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Kenosha County, Wisconsin Genealogy

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

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County Facts
County seat: Kenosha
Organized: January 30, 1850
Parent County(s): Racine County[1]
Neighboring Counties
Lake (IL)  • McHenry (IL)  • Racine  • Walworth
See County Maps
Courthouse
Kenosha County Court House.jpg
Location Map
WI Kenosha.png
Adoption

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The County was named for the county seat, Kenosha. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Kenosha County Courthouse
1010 56th Street
Kenosha, WI 53140
Phone: 262-653-2552
Kenosha County Website

County Clerk has marriage records from 1900.
Register of Deeds has land records.
Register in Probate has probate records. [3]

Kenosha 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[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1876 1900 1876 1852 1838 1850 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]

  • 1850--Kenosha County was created 30 January 1850 fromRacine County.
  • County seat: Kenosha[5]

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:[6]

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 Kenosha 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. %±
1850 10,734 —
1860 13,900 29.5%
1870 13,147 −5.4%
1880 13,550 3.1%
1890 15,581 15.0%
1900 21,707 39.3%
1910 32,929 51.7%
1920 51,284 55.7%
1930 63,277 23.4%
1940 63,505 0.4%
1950 75,238 18.5%
1960 100,615 33.7%
1970 117,917 17.2%
1980 123,137 4.4%
1990 128,181 4.1%
2000 149,577 16.7%
2010 166,426 11.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

State Census

  • 1855 - 1855 Wisconsin State Census This census includes name of head of family; other individuals in the household are identified by sex and race, number of deaf and dumb, blind, insane and foreign born.
  • 1865 - 1865 Wisconsin State Census Name index and images of the 1865 State Census which names the head of household. Most records have been destroyed but schedules exist for the following counties: Dunn, Green, Jackson, Kewaunee, Ozaukee, and Sheboygan.
  • 1875 - 1875 Wisconsin State Census Identifies head of household by name.
  • 1885 - Wisconsin State Census, 1885 at FamilySearch — index and images. Search indexed census.Identifies by name of head of household. Other information is statistical and identifies the rest of the household by race, gender and country of birth.
  • 1895 - Wisconsin State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — index and images. Identifies head of household by name. Other information is statistical.
  • 1905 - Wisconsin State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — Name index and images of population. Enumerates by name all inhabitants.

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 the American Lutheran Church, Salem, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Court Records[edit | edit source]

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.

  • Wisconsin Land Patents Database, Kenosha County (USGenWeb Archives)

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Lake CountyMcHenry CountyRacine CountyWalworth CountyWI KENOSHA.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 Kenosha 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 Kenosha:

- 1st Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Companies F and M
- 2nd Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company G
- 9th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company C

World War I[edit | edit source]

World War II[edit | edit source]

  • Kenosha County Army Enlistees (USGenWeb Archives)

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

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 Kenosha Clerk of Circuit Court and are housed at the Kenosha 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

School 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.

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]

  • Archives and Area Research Center
    University of Wisconsin, Parkside Library
    900 Wood Rd.
    Kenosha, WI 53144
    Telephone: 262-595-2411
    Email: archives@uwp.edu
    Website
  • List of Archives by the Genealoger

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

Libraries[edit | edit source]

  • University of Wisconsin, Parkside Library
    Archives and Area Research Center
    900 Wood Rd.
    Kenosha, WI 53144
    Telephone: 262-595-2411
    Email: archives@uwp.edu
    Website
  • List of libraries by the Genealoger

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

  • Kenosha County Genealogical Society
    4902 52nd St
    Kenosha, WI 53142
    Website
  • Kenosha County Historical Society, Kenosha History Center
    220 51st Place
    Kenosha, WI 53140
    Phone: 262-654-5770
    Website
  • Western Kenosha Historical Society
    PO Box 232
    Trevor, WI 53179-0232
    Phone: 262-857-7345
    Facebook

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Kenosha County, Wisconsin " in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosha_County,_Wisconsin."
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Kenosha 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.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Kenosha County, Wisconsin," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosha_County,_Wisconsin, accessed 15 September 2018.
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