Illinois Genealogy Resources
Chicago and Cook County
Vital Records (Birth, Marriage and Death)
The Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed the Cook County Court House and
the official documents which were recorded and filed prior to that
date. Compulsory recording of vital statistics did not begin until
January 1, 1916 in Illinois. Cook County, however, has a large
percentage of registered. births, deaths, and marriages.
- Alquire, Joan L. Some Cook County Marriages Prior to the
Fire. South Holland, Illinois: The South Suburban
Genealogical and Historical Society, 1981. Contains abstracts of
423 marriage licenses issued prior to the 1871 fire. Available
on microfilm through the Family History Library.
-
Birth Certificate Index, 1893-1926. Wilmette Historical
Museum.
- Chicago Board of Health. Chicago Deaths 1871-1933. 13
microfilm reels. An alphabetical listing of Chicago and Cook
County deaths obtained from documents returned to the clerk. The
index was compiled by the Works Progress Administration, and is
arranged alphabetically by surname.
- Chicago Board of Health. The Board maintains vital
statistics for Chicago only. Birth records from 1955 to the
present and death records from 1961 to the present are available
for a fee at the Board.
- Chicago Genealogical Society. Chicago Ancestor File:
1974-84. Records of over 10,000 Chicago residents
contributed by more than 1,250 of their descendants, compiled
and indexed by the Society. A copy can be obtained from the
Society. More recent data is being published in The Chicago
Genealogist.
- Chicago's Irish Families, 1875-1925. This database
is a collection of records regarding many of the Irish families
who made their home in this city between 1875 and 1925. Newly
updated to add over 5,000 entries, information provided includes
births, marriages, and deaths, often including names of
relatives. Taken from a wide variety of sources, including local
histories, parish records, local newspapers, and cemetery
inscriptions, this can be an extremely helpful database for
those researching Irish-American ancestors. Ancestry.com
subscription product.
- Cook County
Genealogy Online. Online birth, death and marriage
records available online from the Cook County Clerk's Office.
-
Cook County Public Records.
-
Chicago Official Death Record. (As transcribed from the
Chicago Tribune - December 1907). Genealogy Buff.
- Cook County Birth Index, 1871-1916. Is available on
microfiche at the Newberry Library, the Illinois Regional
Archives Depository in Chicago, and various area Family History
Centers.
-
Cook County Birth Records. Cook County USGenWeb.
- Cook County Death Index, 1871-1916. Is available on
microfiche at the Newberry Library, the Illinois Regional
Archives Depository in Chicago, and various area Family History
Centers.
-
Cook County Death Records. Cook County USGenWeb.
- Cook County Marriage Index, 1871-1916. The family
History Library holds a microfilmed marriage index from Cook
County that covers the years 1871 to 1916 for grooms and 1878 to
1916 for brides. The film is available at some of the area
Family History Centers and through the Newberry Library.
-
Cook County Marriage Records. Cook County USGenWeb.
- Cook
County Vital Records. Excellent overview of records and
sources from Newberry Library.
-
Cook County Vital Statistics.
This site offers information and application forms for
birth, death, and marriage certificates for Cook County.
- Cook County (Illinois). County Clerk. Chicago Death
Certificates, 1878-1915. 655 microfilm reels. The
certificates are divided into 4-month periods and are arranged
numerically. A microfiche index is available to locate the
proper certificate. Many certificates are missing or filmed out
of sequence.
- Cook County (Illinois) County Clerk. Death Record
Indexes, 1871-1916. 70 microfiches. Index to the
certificates above.
- Cook County (Illinois). County Coroner. Coroner's Death
Records, 1879-1904. Microfilm. The records are for each
month and are arranged alphabetically by surname.
- Death Notices from Lithuanian Newspapers, 1900-1979.
The Balzekas
Museum of Lithuanian Culture in Chicago. Available on
microfilm from the Family History Library.
- Death Records
Database. RootsWeb.
