Wisconsin Church Records

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Historical Background
During the 1800s, two major denominations—Catholics and Lutherans—were widely represented in Wisconsin. This was largely because of the tremendous number of German, Polish, and Scandinavian immigrants who settled in the state. Methodists and Baptists were also represented but in much smaller numbers.

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for online records.
'''Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Indexes

 * 1826-1926 - Index only.
 * 1826-1908 - Wisconsin Births and Christenings Index, 1826-1908 Index only ($)
 * 1835-1968 - Index only.
 * 1836-1930 - Index only.

Dutch Reformed

 * 1639-1989 - U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1701-1995 - U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 - U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 - U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 - U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Lutheran

 * 1800-1947 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947, index and images, incomplete.($)

Look for digital copies of church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The Family History Library (FHL) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of United States, Wisconsin.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, Wisconsin and a list of counties will appear.
 * c. Click on your county if it appears.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Click on Places within United States, Wisconsin [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
 * f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * h. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

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Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.
 * Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Wisconsin.'' Madison, Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Historical Records Survey, 1941.
 * Inventory of the church archives of Wisconsin : Assemblies of God
 * Inventory of the church archives of Wisconsin : Disciples of Christ
 * Inventory of the church archives of Wisconsin : Moravian Church
 * Inventory of the church archives of Wisconsin : Church of the Nazarene
 * Inventory of the church archives of Wisconsin : Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Diocese of Fond de Lac
 * Inventory of the church archives of Wisconsin : church of the United Brethren in Christ
 * Church and Family History Research Assistance for Primitive Baptist Churches in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Missouri



Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher. '''Here you will find archive information unique to the state. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

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Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical Society Division of Library, Archives and Museum Collections 816 State Street Madison, WI 53706 Phone:608-264-6535
 * Archives

Lutheran
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Wartburg Theological Seminary 333 Wartburg Place Dubuque, IA 52001 Phone: (563) 589-0200 Fax: (563) 589-0333

The Wartburg Theological Seminary has Lutheran records from Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and upper Michigan. The WTS Archives also contain the documents of the German Lutheran Synod of Iowa, 1854-1930 and the records of antecedent bodies of the ELCA Region 5. Many of the records in this repository can be borrowed for a small fee. For a list of some of the records, see:
 * Archives hold records for closed churches. For open churches write directly to the local church.

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod Department of Archives and History 2929 North Mayfair Road Milwaukee WI 53222 Phone: (414) 256-3888

Concordia Historical Institute 801 DeMun Avenue St. Louis, MO 63105 Phone: (314) 505-7900

They have some records of existing Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod congregations and records of some that have closed.

Methodist
Wisconsin Conference United Methodist Church 750 Windsor Street Sun Prairie, WI 53590 Phone: (608) 837-7328


 * History of Methodism in Wisconsin Pansey S. F. Bennett, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Cranston &amp; Stowe, 1980

Protestant

 * Minert, Roger P., Jennifer A. Anderson; et al. German Immigrants in American Church Records. v. 2, Wisconsin Northwest Protestant. Rockland, ME: Picton Press, 2007.

Roman Catholic
The early Roman Catholic records (1695–1821) for the mission of St. Ignace of Michilimackinac contain information about many of the early traders in what is now Wisconsin and are published in:

Archdiocese of Milwaukee 2000 West Wisconsin Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53403 Phone: (414) 769-3300 The church records of the parishes in the above diocese have been microfilmed to about 1920 and are available through the Family History Library. These records include parishes in about eleven counties in southeastern Wisconsin. The records are cataloged by the town where the parish is located.
 * Draper, Lyman Copeland, ed. Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Madison, Wisconsin: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1855–. (Family History Library .) This series has the register of baptisms of the parish of St. Ignace de Michilimakinak, 1695–1821 (vol. 19), marriages 1725–1821 (vol. 18), and burials 1743–1806 (vol. 19). Online at:Wisconsin Historical Society

The Archdiocese consists of the following counties: Dodge, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha

Diocese of Green Bay 1910 South Webster Avenue P.O. Box 66 Green Bay, WI 54301 Phone: (414) 435-4406

The diocese consists of the following counties: Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago

Diocese of La Crosse 421 Main Street P.O. Box 982 La Crosse, WI 54601 Phone: (608) 788-7700 The diocese consists of the following counties: Adams, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Marathon, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Portage, Richland, Trempealeau, Vernon, Wood

Diocese of Madison 15 East Wilson Street, Box 111 Madison, WI 53701 Phone: (608) 256-2677

The diocese consists of the following counties: Columbia, Dane, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Lafayette, Marquette, Rock, and Sauk

Diocese of Superior 1201 Hughitt Avenue, Box 969 Superior, WI 54880 Phone: (715) 392-2937

The diocese consists of the following counties: Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Lincoln, Oneida, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Taylor, Vilas and Washburn.

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:
 * Society Hill List of Wisconsin Societies

Next, go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination.
There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives and online collections for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources.

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.