Brown County, Wisconsin
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records | Church & Cemetery |
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Brown was created on October 26, 1818 from Michigan Territory. The County was named for Major-General Jacob Brown of the United States Army. General Brown (1775-1828), born in Pennsylvania, was a successful leader in the War of 1812-15. At its close he retained the command of the Northern division, and in 1821 was made general-in-chief of the army. He died at Washington, D.C.. The County Seat is Green Bay.

Counties adjacent to Brown County are Oconto County (north), Kewaunee County (east), Manitowoc County (southeast), Calumet County (southwest), Outagamie County (west), Shawano County (northwest). Brown County Cities Include De Pere, Green Bay. Towns Include Eaton, Glenmore, Green Bay, Holland, Humboldt, Lawrence, Ledgeview, Morrison, New Denmark, Pittsfield, Rockland, Scott, Wrightstown. Villages Include Allouez, Ashwaubenon, Bellevue, Denmark, Hobart, Howard, Pulaski, Suamico, Wrightstown

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Records at the Brown County Courthouse

See Also Wisconsin Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

Search Wisconsin Historical Records - Databases include Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records; Birth, Marriage & Death Records; Voter Lists & Census Records; Immigration & Emigration Records; Obituary Records; Military Records; Family Tree Records; Pictures; Stories, Memories & Histories; Directories & Member Lists and much more....

Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information. Additional info below identify the purposes (C=county purposes; J=judicial purposes), the county or counties to which it was attached, and the dates of that attachment.

All Departments below can be contacted by clicking the link below for each department. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. Brown County was attached to ? County for county and judicial purposes from 18?? to 18??. Some early records may be found there.

Brown County Register of Deeds Office has Birth Records from 1814, Marriage Records from 1823, Death Records from 1834 and Land Records from 1820.

In 1848 the Wisconsin Constitution established the Register of Deeds as a permanent element of the County level of governmental structure. The purpose of the Brown County Register of Deeds is to provide official record keeping for Records or files land record documents authorized by law, such as deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, certified survey maps, plats and Federal Tax liens. Files and indexes Birth, Death and Marriage records, Military Discharges, and issues certified copies upon request.

Brown County Register in Probate Office has Probate Records from 1824.

It is the responsibility of the Register in Probate to maintain and update files regarding probate of estates, guardianships, protective placements, adoptions and mental commitments. This is a statutory office with the position of Register in Probate filled by judicial appointment.

Brown County Clerk of Court Office has Court Records from 1823.

The Clerk of Court is part of the Judicial Branch of local government and as such is required to maintain a record of all documents filed with the courts, keep a record of all court proceedings, and collect various fines and forfeitures ordered by the court and specified by statute.

Below is a list of online resources for Brown County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Brown County Court Records by clicking the link below:

  • Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records Online
  • Wisconsin Public Land Survey Records: Original Field Notes & Plat Maps
  • Wisconsin Land Records: This database contains information on Wisconsin (U.S.A.) land records. The database comes from the Bureau of Land Management's Wisconsin Pre-1908 Homestead and Cash Entry Patent and Cadastral Survey Plat Index. Information recorded in the collection includes patentee name, land office, legal description, etc.
  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • Brown County, Wisconsin Court Books at Amazon.com
  • Court, Land, Wills & Financial - Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.
  • Immigration & Emigration - As our ancestors moved from one country to another, details about their lives were recorded on passenger lists and government documents. Immigration and emigration records can help you learn where your ancestors originally came from, where they went, when they left, who they traveled with, and more.
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Brown County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

The earliest tax records in Wisconsin appear to be for real estate. Brown County has an extant tax roll for 1824. Tax rolls are kept by the county treasurer for each county. Many of these records have been transferred to the appropriate Area Research Centers.

