Local History

                View the Pedrick Genealogy Notebooks Digital Collection

The Ripon Public Library, in cooperation with the Ripon Historical Society, digitized the Pedrick Genealogy Notebooks Collection for both preservation and online accessibility. The collection consists of numerous historical and genealogical records kept by local historian Samuel Pedrick, a long-time Ripon resident and prominent figure in the city’s history. For more information on the collection left by Samuel Pedrick, please visit the Pedrick Collection Guide at Ripon College. Biographical information is also available from the Ripon College website. Please note: mentions of “Necrol” refer to Samuel Pedricks original working notebooks, which the library does not have available. These items are held by the historical society.

The Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce provides three self-guided walking tours of Ripon, covering the historic downtown, residential areas, and Ceresco. Visit https://www.ripon-wi.com for more information – we’ve provided PDF copies of the brochures here for your convenience.

Walking Tour – Ripon – Part A

Walking Tour – Ripon – Part B

Walking Tour – Ceresco

Our local history collection includes local city and/or county directories dating back to 1901. There are some gaps in the collection. These directories are for in-library use only.

Search vital records for the Winnefox service area

For obituaries published after 1961, the Ripon Historical Society has compiled an obituary database using information from the local newspapers and countless volunteer hours. The index (now part of the Winnefox Vital Records Index) is searchable by name and date and will usually indicate either the death date or the actual newspaper date for the obituary of the person in question. The full text of issues of the Ripon Commonwealth-Press from 2005 and newer are searchable online at http://badgerlink.newsmemory.com/wna/badgerlink/

A collection of back issues of Ripon newspapers on microfilm is available at the library, dating back to the mid 1800’s. Visit our Library Services page for a complete list of newspapers and dates.

Included in the library’s local history collection are local high school yearbooks. Please note that there are a number of gaps in the collection. If you would be willing to donate copies to help fill in the missing years, please contact the library.

Digital Yearbook Collection

Follow the link to view our digital yearbook collection, including several years’ worth of digitized issues (which the library believes to be in the public domain) of the RHS Tiger starting from 1917.

The library owns a large number of genealogical reference books of interest to those seeking information about the central Wisconsin area, as well as books related to immigration records and state history. The city directory collection stretches back to the turn of the century.

Books in the local history collection are for in-library use only and may not be checked out.

Ripon residents Joann and Melvin Ingram have spent many years cataloging many area cemeteries. The library’s copies of these records included several ring binders which were quickly falling into disarray. The contents have been scanned and digitized, and are now available online. Use the text links or the image maps below to select the cemetery of your choice.

Update: More recent cemetery records have been made available via the City of Ripon website for Hillside, Woodlawn, and the Garden of the Cross, including an Excel file with a complete index of names. Visit the City of Ripon Department of Public Works website for details.

Bethel Reeds Corners Cemetery

Eureka Cemetery (compiled by Wilbur and Sandra Lewis)

Cemetery_Garden_of_the_Cross

Cemetery_Hillside

Loper Cemetery

Peace (German Evangelical Lutheran) Cemetery

St. Patrick’s Cemetery

Woodlawn Cemetery