The Changing Landscapes of Wisconsin: A Digital Archive of Historic Aerial Photographs can be accessed here: https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AAerialWI

Memorial Cards:

A Unique Resource Found in the
Jackson County History Room

Most researchers will agree that each Library/History Room has a unique resource for those seeking family information. A resource unique to the Black River Falls Public library-Jackson County History Room are Memorial Cards. Today, researchers will find over 3,400 donated Memorial Cards to review and copy for their family histories.

Historian Mary I. Murray Woods states that the project began when she became historian in December 1994. Mary’s father, William Murray, had a large collection of Memorial Cards, and the family did not know what to do with them. Mary found the perfect home for the cards – the Jackson County History Room.

A former volunteer in the History Room, Donna Rousey, began indexing the cards. Being she was active in the Alma Center Cemetery and worked closely with area funeral directors she was given Memorial Cards for many of the area funerals. Throughout the years, the collection grew as families, aware of the History Room’s Memorial Card Collection, gave cards they found when cleaning out a loved one’s home or closing out an estate. 

Recently Volunteer Trudy Rosenbaum Arrington put all the card names on a database for researchers to search by name. Woods stated, “Trudy is a wonderful volunteer and having this project on a database is a great resource for History Room visitors.”  Woods adds, “Memorial Cards contain information that can be helpful in many ways, such as the names of pallbearers who may not be relatives, but friends and neighbors. These friends and neighbors may offer a personal story or life experience of the deceased which again, adds to the family’s history.”   

Those interested in searching the Memorial Cards database, may contact Historian Woods by email at m.woods@wrlsweb.org or by visiting the Black River Falls Public Library-Jackson County History Room, 222 Fillmore Street, Black River Falls, WI  54615.  Mary may also be reached by calling, 715-284-4112 Ext 3.  The History Room is open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or by appointment.