Below is a list of online resources for Brown County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Brown County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Brown County Treasurers Office
    The County Treasurer's office collects all real estate taxes including postponed and delinquent, all county revenues in addition to the research and issue tax deed applications. Our department is the holder of tax records and assessed values.
  • Brown County, Wisconsin Tax Books at Amazon.com
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Brown County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Wisconsin

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

Wisconsin Division of Health, Vital Records, 1 West Wilson Street, Rm 158, Madison, WI 53701. Thier mailing address is Wisconsin Vital Records Office, P.O. Box 309, Madison, WI 53701-0309. Telephone: For automated assistance 24 hours a day, please call (608) 266-1371. To contact our service counter during the hours of 8:00 A.M. to 4:15 P.M. (C.S.T.), Monday through Friday, please call (608) 266-1373. All fees are not refundable if no record is found. You must enclose a personal check or money order made payable to "Wis. Vital Records". Please do not send cash. Please include a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope with your request. They have the following records:

  • Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates: In Wisconsin, official registration of births, marriages & deaths vary by county.
    • Cost: $20.00 is the cost for the search, which includes one copy of the birth, marriage or death certificate, if found. Additional copies of the same record, requested at the same time as the first, are $3.00 each. The cost is the same whether you request a certified or uncertified copy of the birth certificate.
    • Processing Time: Filled requests take 3-6 months when ordered by mail (Application for Birth, Marriage or Death) or 2-5 Days when you order online.
  • Divorces: Divorces on availible since Oct 1907.
    • Cost: $20.00 is the cost for the search, which includes one copy of the divorce certificate, if found. Additional copies of the same record, requested at the same time as the first, are $3.00 each. The cost is the same whether you request a certified or uncertified copy of the birth certificate.
    • Processing Time: Filled requests take 3-6 months when ordered by mail (Application) or 2-5 Days when you order online Below.
  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.
  • Order In Person: You can apply in person for a copy of a marriage certificate at 1 West Wilson Street, Room 158, in Madison, Wisconsin (driving directions/parking). The office is open from 8:00 A.M. until 4:15 P.M. (C.S.T.), Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Identification is required to pick up certified copies of vital records in person.

Below is a list of online resources for Brown County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Brown County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

  • VitalChek Express Certificate Service - Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. VitalChek is the fast and convenient way to order certified government-issued vital records online. They make it easy for you to purchase the documents to which you are legally entitled. Beware of other online services that do not have relationships directly with the agencies that store your vital records. VitalChek's order process usually takes less than 10 minutes --And you can select express courier service for even faster delivery when time is running out.
  • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREEicon - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
  • Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Wisconsin newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
  • Pre-1907 Birth Index (22 kb)
  • Pre-1907 Death Index (19 kb)
  • 1959-1979 Death Index (23 kb)
  • 1979-1984 Death Index (7 kb)
  • Pre-1892 Wisconsin Brides and/or Grooms from Maine State Archives Cards
  • Wisconsin Marriage Index 1852-1907
  • Wisconsin Marriage Index (selected entries pre-1907)
  • Wisconsin Births, 1820-1907: This database indexes over 985,000 births recorded in the State of Wisconsin, USA, prior to 1907. Information provided in the index includes: name, birth date, country, and source information.
  • Wisconsin Deaths, 1820-1907: This database indexes over 435,000 deaths recorded in the state of Wisconsin prior to 1907.
  • Wisconsin Marriages, 1835-1900: Marriage records from various counties in Wisconsin between 1835 and 1900.
  • Wisconsin Marriages, 1973-1997: This database is an index to approximately 949,000 marriages that took place in the State of Wisconsin, USA, between 1973 and 1997. Information that may be found in this database includes groom's name, groom's age, groom's residence (county and/or state), bride's name, bride's age, bride's residence (county and/or state), marriage date, marriage county, and marriage certificate number.
  • Wisconsin Marriages, pre-1907: This index contains over 920,000 individuals married in the State of Wisconsin, USA, prior to 1907. Information that may be found in this database for each individual includes their name, marriage date, county of marriage, and source information.
  • Brown County, Wisconsin Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
  • Birth, Marriage & Death - Vital records (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) mark the milestones of our lives and are the foundation of family history research. Vital records, usually kept by a civic authority, can give you a more complete picture of your ancestor, help you distinguish between two people with the same name, and help you find links to a new generation.
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Brown County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for Wisconsin

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Brown County, Wisconsin are 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Brown County, Wisconsin are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

