The new Wisconsin Name Index online from the Wisconsin Historical Society is great. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/wni/index.asp. But like writing the state office for vital records, they get a lot of requests and they are charging $10 to $15 for a photocopy. If you are on a tight budget, try a couple other things first. Some of the same information may be indexed in the Local History and Biography articles digital project--this means you can read it one the spot. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/wlhba/index.asp. For biographies from county histories, try writing a library in the location your ancestor lived. Example: Carlton Foster, a lumberman from Oshkosh, was in several volumes. WHS would charge $15. for each if you live out-of-state; Oshkosh Public Library would charge $5.00. And of course, each gives slightly different information, but you won't know for sure until you send for them. Use www.wiscat.net to find which smaller library owns the volume you want copies from.