Native American

Wisconsin has been the home to the Chippewa, Fox, Kickapoo, Menominee, Potawatomi, Sauk, Sioux, Winnebago, and other Indian tribes. After the early 1800s, white settlers occupied most of these lands, but several reservations were created and still exist.

The Family History Library has some copies of Bureau of Indian Affairs records from Wisconsin. Most of these records are at the National Archives—Great Lakes Region. You will find several special censuses listed in the Family History Library Catalog under WISCONSIN - CENSUS. The catalog lists Indian censuses taken as early as 1836, and annuity rolls as early as 1849. Also listed are Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian census rolls, which were taken during the years 1885–1940. The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of the various tribes under WISCONSIN - NATIVE RACES and others in the Subject Search under the name of the tribe.

For the very early period, be sure to check the Roman Catholic mission records. One collection of these is:

Draper, Lyman Copeland, ed. Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Madison, Wis.: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1855–. (FHL 977.5 B2wc; on films beginning with film 924580; computer number 481433.) This series has the registers of baptisms 1695–1821 (vol. 19), marriages 1725–1821 (vol. 18), and burials 1743–1806 (vol. 19) of the Mission of St. Ignace de Michilimakinak.

Several helpful books are:

Lurie, Nancy Oestreich. Wisconsin Indians. Madison, Wis.: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1980. (FHL book 970.475 L974w; computer number 396252.) Contains a helpful bibliography.

Mason, Carol I. Introduction to Wisconsin Indians: Prehistory to Statehood. Salem, Wisc.: Sheffield Publishing, 1988. (FHL book 970.475 M381i; computer number 526100.)

African-American

Many African-Americans settled in Wisconsin. They were trappers and boatmen in the 1700s. Settlers from the Southern states brought slaves with them. There were many free African-Americans in Wisconsin also. For more information, you may wish to contact the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, 2620 West Center St., Milwaukee, WI 53206, telephone: 414-372-7677.

A helpful source for learning about African-Americans in Wisconsin is: Zachary Cooper, Black Settlers in Rural Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1997; FHL book 977.5 A1 no. 51; computer number 243015).

German

In the 1830s, many German settlers began arriving in Wisconsin. There are helpful indexes to the German immigrants mentioned in United States passenger lists.

One set of volumes is:

Glazier, Ira A. ed. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U. S. Ports. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources Inc., 1988–. (FHL book 973 W2ger; computer number 465274.) This set lists those who arrived from 1850 to 1888. The series will continue to about 1896.

Norwegian

A large number of Norwegians settled in Wisconsin as early as 1839. An important repository is Vesterheim Genealogical Center, Naeseth Library, 415 West Main St., Madison, WI 53703; telephone: 608-255-2224.

The center has family histories for Norway and the U.S., and Norwegian and U.S. censuses, church records, passenger lists, local histories, and maps.

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