St. Croix Valley Genealogical Society to Celebrate 45 Years
St. Croix Valley Genealogical Society (SCVGS) became a chapter of the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society on April 19, 1979. It was organized by several individuals who shared a common interest in family history research. Initially the organization served Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix counties, but Polk County later formed their own society. People joined from across the area, but primarily from Hudson, River Falls, Ellsworth, New Richmond, and Somerset.
SCVGS has been involved in various service projects over the years. Most noteworthy are the following:
• Transcribed and photographed gravestones in all cemeteries in Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix counties in the 1980s and again in the 21st Century for all cemeteries in Pierce and St. Croix counties. These photographs have been uploaded to Find A Grave www.findagrave.com.
• Indexed the 1876 St. Croix County Plat Map; plat map with index is still available for purchase from SCVGS.
• Produced an every-name index to the two-volume History of the St. Croix Valley written by A. B. Easton in 1909. These volumes and the accompanying index are available in area libraries.
• Indexed the 1887 Polk County Plat Map.
• Charter member Willis Mueller indexed Hudson Star-Times newspapers 1890–1905 and Hudson Star-Observer newspapers 1909–2005 that contained over 56,000 entries for the Hudson area. After four years of data entry by SCVGS members, this index was made available on CD.
• Helped the Wisconsin Historical Society proof the Pre-1907 Marriages for St. Croix County.
• Helped index the 1940 and 1950 Federal Censuses, which are now available on www.familysearch.org.
• Helps the UWRF Area Research Center and Archives with indexing projects each year.
• Promotes A Most Beautiful and Handy Name: Wisconsin Place Names in the St. Croix Valley by Tim Ericson, former archivist at UWRF Area Research Center.
Anyone interested in family history is welcome to join in the celebration of our 45th Anniversary on Saturday, April 20 starting at 2:00 p.m. at HOPE Lutheran Church, 3337 Kingsbarn Avenue in River Falls. The speaker will be professional genealogist Paula Stuart-Warren. She will do her best to answer your pressing research questions, giving you tips and resources along the way. A Zoom link will be emailed to members who cannot attend in person; non-members who wish to participate virtually can obtain the link by sending a message to our Facebook page St. Croix Valley Genealogical Society. If you have any questions, contact Darcy at 715-307-5149.
