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Wisconsin Public Records
| How
To Search Public and Vital Records -
Vital records are records of life events important enough that
some level of government acquires, organizes, and preserves
them. While the term "vital records" is often applied
to a wide variety of life events... Read
more |
Wisconsin Vital Records
Wisconsin issued marriage applications as early as the 1820s in some
counties, although most jurisdictions began maintaining them with
county organization. In 1852, the state directed the counties to record
births and deaths, a mandate generally ignored. In 1878 a similar
law received more attention and adherence. However, it was 1907 before
the State Bureau of Vital Statistics was established.
For birth, marriage, and death records from earliest to present, write:
Wisconsin State Department of Health, Vital Records Services, One
West Wilson Street, P.O. Box 309, Madison, WI 53701-0309
Records can also be obtained by writing to the clerk
of the county in question.
Wisconsin Census Records
Federal censuses for the state of Wisconsin begin in 1840 and continue
every ten years thereafter. They are currently available through
1920 (except for the mostly destroyed 1890 census). All are indexed
except 1910. The censuses for 1820 and 1830 are included with the
Michigan Territory. The 1820–70 censuses for Wisconsin were
indexed by the WPA, listing each individual within the state in
a given census year.
The original schedules for Wisconsin territorial and state censuses,
with few exceptions, are in the State Archives at the State Historical
Society of Wisconsin. Microfilm copies are available in the microforms
reading room, through interlibrary loan, and for purchase. They
date from 1836 to 1905. Of most benefit are the 1875, 1885, 1895,
and 1905 enumerations. The schedules for 1905 have been indexed
by county.
Wisconsin Land Records
Wisconsin is a federal-land state. Lands were generally acquired
from the federal government or from other individuals. The local
records of the nine GLO district offices are at the Commissioner
of Public Lands, 127 West Washington Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin
53703. Many records of the Commissioners of Public Lands are in
the State Archives, State Historical Society of Wisconsin. These
include copies of original federal survey plat books, 1834–58,
and various other records. The State Archives, State Historical
Society of Wisconsin, holds copies of all Wisconsin Local Land Office
Tract Books, showing original owners or recipients of most land
in Wisconsin. The BLM Eastern States Land Office in Springfield,
Virginia, has patents, copies of tract books, and township plats.
The National Archives holds the land-entry case files. For government
purchases within the state, consult the Bureau of Land Management,
Eastern States Office's patent indexes available on CD-ROM through
various genealogical vendors and through:
Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents
P.O. Box 371954
Pittsburgh, PA 5250-7954
This patent index is also found among the database
searches available at the Ancestry.com web site (www.ancestry.com).
Subsequent land transactions after initial ownership are recorded
in the county's register of deeds. Most counties have grantor/grantee
indexes to their land records. Additional information is available
in Paul W. Gates, "Frontier Land Business in Wisconsin,"
Wisconsin Magazine of History 52 (1962): 306–27, and Frederick
N. Trowbridge, "Confirming Land Titles in Early Wisconsin,"
Wisconsin Magazine of History 26 (1942): 314–22. For further
information about land and property research in general, consult:
Hone, E. Wade. Land and Property Research in the United States.
Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997.
Wisconsin Court Records
Court records include probate records (which include wills), guardianship,
naturalization, and a wide variety of other sources, ranging from
criminal trials to simple road orders. All contain information about
individuals within the area. It should be remembered that there
are different levels of jurisdiction for courts in the United States,
all of which should be considered for research under various circumstances.
Court of Common Pleas, Orphan's Court, Probate Court, District Court,
Superior Court, Supreme Court, and other titles are among those
encountered. To study more about court records in general, see "Research
in Court Records," by Arlene H. Eakle, in:
Szucs, Loretto Dennis, and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, eds. The
Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Rev. ed. Salt Lake City:
Ancestry, 1997.
