Wisconsin, Death Index, 1959-1997 - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in the Collection?
The collection consists of indexes to deaths from 1959 to 1997 from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services in Madison. The index is provided by Ancestry.com.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
This index lists the following information:


 * Age at Death
 * Estimated Birth Year
 * DGS Number
 * Date of Death
 * Certificate Number or page number
 * GSU Film Number
 * Image number
 * Name of Deceased
 * Name of Father
 * Name of Mother
 * Name of Spouse
 * Place of Death
 * Sex
 * Page Number

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. To begin your search, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The name of a parent or date of the event

Search the Index
Search by name by visiting the Collection Page.
 * 1) Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have
 * 2) Click Search to show possible matches

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the information found in the index to locate an obituary or the actual death record.
 * Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date to find church and vital records such as birth, baptism, and marriage records. Also search for immigration, military, land and probate records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members in censuses.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record. Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relatives that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Try variant spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Wisconsin, United States Genealogy.
 * Search in the FamilySearch Library Catalog

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation:

Record citation (or citation for the index entry):

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