Vital Records
Birth Records
The Area Research Center has indexes and records for births that occurred prior to 1907. The indexes are alphabetical on microfiche and index the entire state of Wisconsin.
We only have the actual birth records (on microfilm) for our eleven county region. The other Area Research Centers have the records for their appropriate counties. The Wisconsin Historical Society has a complete set of records for all counties.
For any birth that occurred in Brown County, we have the original paper indexes for the years 1823-1936. We have the accompanying original records for the years 1823-1907.
Records may not be found for all individuals. Sometimes the names are badly misspelled in the indexes. Also, it was not required by law to register births with government officials until 1907.
Death Records
The Area Research Center has indexes and records for deaths that occurred prior to 1907. The indexes are alphabetical on microfiche and index the entire state of Wisconsin.
We only have the actual death records (on microfilm) for our eleven county region. The other Area Research Centers have the records for their appropriate counties. The Wisconsin Historical Society has a complete set of records for all counties.
For any death that occurred in Brown County, we have the original paper indexes from the years 1823-1936. We have the accompanying original records for the years 1823-1907.
Records may not be found for all individuals. Sometimes the names are badly misspelled in the indexes. Also, it was not required by law to register deaths with government officials until 1907.
Marriage Records
The Area Research Center has indexes and records for marriages that occurred prior to 1907. The indexes are alphabetical on microfiche and index the entire state of Wisconsin.
We only have the actual marriage records (on microfilm) for our eleven county region. The other Area Research Centers have the records for their appropriate counties. The Wisconsin Historical Society has a complete set of records for all counties.
For any marriage that occurred in Brown County, we have the original paper indexes for the years 1823-1936. We have the accompanying original records for the years 1823-1907. We also have very early marriage records for (1823-1854) for Brown County. Some marriages for Brown County are also recorded in criminal municipal court dockets. These cover the years 1904-1932 and are not complete.
Records may not be found for all individuals. Sometimes the names are badly misspelled in the indexes. Also, it was not required by law to register marriages with government officials until 1907.
Divorce Records
Divorce proceedings are usually handled by the circuit court in each county. Some times divorce proceedings were handled by county courts or municipal courts. Thus, a researcher should know the county in which the papers were filed for the divorce. Usually this would be a county in which either the husband or wife were residing.
Once the county has been identified, researchers need to use the various Court Records. Because the plaintiff and defendant in a divorce would have the same last name, you do not need to necessarily know who was the plaintiff and the defendant. Typically a divorce case file contains the names of the husband and wife, their residences, marriage date, place of marriage, names and birth dates/ages of children, references to occupation, reasons for requesting the divorce, and the judge's decisions.