Wisconsin History

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Native Americans were the main inhabitants of Wisconsin prior to the Black Hawk War in 1832. By 1850 the Indian's had ceded most of their lands to the federal government. For more information about the Native Americans in Wisconsin, see the Indians of Wisconsin page. European immigrants settled the vacated Indian lands growing the European population from 11,000 in 1836 to 305,00 by 1850. These settlers were from Europe with a some from the East coast. One-third of the State's population was foreign-born by 1850. .

Time line
The following important events in the history of Wisconsin affected political jurisdictions, family movements, and record keeping.

 1634: Jean Nicolet (Nicollet) de Belle Borne at the request of Samuel de Champlain of New France, landed at Red Banks on the shore of Green Bay.

1690–1820: Roman Catholic missionaries established the mission of St. Ignace de Michilimackinac, at Mackinac (now Michigan). The mission was the center for traders going to and from what is now Wisconsin. For records of baptisms, marriages, and burials, see the Church Records page.

1763: The British took possession of the area from the French but discouraged new settlers.

1787: Wisconsin officially became part of the U.S. Northwest Territory, but British fur traders effectively controlled the region until 1816.

1800: The present Wisconsin area was included in the Indiana Territory.

1804: Land ceded by the Sauk and Fox Indian tribes.

1806: Battle of Mole Lake, Sokaogon Ojibwe battled the Sioux over control of a local wild rice producing lake. Some 500 warriors died.

1809: The Wisconsin area was part of the Illinois Territory.

1818: The Wisconsin area was included in the Michigan Territory. The territorial governor of Michigan created the first two Wisconsin counties, Brown and Crawford.

1820s: High prices for lead attracted settlers to the mines of southern Wisconsin. The Michigan 1820 census lists residents of what is now Wisconsin.

1827: Winnebago Indians War

1829, 1833, 1837, &amp; 1842: Land ceded by the Chippewa, Ottawa and Potamoni Indian Tribes

1829, 1832, &amp; 1837: Land ceded by the Winnebago Indians 1830s: Heavy settlement began along the Lake Michigan shoreline at the sites of present-day Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha. The Michigan 1830 census lists of residents of what is now Wisconsin.

1831: Menominee Indians ceded land to the Oneida Indians (1836 &amp; 1848)

1831, 1836, &amp; 1848: Land ceded by the Menominee Indians

1832: The Black Hawk War ended the last serious Indian threat to white settlements.

1836: Congress created the Wisconsin Territory, which included lands west of the Mississippi River to the Missouri River. Much of the western portion was later transferred to the Iowa Territory, created in 1838.

1837: Land ceded by the Chippewa and Sioux

1840s: Many families arrived from Germany and New York. Norwegians begin settling in large numbers in Koshkonong area.

1848: Wisconsin, with its present boundaries, became a state. This is a beginning of a large German immigration into Wisconsin. 1861– 1865: 96,000 men from Wisconsin served in the Union armed forces during the Civil War, 12,216 die in the conflict. Civil War Histories are kept by the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs.

1851: First railroad opens, linking Milwaukee and Waukesha.

1857: Railroad completed from Milwaukee to Prairie du Chien. 1871: The deadliest fire in United States history occurred in the timber industry town of Peshtigo, killing between 1,200 and 2,500 people. The Peshtigo Fire burned 1,875 square miles of forestland around the town. Three Hundred and fifty people were buried in a mass grave without being identified, as those that would have known them perished in the fire also.

1887: Marshfield almost destroyed by fire.

1889: Mine Fire occurred in Ashland, putting 400 miners out of work.

1898: The Spanish-American War was fought mainly in Cuba and the Philippines. Technically, Wisconsin troops in the Spanish-American War were part of the state's National Guard. Official service record information is found within certain Adjutant General's records held by the Archives. There is an alphabetical index, which is useful in determining if a given individual served in a Wisconsin unit during the Spanish American War.

1912: A washed out bridge caused a train to plunge into the Lemonweir River near Camp Douglas carrying all of the passengers and cars downstream.

1916-1921: Federal Highway Acts created and improved roads.

1917: Large numbers of African Americans from the rural South begin moving to Wisconsin communities, including Racine, Beloit and Milwaukee.

1917–1918: The U.S. enters World War I. Wisconsin becomes first state to meet draft requirements; 120,000 soldiers serve in the military, and almost 4,000 die in the war. For information concerning records about this war see the World War I United States Military Records page.

1930's:  The Great Depression closed many factories and mills sending many Wisconsinites to join labor unions.

1930: Train And Auto Collision occurred in Kenosha killing 11 and injuring 100.

1939: Interstate Highway System was renewed in 1939 and finished in 1970.

1940–1945: World War II. 332,000 Wisconsin residents serve in U.S. military, including 9,000 women. 8,390 Wisconsinites died in this war. Over 50.6 million men ages 18 to 65 registered with the Selective Service. For information concerning records about this war see the World War II Military Records page.

1948: State centennial celebration.

1950: Wisconsin population grew to 3.4 million.

