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Wisconsin Court RecordsThis information is now located at my business site: Genealoger.com. You will be redirected shortly. Thank you for your interest in my site. Duane Bogenschneider The Northwest Ordinance provided a flexible framework of government that operated in the region until the Wisconsin Territory was formed in 1836. Government over the area of Wisconsin was, however, minimal during the territorial periods. Civil law at the wilderness outposts of Prairie du Chien and Green Bay was difficult, if not impossible. Travel was dangerous, literate citizens were few and far between, and the upper Mississippi fur-trading frontier seemed somewhat capable of governing itself. Beginning in the 1820s justices of the peace were appointed. Early records from Green Bay's justices of the peace can be found in the Grignon, Lawe, and Porlier Papers (1712-1884) at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Lewis Cass, who had been appointed governor of Michigan Territory in 1813, began making county divisions and announcing civil offices in 1818. The justice courts dealt with minor civil cases of $20 or less. County courts covered civil cases not to exceed $1,000 and non capital criminal cases. The state supreme court, meeting annually in Detroit, had jurisdiction for larger civil cases, appeals from lower courts, and capital criminal cases. In the winter of 1822-23, a separate circuit court was established for three western counties of Michigan Territory. The new court was, in effect, a supreme court. It was not given a title, however, and was generally called an "additional court." Native Americans accused of crimes were not included in the jurisdiction of the court unless a white person was involved. When Wisconsin Territory was created in 1836 the judicial system included a supreme court, district courts, probate courts, and justice of the peace courts, which were retained when statehood was attained in 1848. There were territorial courts in Green Bay, Prairie du Chien, and Mineral Point. County Government in Wisconsin, vol. 2. Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Historical Records Survey, 1942, explains the creation, structure, and function of courts in Wisconsin. Probate and related files can be found in the county courts, while criminal and civil cases are in the circuit courts. Old court records are generally located in the county's courthouse or may be found at the appropriate Area Research Center of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Wisconsin Court Records - Court records include probate records (which include wills), guardianship, naturalization, and a wide variety of other sources, ranging from criminal trials to simple road orders. All contain information about individuals within the area. It should also be remembered that there are different levels of jurisdiction for courts in the United States, all of which should be considered for research under various circumstances. Court of Common Pleas, Orphan's Court, Probate Court, District Court, Superior Court, Supreme Court, and other titles are among those encountered. To study more about court records in general, see "Research in Court Records," by Arlene H. Eakle, In: Szucs, Loretto Dennis, and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, eds. The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, Rev. ed. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997. For More Information
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