Milwaukee County Wisconsin Genealogy

Milwaukee County Libraries and Resources

Research Aids

This page has been put together to help you in finding new ideas for research. It also gives you information on how to obtain resources from area institutions. If you know of any great sources of data, please email me and I will add it to the list.

If you have access to a courthouse, library, archive, genealogical books, cemetery or church records, etc. dealing with Milwaukee County and would be willing to do lookups for others, please email me and I will include you on our lookup volunteer page.

Ordering Vitals

How to order vital records

Schools

A few years ago, one of our researchers went to Pius XI High School and inquired at the office about researching annuals. They gave her a pass to go to their school library and look through the yearbook collection for their school. You may want to research school libraries if you have hit a dead end.

Milwaukee Public Library

Milwaukee Public Library Website

Special Collections:

World War I Military Portrait Index

The Milwaukee Public Library’s special collections include 3,192 photographs of World War I military personnel from Milwaukee County. The names of individuals in the photograph collection are listed on this site.

Great Lakes Marine Collection

The Milwaukee Public Library's Great Lakes Marine Collection includes original materials - log books, vessel plans, and wreck reports.

Research Aids:

Wisconsin Necrology - published by the Wisconsin State Historical Society. A listing of prominent citizens throughout Wisconsin whose obituaries were published in various Wisconsin newspapers. This is the 1st stop to know if a complete obit was published. Time span is about 1900 to 1950. Available through state historical society and MPL.

Name Index to Milwaukee Sentinel 1837- 1890 Available in a card catalog index at Milwaukee Public Library.

Milwaukee Public Library Locations:

Central
814 W. Wisconsin Ave.
286-3000

Atkinson
1960 W. Atkinson Ave.
286-3068

Bay View
2566 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
286-3019
                                                                                                                         
Capitol
3969 N. 74th St.
286-3006

Center St.
2727 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
286-3090

Central 
Drive-In
814 W. Wisconsin Ave.

East
1910 E. North Ave.
286-3058

Finney
4243 W. North Ave.
286-3066

Forest Home
1432 W. Forest Home Ave.
286-3083
286-3801 TDD

M. L. King
310 W. Locust St.
286-3098
286-2419 TDD

Mill Road
6431 N. 76th St.
286-3088
286-2464 TDD

Tippecanoe
3912 S. Howell Ave.
286-3085
                                                                                                                         
Villard Ave.
3310 W. Villard Ave.
286-3079
                                                                                                                         
Zablocki 
3501 W. Oklahoma Ave.
286-3055


 



Wisconsin Historical Society-Milwaukee Urban Archives
Milwaukee Branch of Wisconsin Historical Society
(information from the UWM website)
The Archives comprise the Milwaukee Area Research Center, the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Manuscript Collection, and the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Archives. The Archives preserves and provides access to the historical resources in these collections. The Archives also holds a reference collection of published materials that includes histories of area communities, businesses, and churches; books on Milwaukee's buildings and architecture; and UWM histories, yearbooks, and student newspapers.

The Milwaukee Area Research Center (ARC) is a branch of the Wisconsin Historical Society's ARC network, which consists of thirteen centers throughout the state. The Milwaukee ARC contains over 800 collections of public records and private papers from Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Washington, and Waukesha counties. 

Major ARC collections include birth, death, marriage, naturalization, probate, and property records for all or some of the five counties; records of Milwaukee mayor Henry Maier's administration; records of Milwaukee Downer College; and collections from many individuals and organizations involved in the civil rights movement in Milwaukee, including Lloyd Barbee, James Groppi, the Milwaukee Urban League, and the local chapter of the NAACP.

 

Historical Societies

Bay View Historical Society
PO Box 07614
Milwaukee, WI 53207 Phone: 414-483-9330

Brown Deer Historical Society
4800 W Green Brook Dr
Brown Deer, WI 53223 Phone: 414-354-4116

Cudahy Historical Society
PO Box 332
Cudahy, WI 53110 Phone: 414-481-7964

Franklin Historical Society
7575 S 51st St
Franklin, WI 53132 Phone: 414-421-0168

Greendale Historical Society
5650 Parking St
Greendale, WI 53129 Phone: 414-421-1300

Greenfield Historical Society
6129 W Arizona Ct #1
Greenfield, WI 53219 Phone: 414-543-6321

Hales Corners Historical Society
5885 S 116th St
Hales Corners, WI 53130 Phone: 414-549-6150

Historic Milwaukee, Inc
PO Box 511220
Milwaukee, WI 53203-0211 Phone: 414-277-7795

Milwaukee County Genealogical Society
PO Box 27326
Milwaukee, WI 53227-0326 

Milwaukee County Historical Society
Research Library
The Research Library of the Milwaukee County Historical Society has a wide 
variety of information about the history of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County. 
All materials are for reference use in the library only (materials are non-circulating).
Milwaukee County Historical Center
910 N Old World Third St
Milwaukee, WI 53203 Phone: 414-273-8288
 
Milwaukee Maritime Center
500 N Harbor Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53202 Phone: 414-276-5664

Milwaukee Metropolitan Historians Assn
2588 N Prospect Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53211 Phone: 414-964-8361

Oak Creek Historical Society
PO Box 243
Oak Creek, WI 53154-0243 Phone: 414-764-0567

Shorewood Historical Society
3930 North Murray Ave
Shorewood, WI 53211 Phone: 414-332-4437

South Milwaukee Historical Society
3516 18th Ave
South Milwaukee, WI 53172 Phone: 414-768-8790

St Francis Historical Society
4235 S Nicholson Ave
St Francis, WI 53235 Phone: 414-762-7805

Wauwatosa Historical Society
7406 Hillcrest Dr
Wauwatosa, WI 53213 Phone: 414-774-8672
 
West Allis Historical Society
8405 W National Ave
West Allis , WI 53227 Phone: 414-821-3452

West Milwaukee Historical Society
1665 S 52nd St
West Milwaukee, WI 53214 Phone: 414-321-9059

Whitefish Bay Historical Society
5166 N Berkeley Blvd
Whitefish Bay, WI 53217 Phone: 414-962-0606

Wisconsin Black Historical Society
2620 W Center St
Milwaukee, WI 53206 Phone: 414-372-7677

Wisconsin Historical Society
(from the WI Historical Society Website)
The Society possesses one of the largest genealogical collections in the country. 
The collection is not limited to Wisconsin history and genealogy but includes 
family and local history material pertaining to all regions of North America.

Wisconsin Labor History Society
313 E Plainfield Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53207 Phone: 414-483-1754

Wisconsin Marine Historical Society
814 W Wisconsin Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53233-2385 Phone: 414-286-3074

Wisconsin Slovak Historical Society
PO Box 164
Cudahy, WI 53110 Phone: 414-744-8095

Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society
1562 N 119th St
Wauwatosa, WI 53226 Phone: 414-771-7781