We are especially blessed to have great genealogical resources for Jefferson County, Iowa.  The foundation for this was laid by the work of Mary and Orville Prill.  In the 1960s and and into the late 1970s this couple tramped and recorded the cemeteries of the county.  Mary's passion was genealogy.  She spent literally years daily researching the library sources, microfilms, old newspapers and courthouse records to meticulously organize and type the material into thirteen large volumes for the shelves of the library and Iowa Genealogical Society. 
Before Mary Prill died in 1979 she had enlisted the help of Verda Baird as well as others in the work she had been doing in Jefferson County genealogy.  Orville Prill died in 1997. 

Bill Rathbun, Co-County Coordinator
Joey Stark Co-County Coordinator

 Verda proved to be a good one to carry on the work.  Since that time she has updated much of the work of the Prills and has moved ahead to publish 25 or more books and articles for the local genealogy library.  During many of those years up to 2005 she has served as the Corresponding Secretary for the Jefferson County Genealogical Society.  Over 4,000 researches have called on Verda to help them and found her to be a wellspring of information.  No one else in this county is more knowledgeable about the families of this county than Verda Baird.