Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Bayfield County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Marriages, births and deaths
- Earliest birth registration reported by Wisconsin DHSStarts 1879; continuity not established
- Earliest death registration reported by Wisconsin DHSStarts 1870; continuity not established
- Earliest marriage registration reported by Wisconsin DHSStarts 1869; continuity not established
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports the earliest registration year for each type of vital record in this county. This is a starting date, not proof of an unbroken run, a record for a particular person, or online images. The linked state page explains current research access and indexes.
Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.
Where to find the records
- Bayfield County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the register of deeds, the register in probate, the clerk of the circuit court and the Wisconsin Historical Society, and any online record search the county offers.
- The register of deeds
Deeds and other land records, and births, marriages and deaths registered in the county.
- The register in probate
Wills and estates.
- The clerk of the circuit court
Divorces, naturalizations and court cases.
- The Wisconsin Historical Society
In Madison and its Area Research Centers: older county records, state censuses and newspapers.
- Wisconsin Historical Society Library & Archivesfree
The state's historical society in Madison, with county records at its Area Research Centers, newspapers and genealogy indexes.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Wisconsin, Bayfield" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: St. Croix; attached to Crawford County for courts until it organized
Check the parent county for earlier records: St. Croix County
Later formed partly from Bayfield County: Ashland County, Douglas County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1845, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Wisconsin's county registers of deeds recorded births, marriages and deaths well before statewide registration began in 1907. Older county records are held at the Wisconsin Historical Society's Area Research Centers.