Free Online Wisconsin City Directories

City and business directories are available online from all over the U.S. and are what I consider another important set of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research. This activity of presenting links is a collaborative effort between The Ancestor Hunt and Miriam Robbins, who for years has made available the Online Historical Directories website, which presents links to directories of all types that are available online, including free collections as well as those available only via subscription. I wish to thank Miriam for her help in launching this category of records at The Ancestor Hunt.

So, what kinds of directories are available to the researcher?  Naturally city and business directories, but also telephone directories, and alumni, farm, lodge, rural, and social directories.

What can you find in these records? How about:

  • Full names, including middle names
  • Spouse name
  • Occupation
  • Widows, working women, and adult children at home.
  • Maps
  • Businesses (and index to advertisers).
  • Addresses and maps of churches, schools, funeral homes, cemeteries, post offices, courts, hospitals, benevolent associations, and newspapers.
  • Whether a woman is a widow (including the name of her husband).
  • List of marriages and deaths of the previous year.
  • Death date.
  • etc.

Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching historical city and other directories:​

And here are various places where you can find other city directories online: 

Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.

(Updated March 2024)

Wisconsin City Directories

Links to these free collections are presented initially with statewide collections, followed in alphabetical order by city or county. Generally, the publishing company is included in the reference to the collection, along with the collection title, and the date(s) of the directory:

Statewide

Anderson

Appleton

Baldwin

Beloit

Berlin

Boulder Junction

Burlington

Carey

Centralia

Chippewa Falls

Columbia County

Cuba City

Cudahy

Custerdale Village

Dalton

Dane County

Eau Claire

Fond du Lac

Fort Atkinson

Fort Howard

Gile

Grand Rapids

Green Bay

Green County

Green Lake County

Greenville

Gurney

Hoyt

Hurley

Iowa County

Iron Belt

Ironwood

Janesville

Jefferson County

Kaukauna

Kewaunee County

Kenosha

Kenosha County

Kewaunee County

Kimball

Kimberly

Kingston

Knight

La Crosse

La Crosse County

Land O’Lakes

Lincoln County

Little Chute

Madison

Manitowish

Manitowoc

Manitowoc County

Marathon County

Marenisco

Markesan

Menasha

Menomonie

Mercer

Merrill

Milwaukee

Mineral Point

Monroe County

Montello

Montreal

Neenah

Neenah-Menasha

Nekoosa

Oak Creek

Oma

Oshkosh

Outagamie County

Pardeeville

Pence

Port Edwards

Portage

Portage County

Presque Isle

Racine

Racine County

Rhinelander

Ripon

Rock County

Sauk County

Saxon

Shawano County

Sheboygan

Sheboygan County

Sherman

Sparta

Spider Lake

Stevens Point

Stoughton

Tomahawk

Trempealeau County

Upson

Vernon County

Walworth County

Washburn County

Watertown

Waukesha

Wausau

Wauwatosa

Winchester

Winnebago County

Wisconsin Rapids

Wood County

Woodville


For all Free Wisconsin Collection Links in 24 Genealogy Categories, go to the By Location Page, click on Wisconsin, and then click on the category of interest.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

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