Wisconsin, Births - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in This Collection?
The collection consists of an index to selected birth records indexed by FamilySearch and various church and vital records for the years 1852 to 1933. Depending on the locality and time period the collection may also include other records such as baptismal records, register of members of the congregation, marriage registers and death registers.

Reading These Records
Some of the records are in written in German Gothic script. For help reading these records see the wiki articles:


 * German Word List
 * Deciphering German Script (Kurrentschrift)

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The index contains the following information:


 * Name of child
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Parent's names and residences
 * Film 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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the birth date to find other church and vital records such as baptism, marriage, and death 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?

 * Consult the Wisconsin Research Tips and Strategies and its Record Finder to search other records
 * 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
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation:

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