One of the main goals for genealogists is finding birth, marriage, and death (BMD) information about their ancestors.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians and archivists (as well as the largest of them all - FamilySearch), a great number of indexes to birth, marriage, and death collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific BMD information, and sometimes scanned images of the actual birth, marriage, and death certificates themselves. These free online collections have hundreds of millions of records in them in total.
There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include birth, marriage, and death information that are not included in the lists below. For example, newspapers, draft registration files, naturalization records, etc. have BMD info. To find out which types of other records may include BMD information, please see:
- 27 Ways to Find Ancestor Birth Information
- 22 Ways to Find Ancestors Marriage Information
- 21 Ways to Find Ancestors Death Information
The lists below are specific birth, marriage, and death indexes and record collections that are available for free online for the state of Wisconsin.
Note 1: Many of the links listed below take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. In many cases there is a link to the digital collection in the middle of the page, but also near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections' images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. Please also note that I have listed below only BMD databases that are accessible digitally from your computer (or tablet/phone)
Note 2: I have included links to Free Ancestry records and indexes. You do not need a subscription, but do need an Ancestry account. Without a subscription you can view indexes. If there is an image associated with a record, in most cases you will need a subscription, but the index does include very usable information.
(Updated May, 2020; recently added links are in BOLD)
General U.S.
- United States Births and Christenings, 1867-1931
- United States Deaths and Burials, 1867-1961
- United States Korean War Battle Deaths, 1950-1957
- United States Marriages, 1733-1990
- United States Social Security Death Index
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
Wisconsin
- Adams County Death Index through 1920
- Adams County Marriage Index
- Appleton Death and Obituary Indexes
- Ashland County Vital Records
- Barron County Births pre-1907
- Barron County Death Indexes
- Barron County Marriage Indexes
- Brown County Miscellaneous Deaths
- Brown County Miscellaneous Marriages
- Burnett County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Calumet County, Death Records, 1900-2001
- Chippewa County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Chippewa County Births and Deaths 1886 source - South Chippewa Star
- Chippewa County Births, Marriages and Deaths - 1886 source - Chippewa Falls Workman
- Chippewa County Births, Marriages and Deaths 1870-1874
- Chippewa County Births, Marriages and Deaths 1894 source - The People's Paper
- Chippewa County Marriages and Deaths - 1895 source - Chippewa Current
- Chippewa County Marriages and Deaths 1866-1872
- Clark County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Clintonville Death and Obituary Index
- Columbia County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Crawford County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Dane County Marriages 1839-1907
- Dodge County Citizen Newspaper Index: 1856-1914, 1917-1919
- Door County Baptismal Records
- Door County Death Index - 1857 - 1933
- Door County Marriage Index pre-1927
- Dunn County Death Records, 1832-1979
- Eau Claire Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Eau Claire County Births and Deaths
- Eau Claire County Coroner's docket, 1900-1944
- Florence County Vital Records
- Fond du Lac County Births
- Fond du Lac County Marriage Index
- Fond Du Lac County, Marriage applications card file, 1899-1930
- Fond du Lac Marriage and Death/Obituary Indexes
- Fond du Lac Public Library Records, 1848-1980
- Fond du Lac Public Library Records, 1848-1980
- Grant County Birth Indexes
- Grant County Marriages
- Green County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Green County Death and Obituary Indexes
- Green Lake County Marriage Indexes
- Green Lake County Marriages and Deaths Indexes
- Janesville Death and Obituary Index
- Jefferson County Territorial Marriages, to the date of statehood, May 29, 1848
