Crawford County, Wisconsin Genealogy

United States

Wisconsin

Crawford County

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

Wisconsin Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Prairie du Chien Organized: December 3, 1818 Parent County(s): Michigan Territory Neighboring Counties Allamakee (IA)  • Clayton (IA)  • Vernon  • Richland  • Grant See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County was named for William H. Crawford. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse

Crawford County Courthouse
220 N Beaumont Road
Prairie du Chien, WI 53821-1405
Phone: 608-326-0200
Crawford County Website

County Clerk has birth records from 1866, marriage records from 1820, death and burial records from 1880, divorce and court records from 1848 and probate records from 1819.

Crawford County, Wisconsin Record Dates

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 Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1866	1820	1880	1848	1820	1819	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1907. General compliance year unknown.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

1818--Created as original county from Michigan Territory on December 3, 1818. County seat: Prairie du Chien,br> 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

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:

Cities
Prairie du Chien (county seat)
Towns
Bridgeport Clayton Eastman Freeman	Haney Marietta Prairie du Chien Scott	Seneca Utica Wauzeka
Villages
Bell Center De Soto Eastman Ferryville	Gays Mills Lynxville Mount Sterling	Soldiers Grove Steuben Wauzeka
Unincorporated communities
Barnum Boydtown Bridgeport Charme Easter Rock Fairview Harmony Hill	Montgomeryville Mount Zion North Clayton Petersburg Pine Knob Plugtown Reed	Rising Sun Rolling Ground Seneca Towerville White Corners Yankeetown

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Crawford County, Wisconsin online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com WIGenWeb WIGenWeb Archives WITombstone Project Interment Billion Graves Index at FamilySearch
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves
See Wisconsin Cemeteries for more information

 

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	1,502	—
1850	2,498	66.3%
1860	8,068	223.0%
1870	13,075	62.1%
1880	15,644	19.6%
1890	15,987	2.2%
1900	17,286	8.1%
1910	16,288	−5.8%
1920	16,772	3.0%
1930	16,781	0.1%
1940	18,328	9.2%
1950	17,652	−3.7%
1960	16,351	−7.4%
1970	15,252	−6.7%
1980	16,556	8.5%
1990	15,940	−3.7%
2000	17,243	8.2%
2010	16,644	−3.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

• 1820 Census - Prairie du Chien WIGenWeb Project
• 1836 Crawford County Territorial Census For 1836 USGenWeb Archives

State 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.

Federal Census

• 1850 - Crawford County Mortality Schedule WIGenWeb Project
• 1860 - Crawford County Mortality Schedule WIGenWeb Project
• 1870 - Crawford County Mortality Schedule WIGenWeb Project
• 1880 - Crawford County Mortality Schedule WIGenWeb Project

Church Records

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.

• Crawford County Churches WIGenWeb Project
• Centennial History of St. Gabriel's Parish, Prairie du Chien USGenWeb Archives

Lutheran
Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Soldier's Grove

• Records of Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Soldier's Grove, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Prairie du Chien

• Records of the American Lutheran Church, Prairie du Chien, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Wauzeka

• Records of the American Lutheran Church, Wauzeka, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Land and Property Records

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.

Wisconsin Land Patents Database, Crawford County Records (USGenWeb Archives)

• Surnames A-C
• Surnames D-G
• Surnames H-K
• Surnames L-O
• Surnames P-S
• Surnames T-Z

Local Histories

• Crawford County Histories WIGenWeb Project

Maps and Gazetteers

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Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Old Antique Atlases & Maps of Wisconsin
• Family Maps of Crawford County, Wisconsin (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Military Records

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Crawford 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 Crawford:

- 3rd Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry, Company M

- 6th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company C

- 8th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company F

- 9th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company D

- 12th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company K

• List of Pensioners on the Roll, 1883 USGenWeb Archives

World War I

• Crawford County Casualties USGenWeb Archives

World War II

• Crawford County Army Enlistees, Abrams-Krueger USGenWeb Archives
• Crawford County Army Enlistees, LaBonne-Zenk USGenWeb Archives

Probate Records

Probate records are held by the Crawford Clerk of Circuit Court and are housed at the Crawford 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

Tax Records

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

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

• 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
• 1876-1907 Crawford County Birth Records WIGenWeb Project

Marriage

• 1836-1911 Wisconsin, County Marriages, 1836-1911 at FamilySearch — index
• 1836-1930 Wisconsin, Marriages, 1836-1930 at FamilySearch — index
• 1867-1907 Crawford County Marriage Records WIGenWeb Project
• 1973-1997 Wisconsin, Marriage Index, 1973-1997 at FamilySearch — index
• 1973-1997 Wisconsin Marriages, 1973-1997 at Ancestry — index/images $

Death

• 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
• 1876-1907 Crawford County Death Records Scroll down to Vital Records. USGenWeb Archives
• 1959-1997 Wisconsin, Death Index, 1959-1997 at FamilySearch — index

Divorce

• 1965-1984 Wisconsin, Divorce Index, 1965-1984 at FamilySearch — index

Research Facilities

Archives

• Area Research Center - University of Wisconsin-Platteville
  Southwest Wisconsin Room-Karrmann Library
  One University Plaza
  Platteville, WI 53818-3099
  Phone: 608-342-1719
  Email: swwis@uwplatt.edu
  Website
  

Family History Centers

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

• Southwest Wisconsin Room-Karrmann Library
  Area Research Center - University of Wisconsin-Platteville
  One University Plaza
  Platteville, WI 53818-3099
  Phone: 608-342-1719
  Email: swwis@uwplatt.edu
  Website
  
• The Lower Wisconsin River Genealogical and Historical Research Center
  60401 Wachuta Rd
  Prairie du Chien, WI 53821

Societies

• Crawford County Historical Society
  RFD 1, Box 17
  Ferryville, WI 54628-9789
  Phone: 608-734-3192
  
• Crawford County Historical Society
  17933 State Highway 27 South
  Mt. Sterling, WI, 54645-0072
  Phone: 608-734-3192
  Website
  
• Hauge Norwegian History Center
  Jacob Vedvik
  56302 County Rd B
  Ferryville, 54628
  Phone: 608-734-3192
  Hours: Open by appointment for genealogical research
  Plan Your Visit: Town of Freeman - 2 miles West of Rising Sun on County Rd B
  
• Prairie du Chien Historical Society
  202 S Wacouta Ave
  Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
  Phone: 608-326-6321
  Website
  

Websites

• Crawford County, WI History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Wisconsin Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• Crawford County WIGenWeb
• Crawford County 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

Family History Library