- Dziennik
Chcagoski Death Indexes, 1890-1971. This online index is a
compilation of death notices appearing in the Dziennik
Chicagoski, Chicago's Polish daily newspaper, for the years
1890-1929. The Polish Genealogical Society originally published
indexes for the years 1890-1929 as a series of four books, which
are available for sale by Polish Genealogical Society of America
and available at many libraries in the United States.
-
Gross Point Register of Permits to Dispose of Human Body,
1902-1919. Wilmette Historical Museum.
-
Historical Newspapers, Birth, Marriage, & Death Announcements,
1851-2003. Ancestry.com subscription product.
- Hollowak, Thomas. Index to Obituaries and Death Notices
appearing in the Dziennik Chicagoski. 1890-1929 in 4
volumes. Served Chicago's Polish community. At the Newberry
Library, Call # Local History Ref F548.9 P7 H65 1984 through
F548.9 P7 H653 1991 (2nd floor open shelf). See also online
version above.
- Husband, Lori. Deaths in the Chicago Defender, 1910-1920.
Park Forest, Illinois: L. Husband, 1990. (Newberry # Local
History Ref F548.5 .H87 1990 (2nd floor open shelf).
-
Illinois, Cook County Marriages 1871-1920 - Name
index and images of marriage licenses and
returns recorded at Cook County, Illinois - including the City
of Chicago - 865,669 records as of 26 April, 2010.
FamilySearch.org.
-
Illinois Statewide Death Index (1916–1950). An index created
by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Illinois Death Index Before 1916 (partial) includes a Cook
County death index for 1871-1915.
- Johnston, W. Wesley. Researcher's Guide to the Pre-Fire
Records of Chicago and Cook County. Springfield, Illinois:
Wesley W. Johnston, 1982.
- Marriage
Records Database. RootsWeb.
-
Marriage Records Project. Illinois State Genealogical
Society.
-
Marriages in the Chicago newspaper 1884, partial. Illinois
USGenWeb.
-
Marriages listed in Chicago newspapers Partial, 1879, 1882,
1884, 1892, 1894-1895, 1903. Illinois USGenWeb.
- Newbill, Leona Hopper. Cook County, Illinois Marriage
License Records 1870-1880. A typescript with bride and groom
index. Available on microfilm through the Family History
Library.
- Novak, Joe. The Denni Hlasatel Obituary Index.
1891-1995 in 2 volumes. Sugar Grove, Illinois: Czech and Slovak
American Genealogy Society of Illinois, 1996. Served Chicago's
Bohemian community. At the Newberry Library, for 1891-1970, Call
# Local History Ref F548.9 .B67 N679 1996 (2nd floor open shelf)
and for 1971-1995, Call # Local History Ref F548.9 B67 N6792
1997 (2nd floor open shelf).
-
Online Vital Records Indexes. Wilmette Historical Museum.
- Polish Marriages
in Chicago through 1915. Marriages in Catholic parishes in
Chicago compiled by the Polish Genealogical Society of America.
- Sam Fink's Chicago Marriage and Death Index. Compiled
by a Chicago researcher from Chicago newspaper death notices
covering 1833 to 1889 and Cook County death records from 1878 to
1884. Also included are pre-Fire marriage notices 1833-1871.
Information for the index originated in the Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Evening Journal, Chicago Democrat, Chicago Examiner,
Chicago Evening Post, Chicago Record Herald, Chicago Daily News,
Chicago Examiner, and the Inter-Ocean. It is
available on microfilm at the Newberry Library, the Illinois
Regional Archives Depository in Chicago, and various area Family
History Centers.
-
U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880.
Ancestry.com subscription product.
- Vital
Records Projects. Northwest Suburban Council of
Genealogists. Indexes to births (1900-1920), deaths (1900-1926)
and marriages (1900-1920)
-
Wilmette Death Certificate Index 1913-1953. Wilmette
Historical Museum.