Columbia County, Wisconsin Genealogy Records

Selected record inventories for Columbia County, their listed years, and where to ask for access.

Selected inventory review: 2026-11-02. Selected county records checked against the linked official catalog or archive guide. Date spans and access limits are described on the county page. Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Formed
1846
County seat
Portage
Adams CountyCalumet CountyDane CountyDodge CountyFond du Lac CountyGreen CountyGreen Lake CountyIowa CountyJackson CountyJefferson CountyJuneau CountyLafayette CountyMarquette CountyMonroe CountyRichland CountyRock CountySauk CountyVernon CountyWalworth CountyWashington CountyWaukesha CountyWaushara CountyWinnebago CountyColumbia CountyAdamsDaneDodgeFond du LacIowaJeffersonJuneauMarquetteMonroeRichlandSaukWashingtonWaukeshaColumbia
Columbia CountyToday's boundaries ยท U.S. Census Bureau

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Columbia 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

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

  • Columbia 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, Columbia" 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: Portage County

Check the parent county for earlier records: Portage County

JeffersonIowaDodgeDaneOverlap Area 2BrownMarquetteSaukFond DU LacWinnebagoPortageColumbiaColumbiaPortageDodgeDaneMarquetteSaukFond DU Lac
Columbia as created in 1846Where its land was the day beforeToday's boundaryBoundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1846, 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.