Here you will find updat
ed information about our meetings and projects, as well as how we can assist you with your own family research. You will find a vast amount of Madison County, Iowa genealogical information available online at iagenweb.org/madison/
Madison County Historical Society
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
9:00 am in the Museum Lounge
If you missed this at the MC Genealogical Society May meeting, here is another opportunity.
Built in 1876, a bit north of Winterset, the buildings and farm were to provide refuge for the poor. Madison County owned the farm throughout the years, even when it became an adult nursing home in 1956, and later a residential facility for the impaired. In 2002, the buildings were sold then burned, with much community discussion about preserving its history. Linda Griffith Smith will tell its story as using 125 years of newspaper articles, censuses and cemetery ledgers.
The program is free and open to all.
Madison County Genealogical Society Meeting
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
6:00 pm at Winterset Public Library
“19th Century Quakers (Friends) in Iowa”
Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) started moving into Iowa before its statehood in 1835, establishing 83 meetings for worship before 1900. Today only 44 active meetings remain in the state. Glenn York, MCGS member from Fort Collins, Colorado, will discuss the early Quaker settlements and spread throughout Iowa. Where did these people come from? Why did they come to Iowa? Where did these people go? What impact did these Quaker have in early Iowa history. We’ll explore these questions and more in this presentation.
The free program is open to all; membership not required. A business meeting will follow for those who choose to stay.
Click here for the handout with more information and helpful web links.
If you are a fan of Madison County’s digitized newspapers, hosted by the Winterset Public Library, or if you reach it through its address of www.winterset.advantage-preservation.com or winterset.historyarchives.online/, or… at Madison County’s IAGenWeb homepage under NEWSPAPERS, this message is for you.
The look and feel of the website has been updated to make it more accessible to all users, such as visually impaired, etc. That’s a good thing! Learn about using the updated version here: https://communityhistoryarchives.com/archive-resources/
** UPDATE 6/1/2026 ** After feedback from Madison County (and probably many others) Advantage Archives has already made improvements. You can once again type in the dates you desire and pages you visited are noted with a box around that reference.
One new feature is that once you have looked at a page of newsprint, you can move to the next reference without having to go back to the list of 10 per page. That’s nice!!
Note: earlham.advantage-preservation.com was not affected.
Madison County Genealogical Society Meeting
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
6:00 pm at Winterset Public Library
The Madison County Poor Farm
Built in 1876, a bit north of Winterset, the buildings and farm were to provide refuge for the poor. Madison County operated the farm until 1956 when it became an adult nursing home, and later a residential facility for the impaired. In 2002, the farm was sold then burned, with much community discussion about preserving its history. Linda Griffith Smith, MCGS member, will tell its story after researching 125 years of newspaper articles.
The program is open to all; membership not required. A business meeting will follow for those who choose to stay.
Madison County Genealogical Society Meeting
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
6:00 pm at Winterset Public Library
CENSUS RECORDS – Digging Deeper
Donna Crow, MCGS member, will help us look for census information clues other than just names, birth dates and birth places. Clues about marriage(s), deceased children, naturalization, home ownership, and military service are abundant in census records. Helpful handouts included.
The program is open to all; membership not required. A business meeting will follow for those who choose to stay.
The final issue of the MCGS newsletter was sent to members on December 31, 2025 via email or US mail. The last 42 newsletters can be viewed by clicking the Newsletter Archive link to the right. You will find project information, photos of members, and genealogy tips for Madison County and beyond.
MCGS will continue to highlight their activities through this webpage and on Facebook at: Madison County IA Family History
In November The Winterset Madisonian newspaper asked MCGS to provide an article on their work with veteran gravestones to in Madison County’s 53 counties. Read the submitted article here. Please note that caption for the photo of the Marquardt’s should read, “Ryan Marquardt and son Zane place a gravestone for Archibald Parker, War of 1812 veteran, in Viney Cemetery,” Pictured below is MCGS member Donna Wenzl, with her daughter Abbey, after placing a marker at the gravesite of Donna’s maternal great-grandfather, Solomon DeLong, a veteran of the War of 1812.
Madison County Genealogical Society Meeting
Tuesday, October 7 in Winterset Library meeting room
NEW EARLIER TIME at 6:00 pm
Our program, starting at 6:00 pm, will look at two online databases to discover what land your ancestors owned in Madison County. Often, in a search for family history, exactly where your ancestors lived, whether on a farm or in town, adds much to their story. Linda Smith will show how to navigate initial land patents from the government, as well as, subsequent local land sales. The program will be recorded to be posted soon after and include a handout.
The program is open to all; membership not required. A business meeting will follow for those who choose to stay.
Madison County Genealogical Society 