In the case of marriages, the indexes refer to volume and page numbers, but the FHL catalog does not show which volume numbers are on each microfilm roll. In the chart below, I have added the volume and pages found on each microfilm item. The birth indexes give only a date of birth, and a reel and record number. Those birth index reel numbers refer to films at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and are not directly compatible with FHL films. Since many births were recorded long after the event (but appear in order of registration), they are difficult to find with only a date of birth. In the chart,  I have added the equivalent reel and record numbers found on each FHL microfilm item.

 The records on microfilm are "not exactly" the same as the records found at the Fond du Lac County Courthouse. The records on microfilm are the written transcripts deposited at the Bureau of Health Statistics at Madison. The statewide microfiche indexes are from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Some of the records at the Courthouse are original records, and some of them are transcripts also. For a more complete synopsis of the vital records of each county and the various laws that have applied (and have sometimes been ignored!), see: Guide to public vital statistics records in Wisconsin (Madison: Wisconsin Historical Records Survey, 1941).

 Volume and page numbers of these microfilmed records and indexes are NOT the same as those at the Fond du Lac County Courthouse.

 Also, the printed indexes published by the Fond du Lac County Genealogical Society are indexes to the records at the Courthouse. The Society's printed Marriage and Death indexes contain registration dates (date of filing) for the events. These can be used to easily find those events on the microfilms. In the case of births, it will be easier to find them via one of the birth indexes on microfiche. There are two microfiche birth indexes, one alphabetical, and one chronological by date of birth. Generally, you will use the alphabetical index if you do not have the date of birth. However, if you already know the date of birth from other sources such as the Society's birth index, you can use the chronological index. One possible advantage of the chronological index is that it allows you to effectively bypass possible indexing errors regarding the name, since it is easy to carefully examine all the births on a particular date and notice spelling variations and errors, such as a wrong first letter of the surname.

 There are minor differences between the Society's printed indexes, and the state microfiche indexes. Each is one individuals interpretation of a handwritten record, although the Society's indexes are probably one step closer to the original records. One other difference noted when spot-checking between the Society's Death index and the microfiche index is that some married women are indexed by maiden name in the Society's printed index, while they were indexed by married name in the state microfiche death index.

 To evaluate the completeness of the microfilmed records, I checked several pages from the first volume of the Society's Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes against the microfiche indexes. The marriages appeared to be complete. The births and deaths on microfilm did not contain those few events for which the Society's index lists a Deed or Mortgage liber as the source. The deaths recorded before 1871 were not found in the microfilmed records. This amounts to about 70 deaths which occured between 1867 and 1870, except for two earlier. Otherwise, the microfilmed records appear to be complete. Of course, this only refers to the completeness of the microfilmed records versus those at the Courthouse. Many early vital events were not recorded at all. 
 
 

      Marriage Indexes 

1275673 -3	Vol. 1 to 4	Note 3
1275673 -4	Vol. 5-7, A-H	Note 4
1275660 -1	Vol. 5-7, H-Z	Note 4
6331479 fiches	Vol. 1-7	Note 5

 

Note 1	Generally, six certificates per page. Page number appears on every third certificate.
Note 2	Vol. 1, pages 456 to 527 have multiple entries per page.
Note 3	Index by first letter of surname, grooms only, with spouses name added.
Note 4	Index by first letter of surname, grooms in left column, separate brides index    in right column.
Note 5	Brides and grooms in one alphabetical index, covering Adams Co. through    Racine Co. FODU is abbreviation for Fond du Lac. Index gives Vol & page.   Disregard last three columns on right when using FHL films.

Death Index   

6331472 fiches

Vol. 1 to 4

Note 14

 

Note 13	About 70 deaths registered before 1871 (in county records) not contained herein.
Note 14	Statewide alphabetical index; gives volume & page. Disregard 3 columns on right    when using FHL films.