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Washington County, Wisconsin Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: West Bend
Organized: December 7, 1836
Parent County(s): Brown and Milwaukee Counties[1]
Neighboring Counties
Dodge • Fond du Lac • Milwaukee • Ozaukee • Sheboygan • Waukesha
See County Maps
Courthouse
Washington County Courthouse Wisconsin.jpg
Location Map
WI Washington.png

County Information

Description

The county was named for President George Washington. The county is located in the southeast area of the state. [2]

County Courthouse

Washington County Courthouse
432 E Washington Street
West Bend, WI 53095
Phone: 262-335-4301
Washington County Website

County Clerk has birth, marriage, and death records from 1850, divorce and court records from 1849.
Register in Probate has probate records from 1851. [3]

Washington 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[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1850 1850 1850 1849 1835 1851 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:[6]

Cities
Towns
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Washington 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 343 —
1850 19,485 5580.8%
1860 23,622 21.2%
1870 23,919 1.3%
1880 23,442 −2.0%
1890 22,751 −2.9%
1900 23,589 3.7%
1910 23,784 0.8%
1920 25,713 8.1%
1930 26,551 3.3%
1940 28,430 7.1%
1950 33,902 19.2%
1960 46,119 36.0%
1970 63,839 38.4%
1980 84,848 32.9%
1990 95,328 12.4%
2000 117,493 23.3%
2010 131,887 12.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Germans
Archives, Libraries, and Museums; Biographies; Church Records; Cemetery Records; Court Records; Histories; Immigration/emigration/migration; Maps; Newspapers; Societies

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

Milwaukee CountyOzaukee CountySheboygan CountyFond du Lac CountyDodge CountyWaukesha CountyJefferson CountyWI WASHINGTON.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Washington 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 Washington:

- 8th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company I
- 10th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company D (These men were from the town of Menasha. There is a town of Menasha in both Dodge and Washington Counties.)
- 12th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company D

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

Probate records are held by the Washington Clerk of Circuit Court and are housed at the Washington 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 Washington County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.

  • Area Research Center - University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
    Milwaukee, Division of Archives and Special Collections
    Golda Meir Library, Room W250
    2311 East Hartford Avenue
    PO Box 604
    Milwaukee, WI 53201-0604
    Phone: 414-229-5402
    Email: askarch@uwm.edu
    Website

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 Washington County. For state-wide library facilities, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.

  • Golda Meir Library - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
    Area Research Center, Milwaukee, Division of Archives and Special Collections
    Golda Meir Library, Room W250
    2311 East Hartford Avenue
    PO Box 604
    Milwaukee, WI 53201-0604
    Phone: 414-229-5402
    Email: askarch@uwm.edu
    Website

Museums

Societies

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

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, "Washington County, Wisconsin " in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Wisconsin."
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Washington 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.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Washington County, Wisconsin," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Wisconsin#Communities, accessed 12 Dec 2018.
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Links to Wisconsin-related articles
Topics
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Extinct Co.
Major
 Repositories
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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