Wisconsin, State Census, 1885

What is in This Collection?

This collection includes records for the Wisconsin State Census that was taken in 1885. Population schedules consisted of large sheets with rows and columns. The schedules are arranged by county, then by political subdivision. The arrangement of families on a schedule is normally in the order in which the enumerator visited the households.

In 1855 the state legislature directed that a census be taken in June of that year and every 10 years thereafter. The completed forms were sent to the Secretary of State. The census covers approximately 90% of the population.

The state census of Wisconsin was taken in order to enumerate the population for representation purposes. Censuses are usually reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care of the census enumerator. Information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately. An enumeration was also taken of soldiers and sailors of the Late War (Civil War).

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

To Browse This Collection

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

• Name of head of family
• Number of white males and white females in household
• Number of colored males and colored females in household
• Country of nativity: United States, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Scandinavia, Holland and All Others

Collection Content

Sample Image

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  1885 State Census