Wisconsin Cemeteries

Cemetery records, such as tombstone and sexton’s records, have value in that they may give birth and death dates, age at death, name of spouse and children, a maiden name or, occasionally, a birthplace. Tombstones may have symbols or insignias indicating military service and social or religious affiliations. It is important to look at surrounding tombstones because family members may also be buried nearby.

Wisconsin State Old Cemetery

The society has card indexes to the names of many persons buried in Wisconsin Cemeteries. The society also publishes a helpful newsletter in which you can place queries. For a small fee, you can have them search their card index. Please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society c/o President Mr. Larry W. Petcovic 6100 W. Mequon Rd. Mequon, WI 53092-1951 Telephone: 410-905-2777 Internet: http://my.execpc.com/~dondorf/wsocs.htm

Wisconsin State Genealogical Society

The Wisconsin State Genealogical Society (follow the "Research" link on the left, then "Counties") has published the inscriptions from several hundred cemeteries in the state in the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society Newsletter. Indexes to the inscriptions published to date can be found on each county's research page. Copies of the actual inscriptions may be purchased from the Society following the instructions on each page.

Archdiocese of Milwaukee

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has an online index of the eight Catholic parish cemeteries operated by the diocese. The project is ongoing so you are advised to check back twice a month.

Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Collection.

This collection is listed in the Author/Title Search of the catalog and consists of transcripts of Bible records, cemetery records, church records, marriage records, death records, obituaries, and wills. It was microfilmed in 1971 at the DAR Library in Washington, D.C., and is available on microfilm at the Wisconsin Historical Society and at the Family History Library (Family History Library films and ; various computer numbers.) Generally there is an index at the beginning of each volume.

This collection is described in and is partly indexed by family surname in:


 * Kirkham, E. Kay. An Index to Some of the Bibles and Family Records of the United States. vol. 2. Logan, Utah: Everton Publishers, 1984. (Family History Library book .) See section two, pages 1–50, which includes Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Historical Society

The Wisconsin Historical Society and the Milwaukee Public Library also collect cemetery records. A list made in 1965 of the records in these collections and in the DAR collection is in Cemeteries in the State of Wisconsin (List only) of Those Copied and on File. . . Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Genealogical Society, 1965. (Family History Library book .)

Family History Library The Family History Library has 47 films of Milwaukee cemetery records dating from about 1850 to 1979. These are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under WISCONSIN, MILWAUKEE, MILWAUKEE - CEMETERIES.

Online Resources

 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person, family or cemetery. Usually gives birth and death dates and often comes with a picture of the tombstone. May also give obituaries, biographical information and names of family members with links to their information in Find A Grave.
 * Interment.net

Family History Library
A county-by-county list of cemetery record transcripts available at the Family History Library is:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Family History Library. Index to United States Cemeteries. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988. (Family History Library films .) Film includes Wisconsin.

The Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog lists more of these records under:

WISCONSIN- CEMETERIES

WISCONSIN, [COUNTY]- CEMETERIES

WISCONSIN, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- CEMETERIES

Periodicals
Several periodicals have published inscriptions and inventories from Wisconsin cemeteries. These are referenced in the "Places" portion of the Periodical Source Index ('PERSI'), described in Wisconsin Periodicals.

For records on related record types, see Wisconsin Funeral Homes', Wisconsin Obituaries, and Wisconsin Vital Records'.