Wisconsin Descendancy Research
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As families believe they have researched their pedigrees back in time as far as possible, they sometimes choose to gather information on all the descendants of a particular ancestor or even all of their ancestors. This article explains possible steps to take on such a project in Wisconsin online records.
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Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Census records, widely indexed, are a fast way to identify members of families, their approximate year of birth, and the state where they were born. That information hints where to look for birth, marriage, and death records for more detailed information. One disadvantage is they are 10 years apart. Children born and dying within that 10-year span can be overlooked.
Federal Censuses
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State Censuses
| Year | Type of Census | Links |
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| 1905 | State; gives names of all household members. | FamilySearch - index and images
Ancestry ($) - index and images. |
For more information on census records, see Wisconsin Census and United States Census.
Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.
Government records, known as civil registration or vital records, were kept in Wisconsin statewide beginning in 1907, although counties may have kept earlier records. They provide full dates and places. They are sometimes indexed, and can be searched by child or parent names. They are especially useful because they name other family members, For example, marriage records name the parents of the bride and groom. Death records are especially helpful because they name parents, who lived years earlier, even before other records were kept. Coverage in the earlier years can be incomplete however. In some states, church records were gathered to provide earlier certificates.
Births
- 1801-1928: Wisconsin Births and Christenings Index at Ancestry; index only ($)
- 1808-1920: Wisconsin Birth Index at MyHeritage - index only ($)
- 1820-1907: Wisconsin Birth Index at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Ancestry ($)
- 1826-1926: Wisconsin Births and Christenings at FamilySearch; index only
Marriages
- Pre-1907 Pre-1907 Marriage Index at Wisconsin History - Free
- 17thc-20thc: US Marriages at Findmypast; index only ($)
- 1808-1907: Wisconsin, Marriage Index, 1808-1907 at MyHeritage - index ($)
- 1820-1907: Wisconsin Marriage Index at Ancestry; index only ($)
- 1836-1930: Wisconsin Marriages at FamilySearch; index only
- 1899-1980: Wisconsin Fond du Lac Public Library Records at FamilySearch; images only
- 1973-1997: Wisconsin Marriage Index at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Ancestry ($)
Deaths
- 1808-1909: Wisconsin, Death Index, 1808-1909 at MyHeritage - index ($)
- 1820-1907: Wisconsin Death Index at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Ancestry.com ($)
- 1835-1968: Wisconsin Deaths and Burials at FamilySearch; index only
- 1867-1907: Wisconsin Death Records at FamilySearch; index only
- 1959-1997: Wisconsin Death Index at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Ancestry ($)
For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Wisconsin, see How to Find Wisconsin Birth Records, How to Find Wisconsin Marriage Records, and How to Find Wisconsin Death Records.
Step 3: Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before 1907. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers.
Obituaries
- Wisconsin Genealogy Index includes obituaries in the 150,000-entry index.
- Wisconsin Medical Journal Physician Obituary Database (1903-2008)
- Online Wisconsin Death Records and Indexes
- Northeast Wisconsin Obituary Page
- ObitsArchive.com - Wisconsin ($)
- ObituariesHelp.org - Wisconsin Newspaper Obituaries Listings
- The Obituary Link Page - Wisconsin Obituary Links
- USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Obituaries
- Wisconsin, Local Literature Records at MyHeritage - index ($)
- 1980-2014 United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Cemeteries
- Find-A-Grave
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
- Billion Graves
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
- United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- Wisconsin Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
- Wisconsin Cemetery Records at Interment
- Wisconsin Deaths and Burials, 1835-1968 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- Wisconsin Gravestone Project at Wisconsin Gravestones
- Wisconsin Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
- Online Wisconsin Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
For more information, see Wisconsin Obituaries and Wisconsin Cemeteries.
Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants..
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
- Wisconsin, United States Historical Images, New Version
- Wisconsin, United States Historical Images, Old Version
Step 5: Search any other online records listed in Wisconsin Online Genealogy Records.
The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Wisconsin Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.