Brown County, Wisconsin Genealogy

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Guide to Brown County, Wisconsin ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Green Bay
Organized: October 26, 1818
Parent County(s): Michigan Territory
Neighboring Counties
Calumet  • Door  • Kewaunee  • Manitowoc  • Oconto  • Outagamie  • Shawano
See County Maps
Courthouse
Brown County Court House, Green Bay, Wisconsin.jpg
Location Map
WI Brown.png
Adoption

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The County was named for Jacob Brown. The County is located in the east area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Brown County Courthouse
305 E Walnut Street
PO Box 23600
Green Bay, WI 54305-3600
Phone: 920-448-4016
Brown County Website

Register of Deeds has birth records from 1846, marriage records from 1821, death records from 1834, and land records.
Clerk of the Court has divorce and court records from 1832.
Register in Probate has probate records from 1828.[2]

Brown County, Wisconsin Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[3]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1846 1821 1834 1832 1820 1828 1820
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1907. General compliance year unknown.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • 1818--Brown County was created 26 October 1818 from Michigan Territory.
  • County seat: Green Bay[4]

For animated maps illustrating Wisconsin County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Wisconsin County Boundary Maps" (1790-1961) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[5]

Cities
Towns
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Ghost towns


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Brown County, Wisconsin online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Wisconsin Cemeteries for more information

 

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1840 2,107 —
1850 6,215 195.0%
1860 11,795 89.8%
1870 25,168 113.4%
1880 34,078 35.4%
1890 39,164 14.9%
1900 46,359 18.4%
1910 54,098 16.7%
1920 61,889 14.4%
1930 70,249 13.5%
1940 83,109 18.3%
1950 98,314 18.3%
1960 125,082 27.2%
1970 158,244 26.5%
1980 175,280 10.8%
1990 194,594 11.0%
2000 226,778 16.5%
2010 248,007 9.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Brown census records online, see: Wisconsin Census.

State Census

Federal Census

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Wisconsin denominations, view the Wisconsin Church Records wiki page.

Lutheran

  • Records of Trinity Lutheran Church, Green Bay, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives ($).


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

1823-1939: Circuit Court case files are available at:

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Wisconsin Land and Property for additional information about early Wisconsin land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

1820-1873: General Index to Deeds and Mortgages,
1820-1902: Deeds and Mortgages, and
1859-1980: Tax Rolls
Available at:

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Oconto CountyShawano CountyOutagamie CountyCalumet CountyManitowoc CountyKewaunee CountyDoor CountyWI BROWN.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Regiments. Service men in Brown served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Brown:

- 2nd Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company G
- 6th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company I
- 9th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company H
- 9th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry Reorganized, Company D
- 12th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company H
- 14th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Companies F and G

World War I[edit | edit source]

World War II[edit | edit source]

Brown County WWII Army Enlistees from USGenWeb Archives:

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

1829-1984: Records are housed at:

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Probate records are held by the Brown Clerk of Circuit Court and are housed at the Brown Courthouse. See the wiki page Wisconsin Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.

Content: Probate records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, and adoptions.

Online Records

1821-1976: Records available at:

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Wisconsin tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned property or other items that could be taxed were listed, some residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records. For more information see the Wiki page, Wisconsin Taxation.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Most counties started keeping records in the 1870s. In 1907, the counties began sending copies to the state.

For pre-1907 births, deaths, and marriages, search the Wisconsin Genealogy Index.

For additional information, see Wisconsin Vital Records.

  • Register of Deeds has birth records from 1846,
    marriage records from 1821, death records from 1834 and land records
  • Clerk Court has divorce and court
    records from 1832;
  • Pre-1907 Births, Marriages and Deaths at Archives and Area Research Center, Cofrin Library, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay - $, the research center will make a search

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Brown County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.

  • Green Bay Catholic Diocese Archives
    PO Box 23825
    Green Bay, WI 54305-3825
    Phone: 920-272-8187
    Website
  • Archives and Area Research Center
    Cofrin Library, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
    2420 Nicolet Dr.
    Green Bay, WI 54311-7001
    Phone: 920-465-2539
    Email: archives@uwgb.edu
    Website
    Facebook

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in Brown County. For state-wide library facilities, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.

  • Cofrin Library, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
    Archives and Area Research Center
    2420 Nicolet Dr.
    Green Bay, WI 54311-7001
    Phone: 920-465-2539
    Email: archives@uwgb.edu
    Website
    Facebook

Museums[edit | edit source]

The Neville Public Museum welcomes visitors to use the collections by appointment. The Neville Public Museum staff provides all possible assistance to users of the Neville’s collections. Requests for an appointment are made by email, mail, or telephone and may be limited by staff time, availability, and the nature of the request. A fee may also be charged.

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Brown County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Wisconsin Societies.

  • Brown County Historical Society
    1008 South Monroe Avenue
    Green Bay, WI 54301
    Telephone: 920-437-1840
    Website

  • White Pillars Museum, home of the De Pere Historical Society
    403 North Telephone: 920.430.0980Broadway
    De Pere, WI 54115
    Telephone: 920-336-3877
    Email: Info@DePereHistoricalSociety.org
    Website
  • Bay Area Genealogical Society
    PO Box 283
    Green Bay, WI 54305-0283
    Telephone: 920.430.0980
    Website

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Brown County, Wisconsin " in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_County,_Wisconsin."
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Brown County, Wisconsin. Page 755-760, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 757-759.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Brown County, Wisconsin," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_County,_Wisconsin#Communities, accessed 4 August 2018.
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  8. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
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National Archives at Chicago · Wisconsin Historical Society · Wisconsin State Genealogical Society · Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society · Area Research Centers:  1. Wisconsin Historical Society, 2. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 3. University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 4. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 5. University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 6. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 7. University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 8. University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 9. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 10. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 11. University of Wisconsin-Stout, 12. University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 13. Superior Public Library, 14. Northern Great Lake Center  · Beloit Public Library · Brown County Library · Kenosha Public Library · Milwaukee County Historical Society · Milwaukee Public Library · Norwegian American Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library · Oshkosh Public Library · Racine Heritage Museum Research Center · University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Library · Allen County Public Library · Newberry Library
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