jubilee book of 1897, giving the history of the Welsh of Winnebago and Fond du Lac counties . . . edited by the Rev. David Davies, and translated . . . by . . . the Rev. Howell D. Davies.
• Home coming celebration: seventy-fifth anniversary of the Oshkosh Welsh settlement. . . July 3, 1922, at the Bethesda Presbyterian Church, Pickett, Winnebago county, Wisconsin.
• Addresses given at the centennial of the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Welsh settlement, Bethesda Church, Town of Nekimi, Winnebago county, July 4-6, 1947: also the register of the 1,013 persons attending . . . .

These three items record the history of the Welsh settlement which covered much of the Towns of Utica and Nekimi in Winnebago County and adjoining towns in Fond du Lac County.

Omro Histories

Smith, Miriam J. History of Omro. Loose leaf narrative written between 1970 and 1976. The rights to this material are held jointly by the Omro Public Library and the Omro Historical Society who have granted permission for the digitization and publication to the Internet.

Gadbaw, Clayton. Schools of Omro. 1943. A thesis written for Lawrence University.

Brooks, Warren. Early Omro. Based on stories told by Mr. Brooks' father and grandfather.

Wright, P. M. History of Omro. Originally published in 1930 in the Omro Herald, which has granted permission for digitization and publication to the Internet.

Newbert, Millard. History of Steam Boats. Originally published in 1930 in the Omro Herald which has granted permission for digitization and publication to the Internet.

Early History of Omro; a memoir by an anonymous "Early Settler," who has since been identified as Harry Wilber.

Gould, W. W. Map of the Village of Omro, Wis., with surveyor's notes, 1890s.

Omro Photographs

74 images: photographs and post cards from the Omro Historical Society collection. Subjects include downtown, schools, churches, bridge, Fox River, and steamboats.

Atlases and Plat Maps

Geographic setting and land ownership information are supplied by Sectional Map of Winnebago County, Wisconsin. J.H. Osborn, 1855; Map of Winnebago County, drawn by G. A. Randall and C. Palmer, 1862; Map of Winnebago County, Wisconsin 1873, by E. M. Harney; Illustrated Atlas of Winnebago County by George A. Randall, 1889; Map of Winnebago Co. Wis., 1897; Standard Map of Winnebago County Wisconsin, 1902; Map and plat book of Winnebago County, Wisconsin: containing plats and diagrams of every city, town and village in the county ... Gorman and Saudea,1909. The rural maps show landowners, churches, cemeteries, schools, post offices and cheese factories.

Because the landowners' names are hand lettered on the plat maps, they are not fully searchable.

For the 1862 map, use Index to Map of Winnebago County, 1862, by Julie Schmude. Use the third section of the Index to Illustrated Atlas of Winnebago County to find the Civil Town and section in which a person's property was located in 1889. Follow this link to the 1900 and 1910 Winnebago County Directories on the Oshkosh Public Library‘s website for help in locating a person on the 1897, 1902 and 1909 plat maps. The 1873 map is searchable thanks to added indexing, prepared by volunteers Pam Grace and Kathy Gomoll of the Winnebagoland Genealogical Society.

The 1855 map was lent for this project by the Oshkosh Public Museum. The 1897 and 1902 maps were lent for this project by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

City of Oshkosh Maps

• Map of the City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. George Harrison, 1858
• Maps of Oshkosh City Wards, 1-5, Oshkosh, Wis. C. Palmer, City Surveyor, 1868
• Atlas of the City of Oshkosh, Wis. by Harvey W. Leach, 1895.

These City of Oshkosh maps show ward boundaries, subdivisions of blocks and lots, railroads, streetcar lines, schools, churches, governmental buildings, selected larger businesses and residences of some businessmen. The 1858 and 1868 maps were lent for this project by the Oshkosh Public Museum.

Biographical Information

Biographical information about early settlers and other prominent citizens can be found in History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and early history of the Northwest by R. J. Harney, (1880); History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: its cities, towns, resources, people by Publius V. Lawson and Illustrated Atlas of Winnebago County by George A. Randall. This last provides a major source on residents of the rural areas, with over half of the 700 biographical sketches coming from the Civil Towns and villages rather than the industrial centers of Oshkosh, Neenah and Menasha. Index to Illustrated Atlas of Winnebago County by David A. Langkau (1988) gives access to names within these sketches, most commonly of family members and business associates.