Madison County Bibliography

Madison County Histories

All of the books listed herein are relevant to Madison County genealogical research. The histories listed contain significant lists of residents or biographical data. All are available in the Winterset Public Library, Earlham Public Library, or the Madison County Historical Museum. Links are provided to those available online.

1869 History and Business Directory of Madison County, Iowa
The earliest known printed history of Madison County, it contains a number of early settler biographies. (J.J. Davies; Wills & Co. Printers and Publisher, Des Moines)

1875 Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa,
Includes Madison County map, town maps, lists of many county residents by township, plus etchings of a few homes. (A.T. Andreas; Andreas Atlas Co, Chicago)

1879 History of Madison County, Iowa
The premier source of early history including townships, towns, businesses, government, etc. All of the biographies from this book are on-line at the Madison County Biographies Website. (Union Historical Company, Des Moines)

1896 A Memorial and Biographical Record of Iowa
Several of Madison County's more illustrious men have a biography within this book. All of the biographies from this book are on-line at the Madison County Biographies Website. (Lewis Publishing Co, Chicago)

1915 History of Madison County (Iowa) & Its People: Volume I
1915 History of Madison County (Iowa) & Its People: Volume II
Volume I contains Madison County history and those who made it. Volume II contains family- contributed biographies. Both volumes contain a surname index. All of the biographies from this book are on-line at the Madison County Biographies Website. (Herman A. Mueller, ed.; S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago)

1984 History of Madison County, Iowa, 1846–1984
County-wide organizational histories and family-contributed biographies. You may search or browse each page.
(Compiled by the Madison County Genealogical Society; Taylor Publishing Co., Dallas.)

Through The Seasons, Winterset, Iowa, 1849–1999
Contains over 70 family histories written by descendents for Winterset's 150th year.
You may search or browse each page. (Winterset, Sesquicentennial Committee)

Rev. Cal Ogburn Reminisces of His Youth
Cal Ogburn (1855-1945) was a pastor, well-educated, and an author of several religious books. He grew up in the southeast portion of the county and deeply appreciated Madison County history. Click here to read his obituary.

     Boyhood Days of an Old Hawkeye
     In the 1930s, Ogburn wrote several articles for the Winterset Madisonian. Those and many
     more articles are gathered into this resource covering the middle to late 1800s.

Log Cabin Days
More remembrances, in narrative form.

Pioneer History of Earlham, Iowa
A compilation of pioneer stories, Bear Creek (Friends) history, and early maps of northwest Madison and southwest Dallas counties. (Sarah Nunamacher; Earlham Chautauqua Club; 1928))

History of Quaker Divide
"Struggles and Accomplishment of First Settlers." A history of the Bear Creek Friends church, events, and many families in the Earlham area. (Darius B. Cook, Dexter Sentinel, 1914)

Earlham, Iowa 1870 - Centennial - 1970
Earlham and organizational histories with many historic photographs. (Centennial Historical Committee)

Earlham 125th Anniversary - 25 Year Supplement
Earlham community happenings during the years of 1970 to 1995. (125th Anniversary Committee)

Truro Centennial, 1884–1984
Truro area history and family biographies.

Old Settlers of St. Charles, Iowa
Volumes 1-3; Stories of the people of the St. Charles area. (Mae Hulbert , St. Charles citizen)

Macksburg & Neighbors
History and stories of the Grand River Township area. (Pauline Parrott & Marjory Schutz; 2001-2002)

East Peru Iowa: Centennial History Book, 1887-1987
Over 400 pages with the first half dedicated to the history of Peru, East Peru, and Walnut Township. The remainder contains family histories. (Audubon Publishing)

Lorimor: First Hundred Years 1887-1987
Lorimor is in Union County, just south of Madison County's southern border. Its history often intertwines with Madison County families. A free subscription to FamilySearch.org is required to access this book for browsing or searching. (Lorimor Centennial Book Committee; 1987)

Family Histories

The titles listed below provide brief family histories and lineages of former and present Madison County residents. All are available at the Winterset Public Library along with many more.

History of the Clark Family of Madison County, Iowa, Ada M. Hoots, 1937.
The book is available to view and download at archive.org.

Ancestors and Descendants of Wesley and Huldah Wilson Cox of Madison County, Iowa, Mabel Manz, 1983, Library of Congress #83-150962.

Eyerly Family History, Dean Eyerly, Iowa, ca 1972. This book documents the Eyerly family back to the original immigrant. This book was not donated to any libraries and was distributed only to family members.

Roseman Family, Leland Rosemond, 1938. This book documents the Roseman family back to Europe. A copy of this book can be obtained here.

Sayre Family...another 100 years Volume IV, by Ralph Hall Sayre. One of a 5 volume set, this volume covers, among others, Absolom Sayre and wife Rachel McDaniel who came from West Virginia by way of Warren County and settled near St. Charles ca 1858. The author suggests that Volume I will also be of value. The book is available print-on-demand from iUniverse

The Wights, Volume II, 1977, an update of the first volume. There is a very active Wight family organization. Volume II has over 6000 names in it. As of early 1996, originals of the second volume were still available from the Wight Family organization P.O. Box 295, Fort Ogden, Florida 33842

Wissler, Orth, Krell, Schnellbacher and Other Descendants of Henry W. Wissler, Jr., Edition II, Kent G. Transier, 1998. Wisslers, Krells and Schnellbachers were 1850s settlers of Webster Township. The book contains many biographies and photos of the subject and related families. A CD ROM of an updated 2004 edition of this book in PDF format can be obtained from the author, Kent Transier.