One of the main goals for genealogists in searching historic newspapers is to find obituaries. Obituaries are a gold mine of information. They provide death dates and locations, funeral and cemetery information, and sometimes more importantly – information about the relatives of the deceased’s family and extended family. This family name information is often not found anywhere else.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists, a great number of indexes to death information and obituaries from newspapers have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes or index lists provide the location in old newspapers where the obituary can be found. Sometimes the obituary clipping or transcription is even provided.
Below is a list of links to Wisconsin obituary indexes, an alternative means to newspaper searching to find obituary information. If the newspaper clippings are available, or if the obituaries are transcribed, they will be denoted. Please be aware that if you find a desired obituary in an index, that the holder of the actual obituary (e.g., library or genealogical society) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the obituary itself.
(Updated October 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)
General U.S.
- Currentobituary.com index, 2001-2014
- Obituary Daily Times Index, 1995-2016
- U.S., Selected Jewish Obituaries, 1948-2002
- United Methodist Church Annual Conference Journal Memoirs and Obituary Index
- United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014
- United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012
Wisconsin
- Adams County Times Obituary Index
- Adams County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Antigo Newspaper Obituary Indexes
- Appleton Death and Obituary Indexes
- Barron County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Blair Press, Obituaries 1992-2000
- Brown County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Brown County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Calumet County, Death and Obituary Index 1900-2001
- Calumet County, New Holstein Public Library records, 1900-2001
- Central Wisconsin Obituary Index
- Chippewa County, Obituaries, births, marriages and deaths 1870-1874
- Chippewa County, Obituaries, marriages and deaths 1866-1872
- Clark County Obituary Indexes
- Clark County Press Obituaries
- Clintonville Death and Obituary Index
- Columbia County Obituary Indexes
- Door County Obituary Index 2001-2005
- Douglas County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Dunn County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Eagle Historical Society Obituaries (clippings)
- Eau Claire Obituary Indexes
- Florence County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Fond du Lac Death and Obituary Index
- Fond du Lac Death and Obituary Index
- Fond du Lac County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Forest Republican Obituary Index
- Galesville Independent Death Notices Index
- Grant County Obituary Index
- Green County Death and Obituary Index
- Green Lake County Death and Obituary Index
- Green Lake County, Cemetery Burials and Obituaries, 1978-1980
- Hudson Star-Observer a group of biographical accounts as contained in Obituaries
- Janesville Gazette Obituaries Index
- Juneau County, Cemetery Burials and Obituaries, 1979-1980
- Kaukauna Times
- Kewaunee County Obituary Index
- La Crosse Tribune and Leader Press, Obituary items 1840-1940
- LaCrosse Death and Obituary Index
- Lake Geneva Obituary Index
- Langlade County, Antigo Journal, Obituary Index
- Langlade County, Cemetery Burials and Obituaries, 1972-1977
- Lincoln County Death and Obituary Index (transcriptions)
- Lincoln County, Cemetery Burials and Obituaries, 1972-1973
- Madison Public library Obituaries
- Manitowoc County Obituaries from Cemetery Records
- Manitowoc Obituary Index
- Marathon County Death and Obituary Index (transcriptions)
- Marquette County, Cemetery Burials and Obituaries, 1973-1980
- Marshfield Public Library Death and Obituary Index
- Mazomanie Obituary File
- Menominee County Journal Death and Obituary Index 1893-2017
- Milwaukee Obituary Index
- Milwaukee Public Library Translated Obituaries
- Monroe County Newspapers Index
- Neenah Obituary Index
- Northeast Wisconsin Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Oneida County, Cemetery Burials and Obituaries, 1973-1975
- Oshkosh Death and Obituary Index
- Outagamie County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Outagamie County Newspaper Index
- Outagamie county, Cemetery Burials and Obituaries, 1972-1980
- Outagamie County, Wisconsin, Appleton Public Library Obituary Index, 1853-2012
- Phillips Death and Obituary Index
- Portage County Obituaries
- Portage County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Portage Newspapers Obituary Index
- Portage, Waupaca, and Waushara counties, Cemetery Burials and Obituaries, 1971-1978
- Rhinelander Area Newspaper Obituary Index
- Richland County Newspaper Index
- Richland Observer Death and Obituary Index
- Richland/Republican Observer Obituary Index
- Richland/Republican Observer Obituary Index
- Ripon Death and Obituary Index
- Rock County Death and Obituary Index
- Sauk County Deaths and Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Shawano and Oconto counties, indexes and records, 1850-2007
- Shawano County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Shawano County Obituaries
- Shawano County, Cemetery Burials and Obituaries, 1973-1974
- Shawano County, Obituaries, 1894-2007
- Sheboygan County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Stevens Point Journal Index
- Taylor County Death and Obituary Index
- Three Lakes Genealogical Society Death and Obituary Index
- Trempealeau County Death and Obituary Index
- UW-Stout Area Research Center Newspaper Index
- Vilas County Death and Obituary Index
- Washburn County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Washburn County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Waukesha County Death and Obituary Index
- Waupaca County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Waupun Area Obituaries Index
- Waushara County Death and Obituary Index
- Waushara County Obituary Index (clippings)
- Winnebago County, Cemetery Burials and Obituaries, 1972-1980
- Winnebago County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Winneconne Death and Obituary Index
- Wisconsin GenealogyBuff Obituary Files
- Wisconsin Historical Society – Obituaries
- Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle Obituary Index
- Wisconsin Obituaries – Obit City
- Wisconsin Rapids Newspaper Death and Obituary Index
- Wisconsin USGenWeb Obituary Project
- Wisconsin Valley Leader Death and Obituary Index
- Wood County Genealogy Index
- Wood County, Cemetery Burials and Obituaries 1975-1979
If you wish to search this state’s historic newspapers for obituaries, click on Wisconsin Online Historical Newspapers Summary
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free Wisconsin Links, click on the category of interest:
Newspapers
Obituaries
BMD Records
Photos
Yearbooks
Directories
Divorce Records
Naturalizations
Church Records
School Records
Coroner Records
Voter Records
Probate and Wills
Immigration
Mortuary Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
If I can find obituary Indexes for those counties I will indeed list their links. I don’t control what is published, I just try to find them for readers like you.
it is an intensive search process but sometimes they are either not available or hidden so well I can’t find them.
Waupaca county obits can also be found here: http://www.wigenweb.org/waupaca/Obits/OIndex1.htm
When I click on “Kewaunee County Obituary Index” up comes Grant County. Please fix.
Fixed. Thanks for the heads up.
How about Rusk County?