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Portage County, Wisconsin Genealogy

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Guide to Portage County, Wisconsin ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Stevens Point
Organized: December 7, 1842
Parent County(s): Brown, Crawford, Iowa and Milwaukee Counties[1]
Neighboring Counties
Adams • Marathon • Shawano • Waupaca • Waushara • Wood
See County Maps
Courthouse
Portage County Courthouse, Stevens Point, Wisconsin.jpg
Location Map
WI Portage.png

County Information

Description

The county was named for the portage between the Fox and Wisconsin rivers. The county is located in the central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Portage County Courthouse
1516 Church Street
Stevens Point, WI 54481
Portage County Website

Register of Deeds office has birth, death, marriage records, and land records.

Portage County, Wisconsin Record Dates

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.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[3]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1863 1860 1856 1844 1841 1890 1820
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1907. General compliance year unknown.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Populated Places

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:[5]


Cities
Towns
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Ghost towns


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Portage County, Wisconsin online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Wisconsin Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1840 1,623 —
1850 1,250 −23.0%
1860 7,507 500.6%
1870 10,634 41.7%
1880 17,731 66.7%
1890 24,798 39.9%
1900 29,483 18.9%
1910 30,945 5.0%
1920 33,649 8.7%
1930 33,827 0.5%
1940 35,800 5.8%
1950 34,858 −2.6%
1960 36,964 6.0%
1970 47,541 28.6%
1980 57,420 20.8%
1990 61,405 6.9%
2000 67,182 9.4%
2010 70,019 4.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Portage census records online, see: Wisconsin Census.

State Census

Federal Census

Church Records

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

  • Records of Peace Lutheran Church, Amherst, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

The surviving early probate files have been indexed and are on the Stevens Point Area Genealogical Society's website.Also indexed are the Circuit Court Criminal Case Files Index 1849-1919 and the Circuit Court Civil Case Files Defendant Index 1845-1919

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

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

Local Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

Adams CountyWaushara CountyWaupaca CountyShawano CountyMarathon CountyWood CountyWI PORTAGE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Portage 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 Portage:

- 1st Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company B
- 3rd Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company H
- 5th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry Reorganized, Companies D and F
- 7th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company G
- 14th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company B

World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

Probate records are held by the Portage Clerk of Circuit Court and are housed at the Portage 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

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

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

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Portage County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.

  • Neils R. Kampenga Archives and Area Research Center
    University of Wisconsin Library
    900 Reserve Street, Room 520
    Stevens Point, WI 54481-1962
    Phone: 715-346-2586
    Website
    Email: archives@uwsp.edu
    Facebook

FamilySearch Centers

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

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Portage County. For state-wide library facilities, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.

Museums

Societies

Listed below are societies in Portage County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Wisconsin Societies.

  • Stevens Point Area Genealogical Society
    1001 Main
    Stevens Point, WI 54481
    Website
  • Portage County Historical Society
    PO Box 672
    1475 Water Street
    Stevens Point, WI 54481
    Phone 715-600-4930
    Email:pchswi@gmail.com
    Facebook
    Website

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Portage County, Wisconsin " in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portage_County,_Wisconsin#History."
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Portage 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.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Portage County, Wisconsin," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portage_County,_Wisconsin#Communities, accessed 29 Dec 2018.
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National Archives at Chicago · Wisconsin Historical Society · Wisconsin State Genealogical Society · Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society · Area Research Centers: 1. Wisconsin Historical Society, 2. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 3. University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 4. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 5. University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 6. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 7. University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 8. University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 9. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 10. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 11. University of Wisconsin-Stout, 12. University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 13. Superior Public Library, 14. Northern Great Lake Center · Beloit Public Library · Brown County Library · Kenosha Public Library · Milwaukee County Historical Society · Milwaukee Public Library · Norwegian American Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library · Oshkosh Public Library · Racine Heritage Museum Research Center · University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Library · Allen County Public Library · Newberry Library
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