Awards and Historic Certificates

Posted on: July 27th, 2014 by

OCHS AWARDS

The Oconto County Historical Society has given preservation awards since 1998.  The categories and past recipients can be found here.

HISTORIC CERTIFICATES

There are sevaral state agencies that issue certificates honoring historic aspects of families.  The Wisconsin State Genealogical Society has Military, Pioneer, Century, and Family Reunion certificates that can be obtained at any time.  The Wisconsin Veterans Museum has Civil War and World War I certificates.  TheWisconsin State Fair has Sesquicentennial and Century Farm and Home certificates.  The deadline for application is March 1 of each year.

WISCONSIN STATE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

Civil War Ancestor Certificates

The Wisconsin State Genealogical Society issues certificates to persons who are directly or collaterally descended from Wisconsin Civil War ancestors. Applicants must prove direct descent or collateral descent and prove that the Civil War ancestor was born or lived in Wisconsin or enlisted in or served in a Wisconsin Civil War unit. Applicants may apply for certificates to be issued to themselves or to other persons. The person to whom the certificate is issued need not currently live in Wisconsin.The purpose of the Civil War Ancestor Certificate Program is to recognize families with Wisconsin roots, encourage people to undertake genealogical research, develop a database of information for researchers, and improve the quality of genealogical research.

Certificates cost $20.00 for WSGS members and $25.00 for non-members. Checks should be made payable to WSGS. See the Attachments section below for the application form, instructions and tips for filling out the form. An application worksheet is also attached to assist you with laying out your final application information.

To apply for a Civil War Ancestor Certificate simply complete the application and pedigree chart forms found below in the Attachments section, and mail them with a check payable to WSGS for the number of certificates requested to:

WSGS
Civil War Certificates
P. O. Box 5106
Madison, WI 53705-0106 

Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing.

For additional information write WSGS at the above address or send an e-mail message to wsgs@wsgs.org.

Pioneer & Century Certificates

The Wisconsin State Genealogical Society issues certificates to persons who are directly descended from Wisconsin pioneer or century ancestors. Applicants must submit evidence to prove direct descent and to prove that the ancestor

  • settled in Wisconsin prior to the year 1851 in the case of Pioneer Ancestors, or
  • over 100 years preceding the date of application in the case of Century Ancestors.

The purpose of the Pioneer/Century Certificate program is to recognize families with Wisconsin roots, encourage people to undertake genealogical research, develop a database of information for researchers, and to improve the quality of genealogical research. Applicants may apply for certificates to be issued to themselves or to other persons. The person to whom the certificate is issued need not currently live in Wisconsin.

Certificates cost $20.00 for WSGS members and $25.00 for non-members. Checks should be made payable to WSGS. See the Attachments section below for the application form, instructions and tips for filling out the form.

To apply for either Pioneer or Century Certificates simply complete the application form found below in the Attachments section, and mail it with a check payable to WSGSfor the number of certificates requested to:

WSGS
Pioneer & Century Certificates
P. O. Box 5106
Madison, WI 53705-0106 

Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing.

Three volumes of Some Pioneer Families of Wisconsin indexing the Pioneer and Century Certificate applications submitted from the beginning of the program through 2001 have been published and are available for sale from WSGS. Please see our Bookstore page for more information. Applications submitted since 2002 are not yet indexed nor is there an online searchable database available at this time.

For additional information write WSGS at the above address or send an e-mail message to wsgs@wsgs.org.

Family Reunion Certificates
The Wisconsin State Genealogical Society provides an attractive Family Reunion Certificate to honor Wisconsin families celebrating reunions.

The certificate shows the name of the Wisconsin family (for example, “The Smith Family,” “John L. Smith Family,” or “John L. and Betty (Martin) Smith Family”), the number of the reunion celebrated (1st, 2nd, 20th, etc.), and the date and place held.

  • The fee for the first copy of the certificate for any given reunion is $8.00. Additional copies issued at the same time and sent to the same address, are $3.00 each. This makes it possible for all who attend the reunion to receive a certificate.

To apply for Family Reunion Certificates simply complete the application form found below in the Attachments section, and mail it with a check payable to “WSGS” for the number of certificates requested to:

WSGS
Reunion Certificates
P. O. Box 5106
Madison, WI 53705-0106 

Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing.

For additional information write WSGS at the above address or send an e-mail message to wsgs@wsgs.org.

 

WISCONSIN VETERANS MUSEUM

Certificates of Service and Service Records

Commemorate and honor the military service of your Wisconsin ancestor with a souvenir Certificate of Service. Available for Wisconsin service members who served in the Civil War or World War I, these Certificates contain information taken from official sources that tell the story of your ancestor.
The Civil War Certificate of Service lists the full name of the soldier, date and place of enlistment, units affiliation, information on promotions or wounds received while in service, date of death or discharge, battles in which his regiment participated, and a brief regimental history. This single document provides a close look at the details of a soldier’s service while also providing the broad context of where he served and the battles he served in.
The World War I Certificate of Service contains full name of the service person, residence and age at enlistment, date and place of birth, eye and hair color, height, date and place of enlistment, units served with, ranks held, serial number, battles in which their unit participated, dates served overseas, and date and place of discharge, if that information is available in the original records.

You can purchase a Certificate of Service for $10.00 at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Gift Shop, or by mail. If ordering by mail, please use our online Civil War or World War I databases to confirm that the name you seek is present. Then send a check for $10.00 per Certificate, plus $2.00 shipping and handling, to the attention of:
Reference Archivist
Wisconsin Veterans Museum
30 W. Mifflin St.
Madison, WI 53703

 

WISCONSIN STATE FAIR

Each year the Wisconsin State Fair accepts applications for either Century or Sesquicentennial farms or homes.  The property must be continuously held by the same family.  To request a copy of either application, write to Century or Sesquicentennial Farm and Home Program, 640 South 84th Street, West Allis, WI 53214, or call Jill Albanese, Program Coordinator, at (414)777-0580.  Applications are NOT available on-line. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2013, and only one certificate is issued per property.