Wisconsin Military Records
The State Historical Society of Wisconsin has very few records of
Wisconsin residents involved in military action prior to the Civil
War. When beginning a search for a Wisconsin Civil War veteran consult:
Wisconsin Adjutant General's Office, Wisconsin Volunteers, War of
the Rebellion, 1861–1865 (Madison, Wis.: Democrat Printing
Co., 1914); an alphabetical index (also available on microfiche)
to the Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865,
2 vols. (Madison: Democrat Printing Co., 1886); and William G. Paul's
Wisconsin's Civil War Archives (Madison: State Historical Society
of Wisconsin, 1965).
A certificate of service for Civil War service can be obtained from
the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. The certificate will
usually show name, physical description, occupation, rank, when
and where enlisted, by whom enlisted, for how long, when and where
mustered into service, and date of termination of service. Birthplace
is frequently given, although if foreign it will only state the
country. With this certificate, the society will include a brief
history of the respective regiment. No pension records, outside
of those available through the National Archives, exist for Wisconsin.
The State Archives of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin
is the repository for other numerous miscellaneous records pertaining
to Wisconsin residents and units in the Civil War. These include
records of the quartermaster general and various regiments. Of special
importance to the genealogist are county draft books, lists of persons
eligible for military service, regimental muster rolls, hospital
reports, certificates of service, duty rosters, and records of the
disposition of personal effects.
The archive has a manuscript index for the Spanish-American War;
staff will check the index and their records and provide a summary
upon request. There are no records in the archives for veterans
of World Wars I and IIor the Korean or Vietnam conflicts. Information
from the index of graves registrations for veterans buried in Wisconsin
through 1970 is available through the Wisconsin Department of Veterans
Affairs, Records Section, P.O. Box 7843, Madison, WI 53707. For
further military records information, consult:
Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and
State Sources. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1994.
Additional Sources
Draper, Lyman Copeland, and Reuben Gold Thwaites, eds. Collections
of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Madison, Wis.: the
society, n.d. (twenty-one volumes, with the last being an every-volume
index.)
Danky, James P. Genealogical Research: An Introduction to the Resources
of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Madison: State Historical
Society of Wisconsin, 1986.
Nesbit, Robert C. Wisconsin: A History. 2nd ed. Madison: State Historical
Society of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin Press, 1989.
Wisconsin Vital Records:
Event: Birth
Cost of copy: $12.00
Address:
Vital Records
1 West Wilson Street
P.O. Box 309
Madison, WI 53701
Remarks: State Office has scattered records earlier
than 1857. Records before October 1, 1907, are very incomplete.
Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are
$2.00 each.
Check or money order should be made payable to Vital
Records. Personal checks are accepted. A stamped, self-addressed
business size (#10) envelope should be included with the request.
To verify current fees, the telephone number is (608) 266-1371.
This will be a recorded message. Information on how to obtain certified
copies is also available via the internet at Vital Records.
Search All Wisconsin Records
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Event: Death
Cost of copy: $7.00
Address:
Vital Records
1 West Wilson Street
P.O. Box 309
Madison, WI 53701
Remarks: State Office has scattered records earlier
than 1857. Records before October 1, 1907, are very incomplete.
Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are
$2.00 each.
Check or money order should be made payable to Vital
Records. Personal checks are accepted. A stamped, self-addressed
business size (#10) envelope should be included with the request.
To verify current fees, the telephone number is (608) 266-1371.
This will be a recorded message. Information on how to obtain certified
copies is also available via the internet at Vital Records.
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Event: Marriage
Cost of copy: $7.00
Address:
Vital Records
1 West Wilson Street
P.O. Box 309
Madison, WI 53701
Remarks: Records since April 1836. Records before
October 1, 1907, are very incomplete and cannot be searched without
a county of marriage. Additional copies of the same record ordered
at the same time are $2.00 each.
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Event: Divorce
Cost of copy: $7.00
Address:
Vital Records
1 West Wilson Street
P.O. Box 309
Madison, WI 53701
Remarks: Records since October 1907. Additional copies
of the same record ordered at the same time are $2.00 each.
Search All Wisconsin Records
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