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Polk County, Wisconsin Genealogy and History

Home » Wisconsin Counties and Towns » Polk County

Established: 1853
County Seat: Balsam Lake
Parent: St. Croix County

* Records before the establishment of the county may be in the parent records.

Neighboring Counties

From: Handbook of Wisconsin by S. Silas, 1855

POLK.

pg. 94-95

This County comprises the northern part of the old County of St. Croix, and embraces on area of territory of about 2,600 square miles. But a very small portion of the county has been settled, a large portion of good farming and timber lands being yet in possession of Government. The general characteristics of the southern part are about the same as the rest of the St. Croix Valley, there being however, more wood and pine lands than in Pierce or St. Croix Counties. There is not so much prairie, but the country is ore diversified having timber, prairie and openings all over the southern part.

The central portion of the County, for the space of about one hundred square miles is nearly covered with heavy timber, consisting mostly of maple, butternut, and oak, watered by countless numbers of small lakes, full of fish. The region affords ample scope for the lovers of angling, in the abundance of trout, and other fish.

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 1867
Deaths 1865
Marriages 1855

Polk Register of Deeds
100 Polk County Plaza, Suite 160 
Balsam Lake, WI 54810-9071 
Telephone: (715) 485-9240

Cemetery and Obituary Links

Census Links

Censuses contain valuable information about families. This section contains links to transcribed censuses, census indexes or census images for the county.

Residents of the County

This section contains links to family tree websites, biographies and information about individuals that lived in the county.

Area History

This section contains links of published histories and historical information about the county, its villages, cities or towns. Sometimes within these histories is information about founders, or other people that settled in the area. It may also include ethnic or religious histories of the communities.

Maps and Atlases

Military

Societies, Libraries and Offline Resources