Below is a list of online resources for Brown County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Brown County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • Census Online - Wisconsin Census Records
  • Wisconsin Census, 1820-90: This database contains indexes to the Wisconsin (U.S.A.) portions of the 1820-1860 U.S. Federal Censuses as well as indexes to the 1836-1838, 1842, 1846, and 1855 State Censuses, the 1840 Pensioners Lists, the 1890 Veterans Schedules, and other early censuses. Information contained in these indexes can include name, state, county, township, year of record, and name of record set.
  • Wisconsin State Censuses, 1895 and 1905: This database contains an index to the 1895 and 1905 Wisconsin state censuses. Both censuses cover all counties that existed at the time. Information listed includes: name of individual, and place of enumeration. The 1905 census also includes relationship to head of household, race, gender, age, marital status, and birthplace.
  • The USGenWeb Archives Wisconsin CENSUS IMAGES PROJECT
  • Brown County, Wisconsin Census Books at Amazon.com
  • Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.
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Brown County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Genealogy Atlases has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for other states.

You can view rotating animated maps for Wisconsin showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps

You can view rotating animated maps for Wisconsin showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here

Below is a list of online resources for Brown County Maps. Email us with websites containing Brown County Maps by clicking the link below:

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Brown County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Wisconsin

Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Brown County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Brown County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Brown County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Wisconsin Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Brown County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Brown County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Ashwaubenon Historical Society, PO Box 28081, Green Bay, WI 54324; Phone: 920-336-9667
  • Bay Area Genealogical Society, PO Box 283, Green Bay, WI 54305
  • Brown County Historical Society, PO Box 1411, Green Bay, WI 54305-1411; Phone: 920-437-1840
  • DePere Historical Society, 403 N Broadway, DePere, WI 54115; Phone: 920-336-3877
  • Pulaski Area Historical Society, 129 W Pulaski St, Pulaski, WI 54162; Phone: 920-822-3961
  • Area Research Center - University of Wisconsin - Green Bay, Cofrin Library, 7th floor, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, WI 54311-7001; Phone: 920/465-2539
    Counties covered are Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, and Shawano counties.
  • State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 816 State Street, Madison, WI 53706-1488
  • Wisconsin State Genealogical Society, PO Box 5106, Madison, WI 53705
  • National Archives - Great Lakes Region (Chicago), 7358 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60629-5898; 773-948-9001; E-mail: chicago.archives@nara.gov (Maintains retired records from Federal agencies and courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.)
  • Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
  • Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.
  • Wisconsin Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
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Brown County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Wisconsin

Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Brown County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Brown County Tombstone Transcription Project.

The Wisconsin Historical Records Survey Project of Madison published the Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in Wisconsin in 1941 and Guide to Church Vital Statistics Records in Wisconsin in 1942. There are also numerous publications by the project for specific denominations. Extensive microfilm collections of church records in Wisconsin are available through the FHL. The State Historical Society of Wisconsin and Area Research Centers have a variety of church records including microfilm and original records.

Numerous cemeteries have been read and transcribed by local genealogical societies in Wisconsin. The transcriptions are frequently deposited with an Area Research Center, a local library, or the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. A considerable number have been printed in the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society Newsletter. Some have been privately published.

The Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society, 6100 West Mequon Road, Mequon, WI 53092, publishes a newsletter and maintains an archive of tombstone inscriptions from around the state. Contact the society for membership information

Below is a list of online resources for Brown County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Brown County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Brown County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Brown County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Extended History

 

Brown County has been called the birthplace of Wisconsin. Within its boundaries the first white man set foot in the state when Jean Nicolet stepped ashore at Red Banks in 1634. The mouth of the Fox River nourished the first religious missions and fur trading posts, and there the first permanent white settlement began with the arrival of Charles De Langlade and his family about 1765.

In 1671 Jesuit Father Claude Allouez established the Mission of St. Francis Xavier at the foot of the De Pere rapids. The mission was a center of religious and commercial activity until it closed in 1728, although its work was intermittently halted by Indian hostilities. In what are now the Chicago & North Western Railroad yards in Green Bay, the French built a small stockade fort as a base for operations against the Sauk and Fox Indians that subsequently became a British post and, finally, the site of the U.S. Military Post of Fort Howard.

Although the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolution gave what is now Wisconsin to the new United States, the infant republic was unable to assert sovereignty until the close of the War of 1812. Fort Howard was established in 1816, shortly followed by the vanguard of pioneers from New England and New York, who gradually pushed the original French-Canadian settlers into the background while laying the foundations of today's communities.

