External Links & Research Resources
Use these resources, most of which are free to access, to begin your research journey.
Call For Family Histories
If your family has been in the Mishicot area for generations, please consider writing up a family history (preferably) or recording one in an audio file and sending it to the museum for publication on our website. We also welcome family photos, movies, tapes, and other research discoveries. See below for tips on getting started.
- Manitowoc County Historical Society
- Manitowoc County Genealogy
- Manitowoc County Genealogical Society
- Two Rivers Historical Society
- Lester Public Library Resources
- Manitowoc Public Library Resources
- Newspapers.com (7-day free trial)
- BadgerLink Access To Newspapers.com
- Mishicot Maps & Atlases
- Manitowoc County Płat Maps
- Sanborn Fire Maps
- Historical Topographic Maps
- Wisconsin LiDAR (3D) Imagery
- Wisconsin Historial Aerial Imagery Finder
- 1978 Manitowoc County Aerial Photos
David Brouchoud Photo Collection
University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
Wisconsin Historical Society Photo Collection
History Of Manitowoc County School Districts (1948)
Getting Started With Family History Research (PDF Guide)
Jindra & Chaloupka Family Histories
Mishicot Home Movies by Roy Jindra (1960s–70s)
Rural Manitowoc County Home Movies
Compiling A Family History
Beginning to research your family history can feel overwhelming, especially if you don’t have many records to start with. Begin by using the resources above to find leads, then reach out to relatives with what you find — just one name or location can spark a memory. From there, you can start to build a narrative. Examples include life stories, changes, military service and occupations, ups and downs over the years, triumphs, and the tragedies that all families experience.
If you’re stuck, try these prompts:
- What countries and towns did your ancestors emigrate from, and what year (if known)?
- What did they do when they got here (farmed, worked, etc.)?
- What were the details of their lives, their farm or business, dramas.
- Where did they go to school, to church, and where did they get married?
- Did different branches of your family do different things?
- Were there any family tragedies?
- What kind of social life did they have?
- What were weddings like in the past? Funerals?
- Did some of your relatives have unique personalities? Were there unusual things about your family?
- Do you remember stories that family members used to tell?
- How did your family life change over the years?
- What customs or traditions did your family have? Did you develop new ones?
- In more recent times, how has your family changed?
- How has life changed since you grew up? How has work changed?
- How has Mishicot changed?
Photos bring your stories to life. That old box of snapshots or negatives on the shelf is an important part of not just your family’s history, but the history of our community. The museum welcomes multimedia artifacts of all kinds, and can freely assist you in scanning or transferring these items to a digital format if you’re not tech savvy or don’t have the equipment.
When you’re ready, please contact us with what you have to share.
Mishicot Historical Museum 