Archives and Genealogy Research

The Archives staff of the Diocese of Green Bay is pleased to assist genealogists with their research.
To begin your research request, please complete our Genealogy Request Form.

Questions? Contact the Archives at: 920-272-8195

Access and Services

Are you:

• Researching your family history or building your family tree?
• Looking for a copy of a sacramental record?
• Writing a history of your parish?
• Conducting research on the Diocese of Green Bay?

The Archives of the Diocese of Green Bay is here to assist you with your research. Explore our resources and services to get started.

What do the Archives Do?

The Archives collect, preserve, survey, appraise, arrange, describe, store, and provide access, when feasible, to records and papers documenting the history of the Diocese of Green Bay and the Catholic community of northeast Wisconsin. These records date from roughly 1850 to the present.

While the Archives primarily support the administrative needs of the Diocese, its staff, and its parishes, the Archives also assist scholars, researchers, and family genealogists. Access to records is provided in accordance with applicable Church, state, and

What records are in the Archives?

The Archives holds a wide variety of records documenting the history, people, parishes, and activities of the Diocese of Green Bay. Explore the collections to learn more about the records available for research.

What records are not open to the public

• Marriage tribunal and adoption records. Adoptions researchers are advised to contact the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families' Adopt Records Search Program at (608) 422-6928.
• Sacramental records from 1930 to the present.
• Access to some other records may be restricted for a certain period under civil or Church law or in accordance with the wishes of the donor.

General policies

• Requests requests: Requests may be made by calling the Archives at 920-272-8187 or 920-272-8195.
• On-site research: Individuals may conduct their own research for a fee by appointment during designated hours on Tuesdays. Researchers should not expect service without a confirmed appointment.
• Genealogical inquiries: Please allow up to four months for genealogical research requests to be completed.

Hours and fees

• Research appointments: Researchers may schedule an appointment on any Tuesday from 9 a.m.-noon or 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Independent Research: The fee is $10 for a half day or less and $15 for a full day.
• Genealogical research by Archives staff: The fee is $30, which includes research for up to six sacramental records for two ancestors.
• Sacramental records: There is a $5 fee per sacramental record retrieved or photocopied.

Genealogy Research

The Archives can assist you in researching your family history or the Catholic history of northeastern Wisconsin using parish, diocesan, and other related records.

The Archives has microfiche copies of existing sacramental records including baptisms, marriages, and burials, as well as some First Communion and confirmation records from Catholic churches within the Diocese of Green Bay, which encompasses most of northeastern Wisconsin. Please note that many early records are incomplete.

General Guidelines

• The Archives can search sacramental records dated before 1930.
• Records from 1930 to the present are not open for genealogical research.
• The Archives does not have a general index, automated or otherwise, for its sacramental records.
• We cannot accommodate broad requests for a surname or all records relating to a particular family over a large period of geographic area. For example, we cannot fulfill a request such as, “Please send me all the information you have on the Smith family who came to northeastern Wisconsin about 1853.ˮ
• We can accommodate specific, focused requests that include names, approximate dates, locations, and other identifying information. For example: “Please search for the baptismal records of the children of John and Mary Smith. Catherine was born about 1863 and Robert was born about 1871. The family was Bohemian and lived near Cooperstown, Manitowoc County.ˮ
• Another example of an appropriate request would be: “Please check for the burial records for my great-grandparents, William and Anna Jones. William died between 1881 and 1900, and Anna died after 1910. Anna was born in 1825.ˮ

What We Need From You

To help us locate the correct records, please provide as much of the following information as possible:

• Approximate dates: Please provide dates within 10 years, if possible. If you do not know the exact dates, census records may help you narrow the timeframe. Indexes are available for 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 (households with children 10 or younger), 1900, and 1920 federal censuses for Wisconsin. Wisconsin also conducted state censuses in 1855, 1875, 1885, 1895 and 1905. Wisconsin census records and indexes may be available through Wisconsin libraries or interlibrary loan. Researchers outside Wisconsin may also be able to access census records and indexes through a Family History Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Place of residence: Please provide the location where the family lived. A county alone is generally not specific enough; a township or other local area within the county is helpful. Census records can help narrow down the location, and the Archives has tables that may assist you in identifying historical locations.
• Family information: If possible, provide a family group sheet with the information you know. Be as complete and concise as possible. Include any additional information that may help us identify and locate the correct records.

Finding Aids

We have compiled tables that show the locality (including townships), name of the parish — including the various names a parish had over the years — earliest year records are available for baptisms, marriages, and funerals, and which ethnic groups (where applicable) the parish served.

Eventually, there will be tables for each ethnic group. The date a church is founded and the starting date for sacramental records may not be the same. Sacramental records for baptisms, marriages, and funerals may not begin on the same date.
When starting a search for families pre-World War I, first check the records of the area parish (or parishes) of the familiesʼ ethnic background. If there is no ethnic parish, check other Catholic churches in the area.

If your ancestor's residency pre-dated the earliest parish records, use the table to determine what parishes existed then (and thus where to look for the records).

Table of Parish Sacramental Records Download Document

Can You Do Your Own Research in the Archives?

Yes. Researchers may conduct their own genealogical research in the Archives on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m., or at another time by appointment. Half-day research: $10 - Full-day research $15 - Printing: .25 per printed record. An appointment is required. Please contact the Archives in advance to schedule an appointment at 920-272-8195.

Directions

Permissions

Scans of records provided to Archives patrons are for the requester's personal use only. Records may not be reproduced, published, distributed, or shared electronically without prior permission from the Archives.

Effective July 1, 2026, the Archives charges a $30 research fee per request, plus $5.00 per record retrieved.

The $30 research fee includes up to one hour of staff research for up to two ancestors and their sacramental records. For example, a request might include a baptismal record search for one ancestor and marriage and death record searches for a second ancestor. Additional research time or additional research subjects are charged $30 per hour. Prepayment is not required. Payment is due when the research is complete.

Payment may be made online through the Diocese of Green Bay's PayPal account (https://bit.ly/3zqm7rr) or by check.

Checks should be made payable to Diocese of Green Bay, Inc. and mailed to:

Diocese of Green Bay
ATTN: Archives
PO Box 23825
Green Bay, WI 54305-3825

Questions? Call Archives at: 920-272-8187 or 920-272-8195.

Locating Sacramental Records

Archives provides free copies of personal sacramental records, including baptism, First Communion, confirmation, and marriage. If you know where the sacraments were conferred, contact the parish for copies.

Preparing for marriage? Contact the parish that conferred the sacraments to arrange for certificates to be prepared from sacramental registers.

If you are not sure which parish in the Green Bay Diocese conferred your sacrament, contact Diocesan Archives department to locate the record.

Consult this table (2.63 MB) to determine which parish has which sacramental records for particular years.ʼʼ

Helpful external Websites for genealogists

Archives of nearby dioceses (some of which have congregations that used to be in the Green Bay Diocese):

Archives of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin

Archives of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin

Archives of Diocese of Marquette, Michigan—not open for reference service

Archives of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Non-church genealogy reference sources: Appleton Public Library Obituary Index

Manitowoc County Wisconsin Genealogy: Especially strong in deaths, cemeteries, newspaper marriage articles from Manitowoc County.

Winnefox Vital Records: Links to birth, marriage, and death records for those form Fond du Lac, Winnebago, Waushara, Marquette, and Green Lake counties. Wisconsin Historical Society.

Research your Family History: contains an index for many (but not all) pre-1907 Wisconsin birth, marriage, and death civil records. If the civil record is indexed, there is a link to buy it from the Wisconsin Historical Society.