Wisconsin. Bureau of Health Statistics.

ABSTRACT: Record of births registered between 1852 and 1907 with Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Washington, and Waukesha County Registers of Deeds. For each birth, the individual’s name, sex and race are shown along with the names of living siblings, name and occupation of the father, mother’s name previous to marriage, time and place of birth, name and residence of the person signing the certificate, and the dates of the birth certificate and of the registration. The father’s and mother’s places of birth are also given for births registered since 1898. Some births for the years 1808-1852 are also included.

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39). 

SCOPE AND CONTENT: In 1852, the Wisconsin Statutes specified that the birth registry contain the following data: full name of child, sex, color, name of other issue living, full name of father, occupation of father, name of mother previous to marriage, hour, day, month and year of birth, place of birth, name of physician or other person signing the certificate or making application, their residence, date of certificate, date of registration, and any additional circumstances to be noted. In 1898, this list was amended to include the birthplaces of the father and mother.

Though registration has been required since 1852, the early records are far from complete. Many births, particularly those prior to 1870, simply were not recorded. Conversely, many pre-1852 births were registered, including some dating back to 1808.

ARRANGEMENT: Registrations are arranged by county and thereunder by the date of registration, not by date of birth. Births frequently were not registered until many months after they occurred. Additionally, in the earliest volumes for each county there are numerous entries for births occurring many years earlier, though they do not appear in any chronological order. Consequently, researchers are cautioned against attempting to locate entries by searching chronologically through the records. Access to the records should be made through the indexes.

The table following this description is arranged by county. The second column, former reel and document number, refers to the reel and document number that is listed in the index (Wisconsin Series 2072). The reel column lists the actual reel where the birth record will be found.

ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY: From 1852 until 1907, physicians or other persons attendant on a birth or the parents, if no one was attendant, were required to file a certificate of birth within 30 days with the county Register of Deeds. After July 1, 1897, the certificate was to be filed with the local health officer or the local clerk if there were no health officer, who then forwarded the certificate to the Register of Deeds.

The Register of Deeds was required in turn to enter information from the certificate into a separate registry book. The Register was further required to submit a copy of the registry semiannually to the Secretary of State for safekeeping. In October 1907, the registration of births and other vital records was centralized in the State Bureau of Vital Statistics (now called the Bureau of Health Statistics). Registrations on file with the Secretary of State were transferred to that new office. These records are microfilm copies of those registry volumes.

A more detailed history of legislation relating to vital records, along with listings of local government holdings of such records as of 1941, may be found in the Wisconsin Historical Records Surveys’ Guide to Public Vital Statistics Records in Wisconsin (Madison, 1941).

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

Wisconsin. Bureau of Health Statistics. Registrations of birth [microform], 1852-1907. Wisconsin Series 2070. Wisconsin Historical Society. Milwaukee Area Research Center. Golda Meir Library. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

RELATED COLLECTIONS:

Milwaukee County (Wis.). Register of Deeds. Register of births [microform], 1854-1911. (Milwaukee Micro Series 8)

Milwaukee County (Wis.). Register of Deeds. General birth index [microform], 1823-1932. (Milwaukee Micro Series 7)

Wisconsin Bureau of Health Statistics. Delayed registrations of births [microform], 1850-1907. (Wisconsin Series 2071)

Wisconsin Bureau of Health Statistics. Index to Registrations of births [microform], 1808-1907. (Wisconsin Series 2072)

ACQUISITION: Received in September 1981 (accession number 1981/247).

PROCESSING: These are copies of the originals held by the Bureau of Health Statistics. They were microfilmed as part of a cooperative project between the Wisconsin Historic Society and the genealogical Society of Utah which holds the master negatives.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

• Milwaukee County (Wis.)—Genealogy.
• Ozaukee County (Wis.)—Genealogy.
• Public records—Wisconsin—Milwaukee County.
• Public records—Wisconsin—Ozaukee County.
• Public records—Wisconsin—Sheboygan County.
• Public records—Wisconsin—Washington County.
• Public records—Wisconsin—Waukesha County.
• Sheboygan County (Wis.)—Genealogy.
• Washington County (Wis.)—Genealogy.
• Waukesha County (Wis.)—Genealogy.
• Wisconsin—Genealogy.

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URL: http://www.uwm.edu/Library/archives/findaids/wisr2070.htm
Last edited on Wednesday, November 28, 2001.
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