Waukesha County, Wisconsin Genealogy

Guide to Waukesha County Wisconsin ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Parent County
1846--Waukesha County was created 31 January 1846 from Milwaukee County. County seat: Waukesha

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Wisconsin County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Wisconsin County Boundary Maps" (1790-1961) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Vital records were not required until 1907. Before that time some civil records are available according to the dates below:

Births are available circa 1860 - present Death records are available circa 1872 - present Marriage records are available circa 1846-present

Records prior to the 1846 may be found in Milwaukee County

Populated Places

 * Towns, Villages and Townships - Waukesha County Online Genealogy and Family History Library
 * Waukesha County Gazatteer - Wi Home Town Locator

Neighboring Counties
Dodge •  Jefferson  •  Milwaukee  •  Ozaukee  •  Racine  •  Walworth  •  Washington

Biography

 * 1880 Biographical Index: History Of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, 1880 - USGenWeb Archives
 * 1894 Biographical Index: Portrait And Biographical Record Of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, 1894 - USGenWeb Archives
 * 1907 Biographical Index: Memoirs Of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, 1907 - USGenWeb Archives

Cemeteries

 * Find a Grave, map of Waukesha County Cemeteries

Census

 * 1838-1930 - State and Federal Census Extracts Listed by township. WIGenWeb project

State Census

 * 1855 - 1855 Wisconsin State Census This census includes name of head of family; other individuals in the household are identified by sex and race, number of deaf and dumb, blind, insane and foreign born.
 * 1865 - 1865 Wisconsin State Census Name index and images of the 1865 State Census which names the head of household. Most records have been destroyed but schedules exist for the following counties: Dunn, Green, Jackson, Kewaunee, Ozaukee, and Sheboygan.
 * 1875 - 1875 Wisconsin State Census Identifies head of household by name.
 * 1885 - at FamilySearch — index and images. Search indexed census.  Identifies by name of head of household.  Other information is statistical and identifies the rest of the household by race, gender and country of birth.
 * 1895 - at FamilySearch — index and images. Identifies head of household by name. Other information is statistical.
 * 1905 - at FamilySearch — Name index and images of population. Enumerates by name all inhabitants.

Lutheran
Dr. Martin Luther Lutheran Church, Oconomowoc


 * Records of Dr. Martin Luther Lutheran Church, Oconomowoc, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

St. John's (Pine Lake) Lutheran Church, Oconomowoc


 * Records of St. John's (Pine Lake) Lutheran Church, Oconomowoc, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Crime and Criminals
Newspaper clipping from Waukesha Daily Paper; dated 6 January 1952; entitled: 1840 Date of First Death Recorded in Merton Town. Was the second in a series of articles tracing the history of Merton. Taken from a paper presenting to the Waukesha county historical society by William Kuntz. This is only a snipit of the article. "In 1840 the first death occurred in the town of Merton. It was that of Martin Molster, who died in January of that year. Tragedy stalked the shores of Lake Keesus where two young men were drowned while bathing in the lake. They had been employed in a maple sugar camp nearby. "

History

 * The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Chicago : Western Historical Company. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources; an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, towns and villages--their improvements, industries, manufactories, churches, schools and societies; its war record, biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers; the whole preceded by a history of Wisconsin, statistics of the state, and an abstract of its laws and Constitution and of the Constitution of the United States (1880).  Online at Internet Archives www.archive.org.

Land and Property

 * Wisconsin Land Patents Database: Waukesha County Alphabetica links. USGenWeb Archives

Maps

 * Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Wisconsin
 * Overlay of Waukesha County outline over google map. Wi Home Town Locator.
 * Waukesha County Internet Mapping Site. Shows Townships, Towns, Roads. (Need high speed connection and disable any pop-up blockers.)
 * Download PDF of Plat Map Index of Waukesha County  Showing Townships (2 pages).

Military History and Records

 * Veteran and Soldier Military History USGenWeb Archives

Civil War
Civil War service men from Waukesha County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are many companies or regiments that were formed from men of Waukesha County.


 * -1st Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company F
 * - 3rd Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company D
 * - 5th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Companies F and G
 * - 5th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry Reorganized, Company C
 * - 6th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company K
 * - 11th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company D
 * - 15th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company D

Newspapers

 * Waukesha County Daily Freeman ($ need ancestry.com subscription)

Probate Records
Online Records


 * 1800 – 1987 Wisconsin Wills and Probate Records 1800-1987 at Ancestry.com — images and index $
 * 1848 – 1948 at FamilySearch — images

Repositories
See also a List of Wisconsin Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

Family History Centers

 * Kettle Moraine Wisconsin Family History Center
 * Milwaukee Wisconsin Family History Center

Birth Records

 * 1826 - 1926 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1820 - 1907 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1826 - 1908 Wisconsin, Births and Christenings Index, 1826-1908 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * Waukesha County Family Page WIGenWeb project

Marriage Records

 * 1836 - 1930 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1973 - 1997 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1973 - 1997 Wisconsin Marriages, 1973-1997 at Ancestry.com — index/images $
 * Waukesha County Family Page WIGenWeb project

Divorce Records

 * 1965 - 1984 at FamilySearch.org — index

Death Records

 * 1867 - 1907 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1835 - 1968 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1820 - 1907 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1959 - 1997 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * Deaths, Burials, Funerals and Cemetery Records Waukesha County - WIGenWeb project

Websites

 * Waukesha County, WI History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Wisconsin Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Wisconsin Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Waukesha County Online Genealogy and Family History Library
 * US GenWeb Archives, Waukesha County
 * Linkpendium Waukesha County
 * WI GenWeb Waukesha County
 * Waukesha County Genealogical Society
 * ancestry.com Waukesha County Search  ($ need ancestry.com subscription)
 * Cyndi's List Wisconsin Page   (scroll down or search down to "Waukesha")
 * Live Roots - Waukesha County Page
 * Wis Genealogy Trails - Waukesha County Page
 * Wis Genealogy Trails - Waukesha County Page