Dane County, Wisconsin Genealogy
Guide to Dane County, Wisconsin ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Nathan Dane. The county is located in the south-central area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Dane County Courthouse
210 Martin Luther King Blvd
Madison, WI 53709
Phone: 608-266-4121
Dane County Website
Register of Deeds has birth, marriage, death, land and military records.
Clerk of Courts has divorce, probate and court records. [3]
Dane County, Wisconsin Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1860 | 1839 | 1876 | 1841 | 1835 | 1847 | 1820 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| American Indian Communities | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Dane County Briographies USGenWeb Archives
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1840 | 314 | — |
| 1850 | 16,639 | 5199.0% |
| 1860 | 43,922 | 164.0% |
| 1870 | 53,096 | 20.9% |
| 1880 | 53,233 | 0.3% |
| 1890 | 59,578 | 11.9% |
| 1900 | 69,435 | 16.5% |
| 1910 | 77,435 | 11.5% |
| 1920 | 89,432 | 15.5% |
| 1930 | 112,737 | 26.1% |
| 1940 | 130,660 | 15.9% |
| 1950 | 169,357 | 29.6% |
| 1960 | 222,095 | 31.1% |
| 1970 | 290,272 | 30.7% |
| 1980 | 323,545 | 11.5% |
| 1990 | 367,085 | 13.5% |
| 2000 | 426,526 | 16.2% |
| 2010 | 488,073 | 14.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
For tips on accessing Dane census records online, see: Wisconsin Census.
- 1855 Wisconsin State Census, 1855 This census includes name of head of family; other individuals in the household are identified by sex and race, number of deaf and dumb, blind, insane and foreign born. - How to Use this Collection
- 1865 Wisconsin State Census, 1865 Name index & images of the 1865 State Census which names the head of household. Most records have been destroyed but schedules exist for the following counties: Dunn, Green, Jackson, Kewaunee, Ozaukee, and Sheboygan. - How to Use this Collection
- 1875 Wisconsin State Census, 1875 Identifies head of household by name. - How to Use this Collection
- 1885 Wisconsin State Census, 1885 — index & images. Search indexed census.Identifies by name of head of household. Other information is statistical and identifies the rest of the household by race, gender and country of birth. - How to Use this Collection
- 1895 Wisconsin State Census, 1895 — index & images. Identifies head of household by name. Other information is statistical. - How to Use this Collection
- 1905 Wisconsin State Census, 1905 — Name index & images of population. Enumerates by name all inhabitants. - How to Use this Collection
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Wisconsin denominations, view the Wisconsin Church Records wiki page.
Lutheran
Black Earth
- Records of Black Earth Lutheran Church in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
De Forest
- Records of the American Lutheran Church, De Forest, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
First Lutheran Church, Stoughton
- Records of the First Lutheran Church, Stoughton, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Horeb
- Records of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Horeb, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Madison Norwegian Lutheran Church
- Records of Madison Norwegian Lutheran Church in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Roxbury
- Records of Roxbury Lutheran Church in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Middleton
- Records of St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Middleton, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Zion Lutheran Church, Madison
- Records of Zion Lutheran Church, Madison, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
- Madison, Wisconsin Directories
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
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Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Wisconsin Land and Property for additional information about early Wisconsin land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- History of Dane County, edited by Elisha W. Keyes. Madison, Wisconsin : Western Historical Association, 1906. 2 volumes. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library; also microreproduction of original, 1974, Vols. 1 & 2 - FS Catalog film 1000810, item 2 - images.
- History of Dane County, Wisconsin...containing an account of its settlement...biographical sketches, by Consul W. Butterfield. Chicago, Illinois : Western Historical Co., 1880. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, FamilySearch Digital Library (additional copy), Internet Archive.
- This is Dane County, Wisconsin, by John Drury. Chicago, Illinois : Inland Photo, [1958?]. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Wisconsin
- Family Maps of Dane County, Wisconsin (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in Dane served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Dane:
- - 1st Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company G
- - 2nd Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company F
- - 3rd Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Companies A, B, D, F, H, L and M
- - 5th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry Reorganized, Company G (Men were listed in the Roster as being from the city of Albion, which could have been from the counties of Dane, Trempealeau or Jackson.)
- - 7th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Companies A and D
- - 8th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Companies E, H and K
- - 9th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company F
- - 11th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Companies A, B, D, F, and G
- - 12th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company C
- - 15th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Companies B, E and H
World War I
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:
Wisconsin, Dane County Naturalization Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- 1800s-Current Wisconsin, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Wisconsin Newspapers Online
- Madison, Wisconsin Newspapers
- Waunakee Tribune (1896-2006) - available electronically online from the Waunakee Public Library; papers hosted by NewspaperArchive.com.
- Wisconsin Digital Newspaper at Wisconsin State Historical Society
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Probate records are held by the Dane Clerk of Circuit Court and are housed at the Dane Courthouse. See the wiki page Wisconsin Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Content: Probate records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, and adoptions.
