Richland was created on February 18, 1842 from Crawford and Sauk Counties. The County Seat is Richland Center . The County was named for the rich farmland found within the county. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.
Counties adjacent to Richland County are Vernon County (north), Sauk County (east), Iowa County (southeast), Grant County (southwest), Crawford County (west). Richland County Cities Include Richland Center. Towns Include Akan, Bloom, Buena Vista, Dayton, Eagle, Forest, Henrietta, Ithaca, Marshall, Orion, Richland, Richwood, Rockbridge, Sylvan, Westford, Willow. Villages Include Boaz, Cazenovia, Lone Rock, Viola, Yuba.
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. Richland County was attached to (C/J)Iowa County, 1842–50. Some early records may be found there.
Richland County Register of Deeds Officehas Birth Records from 1875, Marriage Records from 1864, Death Records from 1876 and Land Records from 1850.
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 Richland 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.
Richland County Register in Probate Office has Probate Records from 1839. 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.
Richland County Clerk of Court Office has Court Records from 1861. 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 Richland County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Richland County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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.
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 Richland County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Richland County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
Richland 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.
Click Here to Search Wisconsin Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
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.
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Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates: In Wisconsin, official registration of births, marriages & deaths vary by county, see the table below for the Earliest available records.
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.
Order On-Line: To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek.
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. The acceptable forms of identification are listed below.
Below is a list of online resources for Richland County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Richland County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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, 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.
Click Here to Search Wisconsin Voter Lists & Census Records! - 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.
Below is a list of online resources for Richland County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Richland County Census Records by clicking the link below:
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.
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 Richland County Maps. Email us with websites containing Richland County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Wisconsin Military Records! - 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. A list of Wars fought on American.
Below is a list of online resources for Richland County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Richland County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Wisconsin (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
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 Richland County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Richland County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Wisconsin Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Wisconsin Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. 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.
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 Richland County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Richland County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Wisconsin Family Tree Records! - 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 Richland County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Richland County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Wisconsin Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Wisconsin Genealogy Index. Search more than 150,000 Wisconsin obituaries and biographical sketches published before 1999, as well as 1,000,000 births, 400,000 deaths and 1,000,000 marriages registered before September 1907.
The county of Richland was organized on the first day of May, 1850, and the first entry upon the records of the board of supervisors in and for the county, is in regard thereto, and is as follows:
"In pursuance of an act of the State of Wisconsin, represented in Senate and Assembly, 'To organize the county of Richland,' approved Feb 7, 1850, an especial meeting of the board of supervisors, in and for said county, was held at the house of Alex. Smith, in the town of Richmond, in the county and State aforesaid, on the first day of May, AD 1850. Said first day of May being the day designated in said act, that from and after which, thecounty of Richland should be organized for judicial purposes, and should enjoy all the privileges and immunities of the other counties of the State."
At the time of this organization, the county was divided into three towns, and the first board of supervisors who were empowered to handle the reins of the infant government were John H Price, of Buena Vista; E H Dyre, of Richmond, and Adam Byrd, of Richwood. Of this board, the first named was chosen president, and John Rutan, clerk.
As the county had no court house, nor place wherein to transact even a moderate amount of business, that then occupied the attention of its officers, the board, at its session held May 2, the same year, ordered that "Marvin White be allowed the sum of $90 for the use of a house in Richmond, for one year, for the purpose of thecounty officials:" the same to be considered as the county courthouse until more definite arrangements could be made.
At the June session, 1850, a petition was presented, praying for the organization of a new town, to comprise the congressional townships 11 and 12 north, range 1 east. This petition was signed by Orin Haseltine and others. The board, in granting the prayer, designated the towns as above as an election precinct, and ordered that it be organized under the name of Rockbridge, and that the first election should be held at the home of Ira S Haseltine, then a resident of the village of that name.
The first county road mentioned upon the records seems to have been one from Richland City to Pine river, and was made in accordance with a petition, signed by Ira S Haseltine and others. The board appointed Orin Haseltine, N P Engels and John H Price as the commissioners to locate the same. This was at the same June session, in the year 1850.
