Wisconsin State Census, 1885 - FamilySearch Historical Records

This wiki article describes a collection that is available for free online at FamilySearch Record Search – Pilot Site. To access the collection, see Wisconsin State Census, 1885



Collection Time Period
Wisconsin census were conducted from 1855-1905. This information pertains to censuses taken in the year 1895.

Collection History
In 1855 the state legislature directed that a census be taken in June of that year and every 10 years thereafter. The completed forms were sent to the Secretary of State. The census covers approximately 90% of the population.

Why This Collection Was Created
The state census of Wisconsin was taken in order to enumerate the population for representation purposes.

Collection Reliability
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.

Collection 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.

Collection Content
Key genealogical facts found in Wisconsin state censuses for the year 1895 are:


 * Name of the head of the family
 * Number of individuals in the household by sex and race
 * Number of deaf and dumb, blind, insane, and foreign born
 * Birth place
 * If a Civil War soldier or sailor
 * Rank
 * Company
 * Regiment
 * State of military service
 * Vessel of military service
 * Post office where residing

How To Use The Collection
State census records are a good source to identify residence. Use details on the head of the family to search for other record types. The census may identify persons for whom other records do not exist.

Related Articles
Wisconsin Census