1950–1953: The Korean War claimed 726 Wisconsinites. For information concerning records about this war see the United States Military in the Korean War page.

1964–1972:  More than 165,400 Wisconsin residents served in Vietnam War 1,239 did not return. For more information see the Vietnam War page.

1985: Jetliner Crashes on takeoff killing 31 in Milwaukee.

1990: Wisconsin's population reaches 4,891,769

Local Histories
Some of the most valuable sources for family history research are local histories. Published histories of towns, counties, and states usually contain accounts of families. They describe the settlement of the area and the founding of churches, schools, and businesses. You can also find lists of pioneers, soldiers, and civil officials. Even if your ancestor is not listed, information on other relatives may be included that will provide important clues for locating your ancestor. A local history may also suggest other records to search. Local histories are extensively collected by the Family History Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies. The United States Research "History" page cites nationwide bibliographies of local histories which include histories of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin has a large number of county and regional histories, which contain much family history information.


 * The Wisconsin State Genealogical Society has prepared every-name indexes to about fifty of the histories. The Family History Library has most of these indexes.
 * The Wisconsin Historical Society has a site for Wisconsin Local History & Biography Articles. This is a search-able site where you'll find thousands of historical newspaper articles on Wisconsin people and communities.
 * American History and Genealogy Project has information on individual counties.

State Histories Useful to Genealogists
Good genealogists strive to understand the life and times of their ancestors. In this sense, any history is useful. But certain kinds of state, county, and local histories, especially older histories published between 1845 and 1945, often include biographical sketches of prominent individuals. The sketches usually tend toward the laudatory, but may include some genealogical details. If these histories are indexed or alphabetical, check for an ancestor's name. Genealogy Book Links gives many references to books available on the History of Wisconsin.

You can learn about the pre-statehood era of Wisconsin in the many published volumes of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Two good sources are the Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin and the Northwest, Illinois, and Michigan, and Wisconsin Territorial Papers. Indexes to the territorial papers are in:


 * The Territorial Papers of the United States

The Wisconsin territorial papers collection has a few court records for 1836–1848: Bureau of Indian Affairs records 1836–1848; appointments of postmasters 1836–1848; maps 1836–1848; records of lighthouses and customs, and many other governmental records in:


 * The Territorial Papers of the United States: the Territory of Wisconsin, 1836–1848: a Microfilm Supplement.

Much historical information is included in the Wisconsin Magazine of History published by the Wisconsin Historical Society. (See the "Periodicals" page.)

A source for early Wisconsin historical information for the 1690s to the 1860s is:


 * Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin The papers collected in this work mainly focus on the history of Wisconsin prior to statehood. For example, volume 19 has extensive information about persons engaged in the fur trade, 1778–1817. ''

A source with excellent bibliographies concerning the early French traders and Indian records is:


 * "Voyageurs and Habitants: Tracing the Early French in the Great Lakes Region" 

Especially useful sources for studying the history of Wisconsin are:


 * Wisconsin: Its History and Its People, 1634-1924 Snippet view available at Google Books


 * History of Wisconsin


 * History of Wisconsin Full text available at Google Books

Research Helps
To find more books and articles about Wisconsin 's history use the Internet Google search for phases like "Wisconsin history." For more information about individual topics see the Vital Records, Emigration and Immigration, Military Records and Bible Records pages.

Family History Library Catalog Surname Search lists many more histories under topics like:
 * WISCONSIN - HISTORY
 * WISCONSIN, [COUNTY] - HISTORY
 * WISCONSIN, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - HISTORY
 * WISCONSIN, BIBLIOGRAPHY

Web Sites

 * Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S., 1895-1956 $ Ancestry has manifests.
 * Cyndi's List for Wisconsin provides many links pertaining to the history of the State.
 * Commentary on Wisconsin gives an Atlas of Wisconsin's Historical County Boundaries
 * Disasters in Wisconsin
 * Doorway to Wisconsin is the American Local History Network (ALHN) who furnishes students, educators, and genealogical researchers with historical and genealogical information.
 * French-Indian Intermarriage And The Creation Of Métis Society the impact of the French in the 1600's.
 * Great Lakes Maritime History has a collection of history and memorabilia surrounding Marine and Ship Captains and Sailors who dedicated their lives to Great Lakes Shipping and Transport.
 * Historical Sketch of Wisconsin Official Guide and History by USGenWeb Archives
 * Our Wisconsin Ancestors is a collection of sources hosted by USGenNet.
 * Wisconsin Historical Society has among other things, newspapers, Wisconsin Biographical indexes, State and Federal Censuses.
 * Wisconsin GenWeb Project is a collections of sources hosted by The Wisconsin GenWeb Project.
 * Wisconsin Heritage Online is an expanding digital collection, featuring documentary sources and material culture from Wisconsin libraries, archives, and museums,
 * Wisconsin State Genealogical Society Inc.'s Wiki.
 * Wisconsin History Online holds a wide variety of information and links from Native American's history to migration, industrialization, and much more.
 * Wisconsin Trails helps you track your ancestors through time.