Requesting Research Help

 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 annotated bibliography 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 Milton House Museum is open to the public . An admission fee of $10 is waived for members of both the Rock County Genealogical  Milton House Museum Societies. At no extra charge, library staff are generally available to assist you with accessing and pulling records for your on-site review. Copy costs apply (no smart phone or digital camera copies allowed).
• You can Request Research Now Online:​  

            Click 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:

• Your Name & Contact Info, including mailing address, e-mail & phone number
• Full Name of ancestor(s) whose record is sought 
• Dates & Locations of ancestor(s)' birth, marriage, and death if known
• Ancestors' Spouse's Name, date & Location of birth and death if known
• Full Name of Father and Mother of ancestor(s) if known
• The Type of Record(s) Sought (death, burial, etc.), 
• Date of Record Sought known or approximate

Library Contents: The RCGS Library consist of  thousands of research resources, including hundreds of bound research books, manuscripts, bibles, diaries, manuscripts and pamphlets, many dozens of family histories and pioneer biographies, extensive Rock County cemetery records, indexes to Rock County birth, marriage, and death records , an assortment of other family records, including over 500 scrapbooks in the library and archival collections of the Rock County Genealogical Society Milton House Museum. Most holdings are non-circulating, but a few are loanable to members of the societies. 

Our Research Center & Reading Room

RCGS LIBRARY RESEARCH CENTER & READING ROOM HOURS: 
Archives are open Wednesday & Thursdays 10 -am - 3 pm and Friday 10 am - 2 pm.

• Call ahead to the Milton House Museum at (608) 868-7772 to make sure the facility is open on the date of your planned visit.
• Small lockers are provided for personal belongings while in the Research Center.
• No pens or other permanent markers are allowed.
• No food, beverage or smoking is allowed.
• Use of smart phones, scanners and digital cameras are forbidden.
• The RCGS Library & Milton House Museum Archives are closed holidays. 
  

Admission Fees: Admission is free to both RCGS and Milton House Museum members, a $10 per day admission fee applies to others.   Society volunteers supervise and assist with visitors' research while at the Research Center.

Library Research Services & Fees: 

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

Library Research Options include:

• Buy the Full RCGS Indexes: When you find an ancestor's name in one of our truncated online indexes, you can buy the full version of any RCGS publication at our Store Page listing over 50 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 Rock County Courthouse 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 selected RCGS books and indexes for a single or surname. Society researchers then prepare a detailed listing (bibliography, not copies of records) of the Library's holdings containing the surname. Members' written requests should include Name, Location and Time frame for their Rock County ancestor sent to us by US Post or email at the Library. After you receive a ompleted "Jump Start" report, you may then visit the Library to research an ancestor, or, at reduced member rates, request library staff to perform more detailed research. 
  
• General Research Inquiries & Fees: The Library research staff also undertake more open-ended research on an hourly fee basis. Individuals 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 per hour.​
  

---