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Racine County, Wisconsin Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Racine
Organized: December 7, 1836
Parent County(s): Milwaukee[1]
Neighboring Counties
Kenosha • Milwaukee • Walworth • Waukesha
See County Maps
Courthouse
Racine County CourtHouse WI.jpg
Location Map
WI Racine.png

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county is located in the southeast area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Racine County Courthouse
730 Wisconsin Avenue
Racine, WI 53403
Phone: 262-636-3121
Racine County Website

Register of Deeds has birth records from 1876, marriage and land records from 1837, death records from 1853 and veterans records from 1918.
Family Court has divorce records from 1940.
Probate Court has probate records 1846.
Clerk of Court has court records from 1970. [3]

Racine 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 Government County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1876 1837 1853 1970 1837 1846 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]

  • 1836--Racine County was created 7 December 1836 from Milwaukee County.
  • County seat: Racine[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 Racine 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. %±
1840 3,475 —
1850 14,973 330.9%
1860 21,360 42.7%
1870 26,740 25.2%
1880 30,922 15.6%
1890 36,268 17.3%
1900 45,644 25.9%
1910 57,424 25.8%
1920 78,961 37.5%
1930 90,217 14.3%
1940 94,047 4.2%
1950 109,585 16.5%
1960 141,781 29.4%
1970 170,838 20.5%
1980 173,132 1.3%
1990 175,034 1.1%
2000 188,831 7.9%
2010 195,408 3.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

State Census

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.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

  • Racine

Lutheran

  • Records of United Evangelical Lutheran Church, Racine, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Germans

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.

Online Land Indexes and Records

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


Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Waukesha CountyMilwaukee CountyKenosha CountyWalworth CountyMcHenry CountyLake CountyWI RACINE.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 Racine 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 Racine:

- 2nd Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company G
- 5th Independent Battery, Wisconsin Light Artillery
- 8th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company K
- 9th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company E
- 15th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company C

Spanish-American War[edit | edit source]

World War I[edit | edit source]

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 Racine Clerk of Circuit Court and are housed at the Racine 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 Probate Indexes and Records


School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security 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]

Listed below are archives in Racine County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.

  • 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

FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in Racine County. For state-wide library facilities, see Wisconsin Archives and Libraries.

  • 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

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Racine County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Wisconsin Societies.

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); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Racine County, Wisconsin " in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racine_County,_Wisconsin."
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Wisconsin.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Racine County, Wisconsin. Page 755-760, At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library 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); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Racine County, Wisconsin," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racine_County,_Wisconsin#Communities, accessed 30 Dec 2018.
v • d• e
Links to Wisconsin-related articles
Topics
Counties
Extinct Co.
Major
 Repositories
National Archives at Chicago · Wisconsin Historical Society · Wisconsin State Genealogical Society · Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society · Area Research Centers: 1. Wisconsin Historical Society, 2. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 3. University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 4. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 5. University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 6. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 7. University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 8. University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 9. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 10. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 11. University of Wisconsin-Stout, 12. University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 13. Superior Public Library, 14. Northern Great Lake Center · Beloit Public Library · Brown County Library · Kenosha Public Library · Milwaukee County Historical Society · Milwaukee Public Library · Norwegian American Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library · Oshkosh Public Library · Racine Heritage Museum Research Center · University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Library · Allen County Public Library · Newberry Library
Migration
 Routes

This table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

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