Online Records
- 1800–1987 Wisconsin Wills and Probate Records 1800-1987 at Ancestry — images and index $
- 1848–1948 Wisconsin Probate Estate Files 1848-1948 at FamilySearch — images - How to Use this Collection
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Wisconsin tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned property or other items that could be taxed were listed, some residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records. For more information see the Wiki page, Wisconsin Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1820-1907 Wisconsin, Birth Index, 1820-1907 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1820-1920: Wisconsin, Birth Index, 1808-1920 at MyHeritage - index ($)
- 1826-1908 Wisconsin, Births and Christenings Index, 1826-1908 at Ancestry — index $
- 1826-1926 Wisconsin, Births and Christenings, 1826-1926 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- Pre-1907 Pre-1907 Wisconsin Vital Records Index at Wisconsin Historical Society - free index, images ($)
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- Pre-1907 Pre-1907 Wisconsin Vital Records Index at Wisconsin Historical Society - free index, images ($)
- 1836-1911 Wisconsin, County Marriages, 1836-1911 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1836-1930 Wisconsin, Marriages, 1836-1930 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1973-1997 Wisconsin, Marriage Index, 1973-1997 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1973-1997 Wisconsin Marriages, 1973-1997 at Ancestry — index & images $
- Wisconsin Marriages at MyHeritage — index ($)
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1820-1907 Wisconsin, Death Index, 1820-1907 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1835-1968 Wisconsin, Deaths and Burials, 1835-1968 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1867-1907 Wisconsin, Death Records, 1867-1907 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- Pre-1907 Pre-1907 Wisconsin Vital Records Index at Wisconsin Historical Society - free index, images ($)
- 1959-1997 Wisconsin, Death Index, 1959-1997 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- Wisconsin Deaths at MyHeritage — index ($)
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1907-2015 Wisconsin, U.S., Divorce Records, 1907-2015 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1965-1984 Wisconsin, Divorce Index, 1965-1984 at FamilySearch.org — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1985-Onward Wisconsin Divorces at MyHeritage — index ($)
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Dane County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.
- Archives - Steenbock Library
University of Wisconsin, Madison
425 Steenbock Library
550 Babcock Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
Telephone: 608-262-5629
Email
FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]
FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Madison Wisconsin FamilySearch Center
- Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library - an affiliate library
- Wisconsin Historical Society - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Dane County. For state-wide library facilities, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.
- Archives - Steenbock Library
University of Wisconsin, Madison
425 Steenbock Library
550 Babcock Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608-262-5629
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Dane County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Wisconsin Societies.
Cottage Grove Area Historical Society
P.O. Box 46
Cottage Grove, WI, 53527
Facebook
Website
Dane County Area Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 5652
Madison, WI 53705-0652
Email: widcags@gmail.com
Website
Dane County Historical Society
Lussier Family Heritage Center
3101 Lake Farm Road
Madison, WI 53711
Phone: 608-224-3605
Email: danecountyhistory@gmail.com
Facebook
Website
DeForest Area Historical Society
P.O. Box 124
DeForest, WI 53532
Phone: 608-846-6698
Email: dahsoc@yahoo.com
Website
Fitzburg Historical Society
Fitchburg Room, 2nd Floor, Fitchburg Public Library
5530 Lacy Rd.
Fitzburg, WI 53711
Phone: 608-729-1783
Email: woodedarchives@gmail.com
Facebook
Website
Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society
P.O. 6704
Madison, WI 53716-0704
Phone: 608-249-7920
Email:hbghs@tds.net
Website
Mazomanie History Society
P.O. Box 248
Research Center
102 Brodhead Street
Mazomanie, WI 53560
Phone: 608-795-4355
Website
Middleton Area Historical Society
7410 Hubbard Avenue
Middleton, WI 53562
Phone: 608-836-7614
Website
Mount Horeb Area History Societybr> 100 South Second Street
Mount Horeb, WI 53572
Phone: 608-437-6486
Email: mthorebhistory@mhtc.net
Website
Oregon Area Historical Society
159 West Lincoln Street
P.O.Box 262
Oregon, WI 53575
Phone: 608-835-8961
Email: oahs@frontier.com
Facebook
Website
Stoughton Historical Society and Museum
324 S. Page St.
Stoughton, WI 53589
Phone: 608-873-4797
Email: lou553@yahoo.com
Facebook
Website
Sun Prairie Historical Library & Museum
115 East Main Street
Sun Prairie, WI 53590
Phone: 608-825-0837
Facebook
Website
Verona Area Historical Society
1234 Cathedral Point Drive
Verona, WI
Phone: 608-577-5525
Email: SaveVeronaHistory@gmail.com
Facebook
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Wisconsin Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- Dane County WIGenWeb Project
- Dane County USGenWeb Archives
- FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Dane County, Wisconsin " in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dane_County,_Wisconsin.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Dane County, Wisconsin. Page 755-760, At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 757-759.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Dane County, Wisconsin," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dane_County,_Wisconsin#Communities, accessed 12 August 2018.
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