Vilas County, Wisconsin Genealogy
Guide to Vilas County, Wisconsin ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business, Commerce, and Occupations
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Funeral Homes
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Guardianship
- 2.14 Land and Property Records
- 2.15 Local Histories
- 2.16 Maps and Gazetteers
- 2.17 Migration
- 2.18 Military Records
- 2.19 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.20 Newspapers
- 2.21 Obituaries
- 2.22 Other Records
- 2.23 Periodicals
- 2.24 Probate Records
- 2.25 School Records
- 2.26 Tax Records
- 2.27 Vital Records
- 3 Research Facilities
- 4 Societies
- 5 Websites
- 6 Research Guides
- 7 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for William Freeman Vilas. The County is located in the north-central area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Vilas County Courthouse
330 Court Street
Eagle River, WI 54521
Phone: 715-479-3600
Vilas County Website
Register of Deeds has birth, marriage, death and land records.
Register in Probate has probate records. [3]
Vilas 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.
Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
1889 | 1893 | 1889 | 1900 | 1893 | 1900 | 1820 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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 | ||
Unincorporated communities | ||
Census-designated places | ||
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]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
Historical populations | ||
---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± |
1900 | 4,929 | — |
1910 | 6,019 | 22.1% |
1920 | 5,649 | −6.1% |
1930 | 7,294 | 29.1% |
1940 | 8,894 | 21.9% |
1950 | 9,363 | 5.3% |
1960 | 9,332 | −0.3% |
1970 | 10,958 | 17.4% |
1980 | 16,535 | 50.9% |
1990 | 17,707 | 7.1% |
2000 | 21,033 | 18.8% |
2010 | 21,430 | 1.9% |
Source: "Wikipedia.org". |
For tips on accessing Vilas census records online, see: Wisconsin 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.
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.
- Vilas County Churches WIGenWeb project
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.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Wisconsin
- Family Maps of Vilas County, Wisconsin (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in Vilas 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 Vilas:
- - 11th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company K
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- Vilas County Newspapers WIGenWeb project
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Probate records are held by the Vilas Clerk of Circuit Court and are housed at the Vilas 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
- 1800–1987 Wisconsin Wills and Probate Records 1800-1987 at Ancestry — images and index $
- 1848–1948 Wisconsin Probate Estate Files 1848-1948 at FamilySearch — images
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]
- 1820-1907 Wisconsin, Birth Index, 1820-1907 at FamilySearch — index
- 1826-1908 Wisconsin, Births and Christenings Index, 1826-1908 at Ancestry — index $
- 1826-1926 Wisconsin, Births and Christenings, 1826-1926 at FamilySearch — index
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1836-1911 Wisconsin, County Marriages, 1836-1911 at FamilySearch — index
- 1836-1930 Wisconsin, Marriages, 1836-1930 at FamilySearch — index
- 1973-1997 Wisconsin, Marriage Index, 1973-1997 at FamilySearch — index
- 1973-1997 Wisconsin Marriages, 1973-1997 at Ancestry — index/images $
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1820-1907 Wisconsin, Death Index, 1820-1907 at FamilySearch — index
- 1835-1968 Wisconsin, Deaths and Burials, 1835-1968 at FamilySearch — index
- 1867-1907 Wisconsin, Death Records, 1867-1907 at FamilySearch — index
- 1959-1997 Wisconsin, Death Index, 1959-1997 at FamilySearch — index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1965-1984 Wisconsin, Divorce Index, 1965-1984 at FamilySearch — index
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
- History Center and Archives, Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center
Wisconsin Historical Society
29270 County Highway G
Ashland, WI 54806-9339
Phone: 715-685-2647
Email: whsnorthwoods@whs.wisc.edu
Website
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.
- For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
- Vilas County Historical Society
Main Street
Sayner, WI 54560
Phone: 715-542-3388
Website - Eagle River Genealogy Society
PO Box 693
Eagle River, WI 54521
Phone: 715-479-8899 - Eagle River Historical Society
PO Box 2011
Eagle River, WI 54521
Phone: 715-479-4845
Website
Facebook - Lac du Flambeau Historical and Cultural Society
PO Box 729
Lac du Flambeau, WI 54538
Phone: 715-588-7626
Website - Land O' Lakes Historical Society
PO Box 541
Land O' Lakes, WI 54540
Phone: 715-547-3638
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Vilas County, WI History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Wisconsin Genealogy Network Community on Google+
- Wisconsin Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- Vilas County WIGenWeb project
- Vilas County Archives USGenWeb Archives
- FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Vilas County, Wisconsin " in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilas_County,_Wisconsin."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Vilas 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.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Vilas County, Wisconsin," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilas_County,_Wisconsin, accessed 12 Dec 2018.
|
To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.