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Established as a county: 1848
County Seat: Friendship
Parent: Portage County

Latitude: +43.955460
Longitude: -089.941771

Neighboring Counties

Wood County – northwest Portage County – northeast Waushara County – east Marquette County – east Columbia County – southeast Sauk County – southwest Juneau County – west

From: Handbook of Wisconsin by S. Silas, 1855

ADAMS.--Population 6,467. (circa 1855)

pg. 46-48

This County lies on the Wisconsin, and is also watered by the Lemonwier, Neceda, Yellow, Roche a Cre, and numerous smaller steams. The valley of the Lemonwier contains as good land for agricultural purposes, as any in the State. The valley is some forty miles long by twenty in width, is gently undualating, intersected by many beautiful streams of the purest soft water; and what adds much to the value of the land is the existence of water everywhere at a depth of ten to twenty feet below the surface.

The timber consists of black, white, and burr oak, with an occasional mixture of poplar, maple and basswood, oak openings predominate, yet there are many groves of dense forest. The soil there is warm, quick, and exceedingly productive. Pine of excellent quality is cut on the upper waters of the Lemonwier and Yellow Rivers, which has brought into existence numerous saw mills on the lower waters, and numerous thriving villages are springing up around them.

Between the Yellow and Lemonwier Rivers, the country is level, in the rest of the county generally undulating, and good for agriculture. There is much good subject to entry, and it will not be long before Adams county will contain a large population. The land office for nearly the whole of this county is at Steven's Point.

Germantown, on the Wisconsin, at the mouth of the Yellow River, is the county seat, and has a good location for future prosperity. It is in the centre of a fertile district which is rapidly settling. Eight saw mills on the Yellow River, and all doing a prosperous business, send their lumber down the River to the Wisconsin, at this place.

Mauston, on the Lemonwier, is the largest village, having the usual indications of growth in its hotels, stores, shops, &c. It is located at one of the best water powers on the river, on which are a saw mill, lathe and picket mill, &c. A flouring mill is soon to be erected. Most of the pine from above is manufactured into lumber at this point. Maugh's Mills is the name of the Post Office.

Quincy, Cascade, Dell Prairie, Neceda, Dustin's Mills, and Wauceda, are all new and flourishing villages.

The County is healthy, and affords good inducement, not only to the farmer, but to the mechanic of almost every kind.

The La Crosse and Milwaukee Rail Road passes through this county, following up the west side of the Wisconsin River to the Lemonwier, and up the Valley of this River to Monroe County.

By an act of the Legislature passed during the session of 1855, this county is divided by the Wisconsin River, making the County of Juneau on the west side, subject to approval by the voters of the County in November. There is little doubt the County will be so divided.

General Genealogy and History Links

This section contains links to websites that have multiple databases or webpages with genealogical information.

Vital Records

Birth, Death, & Marriage Records: Earliest Registration Dates*:

• Births 1857
• Deaths 1876
• Marriages 1857

*Records may contain dates previous to year listed. The registration may have occurred some time after the event date.

Adams County Register of Deeds:
402 N. Main St.
P.O. Box 219 Friendship, WI 53934-9375
Telephone: (608) 339-4206

Cemetery and Obituary Links

Census Links

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Residents of the County

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Area History

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Maps and Atlases

Military

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