Requesting Paid Research Assistance

 About Your Research Request
The RCGS accepts requests for look-ups and to answer specific research questions. Include your name, address, email address and phone number with your research request. The research staff are busy; priority is given to members' requests. Please consider joining the Society to get these benefits:

• prioritize your research request,
• get free admission to the Library & Archives,
• receive discounts on fees and copy costs,
• get a Genealogy Jump-Start for one ancestor,
• and to support local research.

HOW TO REQUEST RESEARCH ASSISTANCE:

• You can Visit the Library and Archives and conduct your own research on days and at times that the Charles Tallman Home is open to the public . An admission fee of $10 is waived for members of both the Rock County Genealogical and Historical Societies. At no extra charge, library staff are generally available to assist you with accessing the card catalog and pulling records for your on-site review. Copy costs apply (no smart phone or digital camera copies are allowed).
• You can Request Research Now Online:​           

             Click to see the RCGS Research Request Form 

• You can Request Research by Email:          Click Email: Society Library Email 
• You can Request Research by US Mail:​

              Attn. Library Manager 
              Rock County Genealogical Society
              PO Box 0936
              Janesville, WI 53547-0936

Please Include with any research request:

• Full Name of Individual(s) whose record is sought 
• Dates & Locations of birth, marriage, and death
• Spouse's Name, date & Location of birth and death
• Full Name of Father and Mother of Individual 
• The Type of Record(s) Sought (death, burial, etc.), 
• Date of Record Sought known or Approximate

​Archive & Library Contents: The Archives consist of 3,000 Tallman family papers from 1830-1880, 12,000 bound volumes, 40 vertical file drawers of manuscripts and clippings, 500 volumes of school records, business records, and yearbooks, over 20 cubic feet of maps, an extensive photograph collection, abstracts (currently inaccessible), 14,000 probate records, Rock County civil court records (transferred to UW-Whitewater Area Research Center), extensive Rock County cemetery records, indexes to Rock County birth, marriage, and death records (full records housed at the Rock County Courthouse), an assortment of diaries, and other family records, over 500 Scrapbooks and the library and archival collections of the Rock County Genealogical Society. The holdings are non-circulating. 

All About the Charles Tallman Archives & Research Center

Library & Archive Hours: Archives are open Wednesday & Friday, 10 am - 4 pm and Thursday 10 am - 7 pm. Note: Closed January, February & Holidays. Call ahead at (608) 752-5891 to make sure the facility is open on the date of your planned visit. No food, beverage or smoking is allowed. Use of smart phone cameras, scanners and digital cameras are forbidden. The RCGS Library & RCHS Archives are closed holidays. 
Admission Fees: Admission is free to Society Members, but there is a $10 per day admission fee if you are not a member of the Rock County Historical Society  or Rock County Genealogical Society which share space and records at the newly restored Charles Tallman Home located at 430 N. Jackson St., Janesville, WI on the grounds of the historic Lincoln-Tallman Museum. The Charles Tallman Home Library and Archives  are available for supervised and assisted research by Society volunteers.

Library Research Services & Fees: 

Fees vary depending on membership status, volume of copies, complexity and time required to fulfill the request:

Library Research Services include:

• Buy the Full RCGS Indexes: When you find an ancestor's name in one of our online indexes, you can buy the full version of any RCGS publication at our Store Page listing over 40 indexes, maps and guide books resources for sale.
• Buy a Snippet from the Full RCGS Index: When you find an ancestor's name in one of our online indexes, for a small fee, the RCGS research staff will photocopy and email your ancestor's information from the full version of the index.
• Buy a Copy of the Original Source: For a fee, researchers will travel to local libraries or the court house to obtain copies of probate files, vital records (birth, marriage & death), and newspaper clippings.
• Genealogy Jump-Start research report: Yearly, at no charge, RCGS Members may request a search of the Societies' card file and selected RCGS indexes for an individual ancestor or surname. Society researchers then prepare a detailed listing (bibliography, not copies of records) of the Library's holdings. Members' written requests should include Name, Location and Time frame for their Rock County ancestor or surname and be mailed by US Post or emailed to the Library. After receiving their completed "Jump Start" report, RCGS members may then visit the Library to research their ancestors, or, at reduced member rates, request library staff to do more detailed research. 
• General Research Inquiries & Fees: The Library research staff also undertake more open-ended research on an hourly fee basis. Indivisuals and non-profit organizations are charged a research fee of $20 per hour with a minimum fee of one hour. Businesses are charged a fee of $40 for the first hour and $20 for each additional hour with a minimum fee of one hour.​

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