- Juneau County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Kenosha County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Kenosha County Record of Certificates of Marriages, 1850-1853, and Record of Certificates of ordinations of ministers of the gospel, 1850-1928
- Kewaunee County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- La Crosse Vital Records, 1852-1880
- Lac du Flambeau Agency Vital Records for Bad River Band of Chippewa Indians 1924-1935
- Lac du Flambeau Agency Vital Records for Chippewa Indians 1924-1932
- Lac du Flambeau Agency Vital Records for Lac Courte Oreilles Band Chippewa Indians 1924-1932
- Lac du Flambeau Agency Vital Records for Red Cliff Band of Chippewa Indians 1924-1932
- Lac du Flambeau Agency Vital Records for Wisconsin Potawatomi Band of Chippewa Indians 1924-1935
- LaCrosse Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Lafayette County Marriages
- Lake Geneva Birth Index
- Langlade County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes pre-1907
- Lincoln County Deaths and Obituary Transcriptions
- Lincoln County Vital Records
- Manitowoc County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Marathon County , Marriages, Births, Deaths (pre-1880)
- Marathon County Deaths and Obituary Transcriptions
- Marathon County Vital Records Indexes
- Menominee County Birth and Death Indexes
- Menominee County Journal Obituary Index 1893-2017
- Menominee Reservation Vital Records for the Menominee Indians, 1925-1932
- Menominee Reservation Vital Records for the Oneida Indians, 1925-1932
- Milwaukee County Births and Marriages
- Milwaukee County Deaths
- Milwaukee County First Marriages and Licenses 1836-1849
- Milwaukee County Marriage Certificates
- Milwaukee County Marriage Index
- Milwaukee County Territory Index to Book A Marriage Records 1836-1848
- Milwaukee Jewish Museum Death and Burial Index
- Milwaukee Jewish Museum Marriage Records
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
- Oshkosh Death and Obituary Index
- Ozaukee County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Phillips Death and Obituary Index
- Pierce County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Polk County Death Index
- Portage County, Registration of Births with Index, 1876-1898
- Portage County, Registration of Marriages with Index, 1844-1897
- Price County Vital Records
- Racine County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Richland County Death and Obituary Index
- Ripon Death and Obituary Index
- Rock County Death and Obituary Index
- Sauk County Index to Births, Deaths & Marriages in local papers
- Sauk County Marriages, 1844-1852, vol. 1
- Sawyer County Birth Indexes
- Sawyer County Death Index
- Sawyer County Marriage Indexes
- Shawano and Oconto Counties, Indexes and Records, 1850-2007
- Shawano County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Shawano County Birth Records Index, 1850-1919
- Shawano County Death Index, ca. 1845-1939
- Sheboygan County Birth, Marriage, and Death Index
- St. Croix County Marriages 1852-1867
- St. Croix County Marriages 1852-1867
- Taylor County Birth and Death Records
- Taylor County Death and Marriage Index
- Trempealeau County Death and Obituary Index
- Trempealeau County Marriage and Death Indexes
- Vilas County Death and Obituary Index
- Washburn County Vital Records
- Washington County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Waukesha County Death and Obituary Indexes
- Waupaca County Vital Records Indexes
- Waushara County Death and Obituary Index
- Winnebago County Marriage Announcements
- Winneconne Birth, Marriage, and Death/Obituary Indexes
- Wisconsin Birth Index, 1820-1907
- Wisconsin Births and Christenings, 1826-1926
- Wisconsin Death Index, 1820-1907
- Wisconsin Death Index, 1959-1997
- Wisconsin Deaths and Burials, 1835-1968
- Wisconsin Federal and State Census Mortality Schedules 1850-1880
- Wisconsin Historical Society Vitals Index, 1852-1907
- Wisconsin Local History and Biographical Articles
- Wisconsin Marriage Index, 1973-1997
- Wisconsin Marriages, 1836-1930
- Wisconsin State Death Index 1959-1979
- Wisconsin State Death Index 1979-1984
- Wisconsin, County Marriages, 1836-1911
- Wisconsin, Death Records, 1867-1907
- Wood County Births
- Wood County Marriages
Check out the links for other states on the BMD Records page.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free Wisconsin Links, click on the category of interest:
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