It would seem that from a lack of funds in the treasury, or some other cause, the county officers, in June, or nearly a month after their installment into office, were without any books, papers or stationery; and they therefore instructed Marvin White, the then register of deeds, to act as a special agent to purchase the necessary books and stationery, including the seals; one for the circuit, one for thecounty court, and one for the clerk of the board of supervisors; together with ink, inkstands and sand boxes, wafers and stamps; to be paid for out of the first moneys in the treasury of thecounty, for the contingent expenses of the said county.
Nov 20, 1850, the new board of supervisors took possession of the helm of government, and the first act of their administration was to authorize James Laws to establish and keep a ferry at Briggstown on the Wisconsin river; and at the same time established the following, as the rate to be charged for ferriage: Two horses and wagon, fifty cents; one horse and wagon, twenty-five cents; one horse and carriage, thirty-five cents; one horse and man, twenty-five cents; cattle, per head, ten cents; each foot passenger, ten cents; hogs and sheep, per head, three cents. The license granted Mr. Laws was granted for the term of three years, the first year to be free of any charge.
The weather growing chilly, and the board not wishing to retard the growing greatness of the juvenile county by freezing out its officers, instruct John J Mathews, the sheriff, to make the purchase of a stove and pipe.
As an instance of the trouble of traveling in these early days, it is recorded that, it being necessary for the county to send a man to Milwaukee on business, the time being occupied by him on the journey there and back was twelve days, the mode of traveling being by horseback.
The salaries of these early days seem to have been so small that it is a wonder that men should seek political preferment. As an instance of it, it is noted in the minutes of this session of the board, that the board allowed to J W Coffinberry,county judge, the munificent salary of $10 a year. They also authorize him to procure the necessary record books for his office at the proper expense of thecounty . The same board made an allowance of $50 per year for the salary of the prosecuting attorney. The ferry from Richmond to Muscoda was also licensed, and the rates of ferriage established, by the same board, Mathews & Smith being the proprietors. It was during the same session that the board of supervisors appointed J W Coffinberry a commissioner for saidcounty , to supervise the preparation of the application and proof of claimant for bounty lands granted to the soldiers and their heirs. James H Wallace was also granted the right to establish a ferry atRichland City, across the Wisconsin river, on the same terms and at the same rates of ferriage granted the other parties.
Nov 19, 1850, the board ordered that a tax of two and one-half mills on the dollar be levied in the county for school purposes; this was the first levy for such fund in the county, and deserves special notice as an instance of the early attention paid by the former generation to the educational status of ourcounty. The entire levy of tax for all funds was seventeen and one-half mills on the dollar.
The first bridge built by the county of which any record exists seems to have been built by James Laws across Merriman's creek, and cost the whole of $17, and was finished and the bill ordered paid, Nov 20, 1850.
At the May session of the board of supervisors, it being found that the quarters occupied by the county officers were too contracted, two rooms were rented of R Barnes, in the town of Richmond, for their accommodation, at a rental of $5 per month.
At the fall session it was ordered that the sale of delinquent taxes be proceeded with; this is recorded as the first in thecounty of Richland.
On a petition, signed by R McMachan and others, being presented to the board at this session, the order was made that all of town 10 north, range 1 east, except sections 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36, of said town, be attached to the town of Rockbridge, as a part and parcel of the same.
The value of property in the county, as returned by the assessors, for the year 1851, was as follows:
Of course this was much below the actual value, but some idea can be gained by these figures of the amount possessed by the early settlers in the way of worldly wealth. The tax levy for this year is given as fourteen mills forcounty purposes, three mills for State purposes, two and a half mills for school fund or nineteen and a half mills on the dollar for all funds.
COUNTY SEAT
The question of making a permanent location of the county seat having now come to the front, the board of supervisors, at their meeting held July 26, 1852, had entered upon their minutes that "It is unanimously decided by this board, thatRichland Centre is the proper place for transacting the business of the county ." This seems to be the opening of the discussion, for we find that the same day the following resolution was spread upon the minutes: "Resolved, That the board accept of twenty village lots, and also a certain building, to be used for county purposes, of Ira S Haseltine, in the village of Richland Centre, in accordance with a bond, dated Oct 24, 1851, held by the county of Richland against said Haseltine. And it is also ordered that all the county business of Richland county be hereafter transacted in the said village of Richland Centre, and the officers thereof shall forthwith repair thither for that purpose."
