Highlights Archives
New Wisconsin Death Records Index Now Online
Last month we published a massive index to Wisconsin births. This week we published its counterpart, an index to deaths that occurred in Wisconsin before September 30, 1907.
The new death index, like its companion, began as a 1970s microfiche publication. The Schoenleber Foundation of Milwaukee generously provided funds to convert them to electronic form, so now genealogists have free public access to information on nearly 400,000 Wisconsin deaths as well as more than a million births (marriages are coming soon).
Researchers can discover ancestors by individual name or by browsing by county and year. Births and deaths can both be searched at the same time and then viewed separately, if desired. State law prohibits publication on the Web of original birth or death certificates, so when you discover someone about whom you want more details, you can order a paper copy of the complete certificate from the Society online. Most are delivered within two weeks, and Society members receive a 10-percent discount on each order.
Vital records are not the only genealogical source available on the Society Web site. Use the following resources to discover more about your family:
The Wisconsin Name Index leads to 30,000 obituaries and more than 100,000 other short biographies that you can order online.
The Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers shows what happened to every Wisconsin Civil War soldier. You can learn further details such as his birthplace, age, residence, occupation, marital status, physical description, muster-out date and service notes by ordering a search in our unpublished Civil War records.
Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles provides free access to more than 50,000 pages of memoirs and other historical articles published in Wisconsin newspapers between 1840 and 1940.
Wisconsin Historical Images comprises more than 20,000 pictures from our collections, including portraits, snapshots and news photos. We are currently adding thousands of photos from small towns in Wisconsin, and you can use the online collection to discover birds-eye views, maps and other images from towns where your ancestors lived.
Our genealogy page provides descriptions of the records we hold here in Madison and how to use them. If you've always meant to look into your family history, learn how to get started. If you've already been bitten by the genealogy bug, explore the intricacies of cemetery, census, church, military, naturalization and other records in pages written especially by Society staff to help guide your search.
Finally, don't forget to use the links at the foot of every page to ask for help or to tell a friend about our unique resources on Wisconsin genealogy.
:: Posted March 22, 2006
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