Dear Amy, In 1877 there was a fire in the court house so many of the records burned. According to the book: The Handbook for Genealogists by Everton it says the Register of Deeds has birth, marriage, death and land records from 1877, Clerk Ct has divorce records and court records; Reg in probate has probate records from 1854. You might want to try a newspaper obituary? Beaver Dam Community Library has old newspapers, I do not recall the earliest date. This library also has indexed some cemeteries and has this info on file. I do not have their phone number but you can write them: 311 N. Spring Street, Beaver Dam, WI. Hope this helps, Jane