Do you know who were the first settlers in Orfordville?

How to Find Your Family History

Gather names, birthrates, marriage dates, death dates, places, and any documents (birth certificates, marriage licenses, obituaries, family Bibles, diaries, letters, photographs).
Interview living relatives. Record or take careful notes about names, stories, places, occupations, migration patterns, and unusual spellings.

Create a family tree chart (use paper or software). Note where each fact came from.
Keep copies of records and write full citation details for each source so you can revisit or verify later.

Birth, marriage, and death records are primary sources; county clerks, state vital records offices, and local health departments hold these.
Check county courthouse records for wills, probate files, deeds, and guardianship papers—these often reveal relationships and property transfers.
Visit or contact local libraries, historical societies, and genealogy rooms for newspapers, city directories, cemetery records, and local family files.
U.S. federal census records (every 10 years) list household members, ages, birthplaces, occupations, and immigration/naturalization clues. State and territorial censuses can fill gaps between federal years.Church registers often contain baptisms, marriages, and burials before civil registration was common.
Cemetery transcriptions and tombstone inscriptions provide dates and family groupings. Local cemetery associations or Find A Grave-style databases may help.
Obituaries often list family members, birthplaces, and life events. Local newspapers can include marriage announcements, legal notices, and social news that add context.
Land deeds, grants, and tax lists can show where ancestors lived and when they moved. Plat maps and land surveys identify property boundaries tied to family names.

Major genealogy websites aggregate records and user-submitted trees; they can speed research but always verify facts with original documents.
Use indexed records, scanned images, and transcription tools, but confirm spellings and dates against primary sources.

Wills and probate inventories name heirs, relationships, and sometimes personal property that indicates occupation or wealth.

Focus on locality and migration paths

Track where ancestors lived over time. Movement between counties, states, or countries is often documented in census records, deeds, and passenger lists.
Build timelines to spot gaps and target records by place and date.

Webpage Email: luthervalleyhistorical@gmail.com Phone: (608) 290-1411 Address: 215 Janesville St Footville, WI, United States, Wisconsin 53537