Wisconsin State Census, 1875 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
Population schedules consisted of large sheets with rows and columns. The schedules are arranged by county, then by political subdivision. The arrangement of families on a schedule is normally in the order in which the enumerator visited the households.

In 1855 the state legislature directed that a census be taken in June of that year and every 10 years thereafter. However, no census was taken in 1865. The completed forms were sent to the Secretary of State. The census covers approximately 90% of the population.

Wisconsin censuses were conducted from 1855-1905. This information pertains to the census taken in the year 1875.

The state census of Wisconsin was taken in order to enumerate the population for representation purposes.

Censuses are usually reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care of the census enumerator. Information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.

For a list of records by localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in Wisconsin state censuses for the year 1875 are:


 * Name of head of household
 * Number of white males and white females in household
 * Number of colored males and colored females in household
 * Number of individuals who are deaf, dumb, blind or insane

How to Use the Records
To begin your search, it is helpful to know the name and some other identifying information such as the birth place or birth date.

Search the Collection
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

To search the collection image by image ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "County" ⇒Select the appropriate "Township/City/Town/Village/Ward" which takes you to the images.

Again, compare the information about the ancestors in the images to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor in the census, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the residence can help you find the individual or family in the federal census. The residence can also help you locate local church and land records
 * Use the race information to find records related to that ethnicity such as records of the Freedman’s Bureau or Indian censuses.

It is often helpful to extract the information on all families with the same surname in the same general area. If the surname is uncommon, it is likely that those living in the same area were related.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * The records are brief so it is easy to confuse indivuals with similar names.
 * Married family members may have lived nearby but in a separate household so you may want to search an entire town, neighboring towns, or even a county.
 * You may be able to identify an earlier generation if elderly parents were living with or close by a married child.
 * You may be able to identify a younger generation if a young married couple still lived with one of their sets of parents.
 * Additional searches may be needed to locate all members of a particular family in the census.
 * Census may identify persons for whom other records do not exist.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Related Websites

 * Wisconsin Census Project
 * Oneida First Christian Party Census
 * Wisconsin Census Online Index

Related Wiki Articles

 * Wisconsin
 * Wisconsin Census

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Wisconsin State Census, 1875." index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 13 April 2011). Jene P Pederson; citing Census Records, FHL microfilm 1,032,694; Wisconson State Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin.