I’m currently researching Wisconsin-based family members, trying to understand why they came to Wisconsin, what impacted their lives while living there, and what motivated them to move away, or stay, in Wisconsin.
To help me understand my ancestors lives, lifestyles, and life choices, I decided to check the time lines for Wisconsin history and compare them with the events of my ancestors lives.
I found it interesting to learn of business opportunities that they might have benefited from through work or support services. These may have attracted them to the area. Or when the business turned sour, they may have left, looking for new work. I also read of storms and disasters that may have been the cause of damage or death in my family. And another reason to move.
WI also learned about courthouses and government offices, as well as whole communities and towns, burning in fires, which means that documents stored within those buildings might have not been saved nor salvaged, making the hunt for family records even harder.
Here are some events I found in Wisconsin history which may have impacted my ancestors’ lives, and my ability to research them.
1820s: High prices for lead attracted settlers to the mines of southern Wisconsin. The Michigan 1820 census lists residents of what is now Wisconsin.
1830s: Heavy settlement began along the Lake Michigan shoreline at the sites of present-day Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha. The Michigan Territory 1830 Federal Census lists residents of what is now Wisconsin.
1836: The discovery of lead results in the creation of the Territory of Wisconsin, which included lands west of the Mississippi River to the Missouri River. Much of the western portion was later transferred to the Iowa Territory, created in 1838.
1859: Abraham Lincoln spoke at state fair in Milwaukee.
1861: Beginning of Civil War. Governor called for volunteers for military service. Bank riot in Milwaukee.
1861–1865: Over 90,000 men from Wisconsin served in the Union armed forces during the Civil War.
1865: 96,000 Wisconsin soldiers served in Civil War. Death toll for Wisconsin citizens: 12,216.
1871: Peshtigo fire burned over much of 6 counties (Door, Oconto, Shawano, Kewaunee, Brown and Manitowoc) in northeast Wisconsin. Called the deadliest fire in Wisconsin’s history, between 1,200 and 1,500 lives are lost and more than 1.5 million acres burn.
1875: Free high school law passed; women eligible for election to school boards. Oshkosh almost destroyed by fire.
1876: Hazel Green cyclone.
1882: First hydroelectric plant established at Appleton.
1889: Bennett Law, requiring classroom instruction in English, passed. Wisconsin Supreme Court in the “Edgerton Bible case”, prohibited reading and prayers from the King James Bible in public schools.
1894: Forest fires in northern and central Wisconsin.
1898: Wisconsin sent 5,469 men to fight in Spanish-American War; death toll: 134.
1904: State Capitol burned.
1930-34: In the dust bowl era, severe droughts ravage the state. During this time about 2,950 fires burn 336,000 acres annually in Wisconsin.
The following are some of the resources, history, and timelines I found helpful for researching my ancestors from Wisconsin.
- US WI GenWeb Project Wisconsin Timeline
- Wisconsin History – Timeline for Kids
- About.com – History and Timelines of Wisconsin
- E-Reference – Wisconsin History Timeline
- Time Line – A brief History of the Fur Trade, including Wisconsin
- The Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Project History Time Line
- The Library History Buff – Wisconsin Library History Timeline
- Racine, Wisconsin, History Time Line
- Appleton, Wisconsin, Important Events in Appleton History
- SHG Resources – Wisconsin Timeline of State History
- Ozaukee County History, Wisconsin, with History Time Line
- Chronology and Timeline for American Indian History – Including Wisconsin Native American Indians
- Wisconsin Department of Transportation – Transportation Timeline
- Wisconsin Stories Interactive Timeline
- Wisconsin’s Heated History from Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine
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