Wisconsin Vital Records: Difference between revisions

[[United States Vital Records|Vital Records]] consist of [[United States Birth Records|births]], adoptions, [[United States Marriage Records|marriages]], divorces, and [[United States Death Records|deaths]] recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. [[Locating United States Vital Records|United States Vital Records]] has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the [http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/Wisconsin.htm Wisconsin Vital Records State Department of Health] or the Register of Deed's office of the county where the event occurred {{clear}}

 

Vital records in Wisconsin are maintained at both the state and the county level. The Wisconsin Vital Records Office in Madison maintains a centralized registry of vital records. County registrars also maintain copies of vital records. Copies may be obtained from either a local registrar or the Wisconsin Vital Records Office.  

Vital Records<br>1 West Wilson St. <br>P. O. Box 309 <br>Madison, WI 53701-0309 <br>Telephone: 608-266-1372 <br>Internet: [http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/VitalRecords/index.htm Wisconsin Vital Records]  

 

 

The current fees for obtaining copies of the state's records are listed on the web page of the Wisconsin Vital Records Office.  

Delayed registrations of births began in 1937. These are listed in the Family History Library Catalog as Delayed Births, ca. 1937–1941; Affidavit Delayed Births, ca. 1940–1942. {{FHL|88741|item}| 1305612 item 2. The records to 1942 are located at the Bureau for Health Statistics (see address below). Later records are at the county courthouses.  

Before statewide registration, individual counties recorded marriages. You can obtain copies by writing to the Register of Deeds in the appropriate county or the Wisconsin Vital Records Office (see address above). Some records, particularly those from Brown, Crawford, Dodge, and Jefferson counties, begin as early as the 1820s. Search the [&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/vitalrecords/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/vitalrecords/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; Wisconsin Genealogy Index] for pre 1907 birth marriage and death references. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of many of the pre-1907 marriage records. Some counties have early marriage records that are not on microfilm. For example, Crawford County has marriage records that begin in 1816. The marriage records are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under the name of the county. Copies are also available at the Wisconsin Historical Society and the area research centers. Beginning about 1852, the marriage records generally give the names of the parents of the bride and groom. By 1881 the form asked for the parents' places of birth. The index to these records is the ''Index to Registrations of Marriages, 1852–1907'', which lists one million names that are alphabetically arranged for counties Adams through Racine. Counties Richland through Wood are not included in the index. 77 microfiche, {{FHL|80352|item}}. Search for variations of the surname when using the index. The Wisconsin Historical Society in Wisconsin also has this index. Also available is ''Indexes for Wisconsin Marriage Records, 1973–1984''. The Family History Library has three sets of marriage records for Milwaukee County: *''Register of Deeds marriages 1838-1911 and index 1838-1918''. Family History Library films beginning with film [[1013949|1013949]]. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/ref&gt; Records come from the Milwaukee County courthouse.

*''Marriages 1837-1907 and index 1852-1907''. {{FHL|148425|item}}. Records come from the Bureau for Health Statistics (see address above).

 

After 1907, marriage records from all counties can be obtained from the Bureau for Health Statistics (address above) or from the register of deeds of the appropriate county.  

 

 

 

Microfilms of the records through 1907 have been deposited at the at [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/libraryarchives/ Wisconsin Historical Society] and the area research centers listed on the "[[Wisconsin Archives and Libraries|Archives and Libraries]]" page.  

There are three indexes to these records. Copies of these indexes are at the Wisconsin Historical Society, the area research centers, and the Family History Library. These are:  

 

 

State your relationship to the individual for whom you want information and the reason you want the information.  

 

Death records can also be obtained from the Register of Deeds in the county where the event took place.  

 

 

The following is a list of online resources useful for locating Wisconsin Vital Records which consist of [[United States Birth Records|births]], adoptions, [[United States Marriage Records|marriages]], divorces, and [[United States Death Records|deaths]]. Most online resources for Wisconsin Vital Records are indexes. After locating a person in an index always consult the original record to [[Contradictions and discrepancies|confirm the information]] in the index. '''<br>'''

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at: [[Wisconsin Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]  

Order a copy of the certificate:  

*Order [http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/wisconsin.htm Wisconsin Certificates] online.

 

'''A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:'''

 

[[Wisconsin, Birth Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)|Wisconsin, Birth Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)]]  

Divorce proceedings are usually kept by the circuit court judges. Contact the county courthouse for information. The Family History Library does not have copies of these records.  

 

=== [[Image:Fire.png|thumb|right|119x152px]]Burned, Lost, or Missing Records  ===

 

 

 

== Alternative Records  ==