Wisconsin, Fond du Lac Public Library Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of images to card files from the Fond du Lac Public Library. The records cover the years 1848 to 1980 and include the following: County officials began keeping records from the time the county was formed. Each type of record within the county was created for a different purpose, but most were created to keep track of the vital events happening in the lives of the citizens and to safeguard their legal interests and the legal interests of their heirs.
 * Calvary Cemetery file (1900-1980)
 * Marriage application file (1899-1930)
 * Divorce file (1848-1950)

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Marriage
 * Name and age of groom
 * Groom's residence and occupation
 * Names of groom's parents, including maiden name of mother
 * Name and age of bride
 * Bride's current residence
 * Name of bride's parents, including maiden name of mother
 * Date and place of marriage

Divorce
 * Names of divorcing couple
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names and/or number of children involved
 * Date divorce was granted
 * Volume and page number where recorded

Burial
 * Name of deceased person
 * Date of burial
 * Location of grave

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The date or location of the event

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 the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the names of the parents to find other church and vital records such as birth, 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

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * 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

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Wisconsin.
 * Wisconsin Guided Research
 * Wisconsin Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Fond Du Lac County, Calvary Cemetery card file, 1900-1980
 * Fond Du Lac County, marriage applications card file, 1899-1930
 * Fond Du Lac County, divorce card index, ca. 1848-1950

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Maurice McKenna, ed. Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, past and present. 2 volumes. Chicago, Illinois : S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1912
 * The history of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin : containing a history of Fond du Lac County, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc., etc., an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, their improvements, industries, manufactories, churches, schools, societies, etc., etc., war record, biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers, etc., etc., etc.: also history of Wisconsin, constitution of the United States and of Wisconsin, condensed abstract of laws of Wisconsin, miscellaneous. etc., etc. Chicago, Illinois : Western Historical Co., 1880

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.