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- Pedrick Collection
- City Directories
- Obituary Database
- Newspapers
- High School Yearbooks
- Genealogy Resources
- Cemetery Records
In addition to the resources below - many of which are now available digitally through our website - the local history & genealogy section contains other useful materials such as plat books, old city directories, genealogical society newsletters, historical atlases and much more.
Please visit the Ripon Historical Society for additional information about the history of Ripon.
Pedrick Collection Digitization Project
The Ripon Public Library is conductiing an extensive project in cooperation with the Ripon Historical Society to digitize the Pedrick Historical 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.
City and County Directories
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.
Obituary Database
The Ripon Historical Society has compiled an obituary database using information from the local newspapers and countless volunteer hours. The index is now searchable by name and date, and will indicate either the death date or the actual newspaper date for the obituary of the person in question.
Ripon Newspapers
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.
Local High School Yearbooks
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.
We are currently investigating the possibility of digitizing the yearbook collection.
Genealogical Resources
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.
Cemetery Records
Ripon residents Joann and Melvin Ingram have spent many years cataloging the permanent residents of 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.
Warning for dial-up users: A few of these files are 3 MB or larger in size, and may take 10-30 minutes to download over a dial-up connection.
- Bethel Reeds Corners Cemetery Adobe PDF file [0.8 MB]
- Eureka Cemetery Adobe PDF file (compiled by Wilbur and Sandra Lewis) [1.6 MB]
- Garden of the Cross Adobe PDF file [0.6 MB]
- Hillside Cemetery Adobe PDF file [9.8 MB]
- Loper Cemetery Adobe PDF file [0.5 MB]
- Peace (German Evangelical Lutheran) Cemetery Adobe PDF file [0.2 MB]
- St. Patrick's Cemetery Adobe PDF file [3.0 MB]
- Woodlawn Cemetery Adobe PDF file [3.7 MB]
Cemeteries in or near the city of Ripon