In explanation of this action, it would seem, the next day the board passed the following:
"WHEREAS -- Ira S Haseltine has donated to the county of Richland, in the State of Wisconsin, a certain house situated on village lots No's. 3 and 6, in block 6, in the village of Richland Centre, in said county, to be used for a courthouse and other purposes as said county board may direct, for and during a term of five years, from the first of May last: Therefore, it is ordered that said house be, and is hereby designated as the saidcounty building, for the uses and purposes as above specified. Also, it is ordered that a notice be served on the various county officers to remove the books and papers of the county forthwith to Richland Centre, the county seat of Richland county. Also ordered that the county raise $100 to furnish the new court house."
Nov 9, 1852, the first meeting of the board of supervisors in the new court-house took place. At this session, it was ordered, that "town 10 north, range 1 east, be, and is hereby set off as a separate town and election precinct, and shall be known as the town ofRichland; and that the court-house in Richland Centre be designated as the place of holding the first town meeting."
It was at the same time ordered, that towns 11 and 12 north, range 1 west, be attached to the town of Rockbridge, and the house of Orin Haseltine was designated as the place of holding the town meeting.
Either the progress of the country was quite rapid or the development of crime had increased largely, for we find, that at this meeting of the board, the salary of the prosecuting attorney was made $100 per annum, an increase of 100 per cent.
At the session of the board held in March, 1853, it was determined to build a county jail and it was decided to erect the same on lot 5, in block 14, in the town of Richland Centre, the building to stand thirty-three feet from the east line of the lot, and central as to north and south lines. The proposition to raise the sum of $300 to build the said jail, the same to be paid in three equal yearly installments, was entertained, but was finally laid over until the next meeting of the board.
At this session it was ordered, that, "all the territory embraced in towns 9 and 10 north, of range 1 west, except one tier of sections from the east side thereof, be, and is hereby set off, as a separate town and election precinct, to be known as the town of Eagle, and that Rodolf's mill, in said town, is designated as the place for holding the first town meeting."
The board of supervisors, at the annual session held in November, 1853, were presented with a bill by Amasa Cobb, the prosecuting attorney of Iowacounty, for locating the county seat of Richland county, in the year 1842, when the county of Richland was attached to the county of Iowa. This bill was for some $3, and its receipt at this time provoked much indignation. After due deliberation the board made and returned the following answer:
"This board would respectfully say to the honorable board of supervisors of Iowa county that they do not find any indebtedness to said county. Said county claims having paid Abner Nichols and John Ray for making a location of the county seat, under an act to establish the county seat of Richland county, approved Feb 18, 1842. Now, said act in section 1 describes the limits of said county. In section 2, it attaches said county, for judicial and county purposes, to the county of Iowa; gives the county commissioners, assessors and collectors, the same power over Richland county as over their won, to assess and collect the taxes thereof, in the same proportion, so that it made it, temporarily, but one county.
"In sections 3 and 4 it constituted the county commissioners of Iowa county, commissioners to locate a permanent county seat for Richland county.
"Then follows an act to organize Richland county, approved Feb 7, 1850.
"In this law it gives the people of Richland county the right to vote for a county seat; and it does nowhere refer to settlement between the two counties. Now, in our opinion, under the first law, we think that it was the intention of the Legislature, that Iowacounty, with Richland county attached, should pay the cost of locating the county seat, out of revenue arising from property assessed in said county. And as the county commissioners of Iowa county have never heretofore rendered any account between the two counties, of what they collected, and report what they paid out, we concluded that they considered, under the law passed, that we were, as long as attached to them, but onecounty. Also we think it the duty of Iowa county if they thought they were wronged in this last act, to provide through their representative, some act for a settlement between the two counties. Having this view of the question, we deem it unnecessary to answer the extravagant claim set up against us; but upon this and other grounds, disallow the claim presented."
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