Deaths, Burials, Funerals and Cemetery Records

Prior to 1872 the official recording of death information in Milwaukee County was very sporatic. After 1872 records are better but still incomplete. September 30, 1907 state law mandated that all deaths in the state of Wisconsin be recorded. In searching the earlier records you may have to rely on church and cemetery records and land records (sometimes there was a transfer of property at someone's death).

See Also the Military Section for war casualty lists.

Cemeteries

I have listed the cemeteries by location and alphabetically. Many of the cemeteries include transcriptions of tombstones, photos of headstones, and links to obituaries.

Most of the death information I have on this site will be found in the cemetery section. Use the search at the top of the page to find all the pages that contain your family name.

Click here to find cemeteries by name.

Click on a link below to find cemeteries by location:
[ Bayside ] [ Brown Deer Village ] [ Cudahy City ] [ Fox Point Village ] [ Franklin City ] [ Glendale City ] [ Greendale Village ] [ Greenfield City ] [ Hales Corners Village ] [ Milwaukee City ] [ Oak Creek City ] [ River Hills Village ] [ Shorewood Village ] [ St. Francis City ] [ South Milwaukee City ] [ Wauwatosa City ] [ West Allis City ] [ West Milwaukee City ] [ Whitefish Bay Village ]

Cemetery X (burials where the cemetery is not known)

Lost Cemeteries- Cemeteries that have long since disappeared or whose name I am unsure.

People that died in Milwaukee County or have a Milwaukee County Connection but are buried elsewhere.

Index to Old St. Mary's Death Records 1847-1966
[ A ] [ B ] [ C ] [ D ]
[ EF ] [ G ] [ H ] [ I ]

Transcribed Obituaries

Milwaukee County Obituaries and Death Noticesindex of death notices and obituares, not only Milwaukee County some listings are linked directly to the obituary/death notice.

Free Online Death Indexes

Milwaukee County Obituaries and Death Notices
St. Stanislaus Death Register Names A-L (Polish Catholic) Submitted by Mary Popovich
St. Stanislaus Death Register Names M-Z (Polish Catholic) Submitted by Mary Popovich
Polish Death Notices-The notices are merged within the obituary and death notices above. I also have a list of all the surnames that appear in the index here.
Pre-1907 Vital Records (Wisconsin Historical Society website link)
Wisconsin Deaths 1959-1979 (offsite link)
Social Security Death Index Approximately 1963-Current (offsite link)
Waukesha Deaths-Many Waukesha families had Roots in Milwaukee County.
Milwaukee Archdioces Catholic Cemetery Database Very good resource for those of the Catholic Denomination
Wisconsin Memorial Park This cemetery is located in the city of Brookfield, Waukesha County. Because of its proximity to Milwaukee County (about 4 blocks west), many Milwaukee residents have been buried here.
Highland Memorial Park This cemetery is located in city of New Berlin, Waukesha County. Because of its proximity to Milwaukee County (about 20 blocks) many Milwaukee residents have been buried here.
Wisconsin Circuit Court Access-This contains more recent probate information.

Researching Death Records

Translations of Common Foreign Words found on Tombstones

Other Waukesha County Death Resources

Milwaukee County Police Officers Killed While Serving
Milwaukee County Funeral Homes (past and present)

Area Research

Area Libraries
Area Historical Societies

Lookup Volunteers

We have a number of people willing to do lookups for death records. Be sure to check out the lookups page.

Share Your Death Records

If you have photos of tombstones or have transcribed records (cemetery listings, funeral cards, death cards, obituaries, death notices, coffin plates, church records etc) you can submit them to me for inclusion on this site. Just email me using the link at the bottom of this page.