Wisconsin Census

United States   U.S. Census    Wisconsin    Census

Microfilm images
Two manuscripts exist for the 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses. One set of manuscripts exists at the National Archives and another at the Wisconsin Historical Society. The information on each set is supposed to be the same, but it can be beneficial to check both. Transcription errors might exist. The two might differ in the legibility of the handwriting, the condition of the manuscript, and the quality of the microfilm. The Family History Library has microfilms of the set in the possession of the National Archives.

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of Wisconsin, click here

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of Wisconsin, click here.

State, territorial, and colonial censuses
Censuses were taken in Wisconsin in different years than the federal censuses. These censuses may have different data compared to federal censuses. Check these censuses for more information on a family.

Newberry Library. Territorial, State, and Federal Censuses in Michigan. List of dates and census description including counties involved, and repository.

Existing and lost censuses
For a list of available and missing Wisconsin censuses, click here.

Why use a census?
A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

More about censuses
Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:


 * index searching tips
 * analyzing and using what you find
 * census accuracy
 * historical background
 * contents of various census years and types