Wisconsin STate Genealogical Society

A Wisconsin Pioneer or Century Ancestors Certificate is awarded to applicants who submit evidence to prove direct descent, and that their ancestor settled in Wisconsin prior to 1851 for Pioneer, or over 100 years prior to the date of application for a Century Ancestor. The cost for each application is $20.00 for members and $30.00 for non-members.

Pedigree chart

The application files for the ancestral certificates may hold a wide variety of genealogical data, including vital, church, land, naturalization and probate records, and obituaries.  An index to the application files can be found in Some Pioneer Families of Wisconsin, Vols. 1, 2 and 3.  These books have over 20,000 names of Wisconsin settlers and are available for sale from the WSGS Bookstore. Copies of the files themselves are available from the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives.  

​All applications should be sent to the WSGS office.  Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing.

WSGS

P.O. Box 5106

Madison, WI 53705-0106