Brown County, formally established as part of the Michigan territory in 1818, comprised the entire eastern half of the State of Wisconsin. It was named for Major General Jacob Brown, one of the successful military leaders of the War of 1812 and subsequently General-in-Chief of the United States Army. Fort Howard was named for Brig. Gen. Benjamin Howard, an otherwise undistinguished soldier, who died while in command in the West during the war.

By the time Wisconsin Territory was established in 1836 the southern third of Brown County had been amputated to form new counties in the more rapidly growing southeastern portion of the territory. When Wisconsin became a state, Brown County included what are now the counties of Door, Outagamie, Kewaunee and Oconto but by 1852 these had been withdrawn and Brown was confined to its present area of 538 square miles or 344,320 acres.

The first Courthouse was established in 1824 in a log cabin. Its site is marked by a monument in Heritage Hill State Park in the now Village of Allouez.

Among the early Yankee pioneers were Daniel Whitney, Morgan L. Martin, James Duane Doty, Henry S. Baird, William Dickinson, John Penn Arndt and Hoel S. Wright, all of whom played significant roles in the settlement of the area. In 1829 Whitney platted the Village of Navarino, which eventually became the downtown business district of Green Bay, while his rival Dickinson moved south to establish De Pere. Doty, as agent for John Jacob Astor, shortly platted the Village of Astor south of Navarino and Wright developed a village that ultimately became Wrightstown.

An 1837 referendum to locate a county seat resulted in De Pere capturing the prize when Astor and Navarino canceled each other's vote. The defeat taught the rivals a lesson and they joined as the Borough of Green Bay in 1838, but De Pere remained the county seat until Green Bay was incorporated as a city in 1854.

As the area gradually filled up, the county was divided in to towns, beginning with the Towns of Green Bay, De Pere (now the Town of Ledgeview) and Hobart in 1835 and continuing until the establishment of Howard in 1906, at which time there were 20 towns. The total was reduced to 18 when Howard became a Village and Preble consolidated with the City of Green Bay in the 1960's.

Removal of the Menominee Indians and the withdrawal of the Fort Howard garrison in the 1840's opened the west side of the Fox River to settlement. In a short time the villages of West De Pere and Fort Howard sprang up to dispute industrial leadership with De Pere and Green Bay. The bitter rivalry both stimulated and retarded progress until the De Peres consolidated in 1889 and Green Bay and Fort Howard followed suit six years later in 1895.

Description from John W. Hunt's 1853 Wisconsin Gazetteer:

"BROWN, County, is bounded on the north by Oconto, on the east by Kewaunee, on the south by Manitowoc, and on the west by Outagamie, and a portion of Oconto. It derived its name from General Brown, commander-in-chief of the army, and was originally organized by an act of the legislative council of the Territory of Michigan, approved 16th October, 1818, and then included all of the territory of the present state of Wisconsin, east of a line drawn due north from the northern boundary of Illinois, through the middle of the Portage be tween the Fox and Wisconsin rivers. Its limits have been decreased from time to time, until at present it contains only fourteen and a half townships, being 21 by 24 miles square, with an addition of 3 by 6 miles to its northwestern corner.
Its streams are: Fox, (Neenah), Manitoo, (or East), Ashwabena and Big Suamico rivers, and Duck creek. The soil is better adapted to grazing than the raising of grain, although it produces good crops of wheat, rye, oats, potatoes, &c. The surface is mostly level or slightly undulating, with but little swamp or waste land. It is mostly heavily timbered, with maple, beech, birch, &c., interspersed with pine and a good proportion of hemlock. The population in 1825 was 952; 1830, 964; 1836, 2,706; 1838, 3,081; 1840, 2,107; 1842, 2,146; 1846, 2,632; 1847, 2,914; 1850, 6,222. Farms, 267; manufactories, 23; and dwellings, 1,005. It must be borne in mind that new counties were established from the county of Brown, between nearly every taking of the census, and that the foregoing table, so far as showing the increase of population is concerned, is a very unsatisfactory one."


County Courthouse

Brown County Courthouse.  (Green Bay) In 1992, Brown County completed a ten million dollar project to restore and refurbish its courthouse. At the time it was originally dedicated in 1911, the newly built courthouse in Green Bay, Wisconsin was described by the newspapers as being "unsurpassed in the State". In the years following, however, the structure underwent many alterations and remodeling that hid it's original splendor and beauty.

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