Cook County, Illinois Genealogy

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Guide to Cook County, Illinois ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth, marriage, death, census, family history, and military records.

Cook County, Illinois
Seal of Cook County, Illinois
Map
Map of Illinois highlighting Cook County
Location in the state of Illinois
Map of the U.S. highlighting Illinois
Location of Illinois in the U.S.
Facts
Founded January 15, 1831
County Seat Chicago
Courthouse
Cook County Circuit Court.jpg
Third Municipal District - One of Seven Main Courthouses of Cook County
Address Cook County Courthouse
69 W. Washington St.
Chicago, Illinois 60602
Cook County Website


Contents

Cook County Organization[edit | edit source]

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[1]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1872 1872 1872 1871 1871 1871 1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths started 1916. General compliance by 1922.

Some alternate records are available for these records prior to 1871, which were destroyed in the Chicago fire.

  • Federal Land Patents
  • Chicago Title Insurance (found in the Cook County Recorder's Office)
  • Will Index Documented Record of Wills
  • Abstracts of Probate Proceedings

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Cook County are kept, see the Cook County Courthouse page.

Historical Facts[edit | edit source]

Daniel Pope Cook.jpg.jpg


Cook County was named for Daniel P. Cook who was the first Attorney General of the State of Illinois and Representative in Congress from 1819 to 1827.  When the county was formed in 1831, it's total population was about one hundred people, spread over 2,464 square miles. Parts of Cook County were subsequently carved off to form Lake, DuPage, Will, and McHenry counties, trimming the county to its current size of 946 square miles.[2]   As of 2005, Cook County was the second most populous county in the United States (after Los Angeles), with a population of 5.3 million.[3] Just over half the county's population reside in Chicago, the county seat.[4]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for Daniel Cook, one of the earliest and youngest statesmen in Illinois history. He served as the second U.S. Representative from Illinois and the state's first Attorney General. The County Seat is Chicago and was founded January 15, 1831. It is located in the Northeast area of the state.[5]

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • 15 January 1831: Cook County was created from Putnam County by an act of the Illinois State Legislature as the 54th county established in Illinois. The unincorporated Fort Dearborn settlement at the mouth of the Chicago River became the new county's seat.
  • 12 January 1836: - Will County formed from portions of Cook, Iriquois, and Unorganized Territory.
  • 16 January 1836: - McHenry County formed from north-western section of Cook county.
  • 9 February 1839: - DuPage County formed.
  • 1 March 1839: - Lake County formed from northern-most section of Cook county.

For animated maps illustrating Illinois county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Illinois County Boundary Maps" (1790-1869) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

1871 The Great Chicago Fire from October 8-10 destroyed all records.

Marriages for Cook County from 1833-1871 have been compiled from early Chicago newspapers and may be found in the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index.

A copy of the Index to Chicago and Cook County Marriages and Deaths Reported in Chicago Newspapers 1834–1889 compiled by Sam Fink is available on microfilm at the following locations. (The only additional information these records provide is the name of the newspaper in which the marriage appeared.)

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:


Resources[edit | edit source]

African American[edit | edit source]

The following have information concerning African American research.

Black's Blue Book:Business and professional directory; a compilation of names, addresses and telephones of all Chicago's colored business and professional people. - Chicago: F.S Black, 1917-1913.-4V.: F548.9.N3 B6

Scott's Blue Book: a standard classified business and service directory of greater Chicago's colored citizens' commercial, industrial, professional, religious and other activities.- Chicago: Scott's business and Directory Service, 1939-1965. 6 v. F548.9N3 S4

Archives[edit | edit source]

Illinois Regional Archives Depository[edit | edit source]

Ronald Williams Library
Northeastern Illinois University
500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625-4699
(773) 442-4506

Search the on-line indexes for the following IRAD databases that include Cook County and City of Chicago records:

To request copies of original records listed in these databases, see the IRAD-Northern Illinois University wiki article. Additional records are available, but are unindexed, or the index is not available on-line.To see a listing of all Cook County records available through IRAD, search the Local Governmental Holdings database. Select "Cook"in the county list box, and hit [Submit Query].

National Archives at Chicago[edit | edit source]

7358 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60629-5898
(773) 948-9001
(773) 948-9050 fax
chicago.archives@nara.gov

Records created or received by Federal agencies in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and Federal courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin are housed at the National Archives at Chicago.

Naturalization Records: from U.S. District Courts (RG 21) in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin Link
Archival Holdings Guide Link

Illinois and Michigan Canal and Regional History Special Collection[edit | edit source]

Lewis University
Howard and Lois Adelmann Regional History Collection
One University Parkway
Romeoville, IL 60446-2200
Lewis University - Howard and Lois Adelmann Regional History

(800) 897-9000
[actually in Will County; but collection includes records that pertain to Cook County]

Hours: Monday–Thursday 2:00–4:00 p.m.

Call 815-838-0500 extension 5529 before visiting

Biography[edit | edit source]

The Chicago History Museum has a tremendous collection of on-line resources including the Biographical Dictionary of Chicago, part of the Encyclopedia of Chicago, and a photo index of portraits taken by early Chicago photographers. The Museum's collection includes tens of thousands of images from early photographers E.L. Brand and C.D. Mosher, among others, all indexed by the name of the person in the photograph, as well as by photographer and studio. Their collection can be searched at the Chicago History Museum Research Center.

  The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Cook County edition as well as an Evanston edition. These volumes include a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Cook County and Evanston residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Cook, Illinois online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Illinois Cemeteries for more information

Register of Confederate Soldiers Who Died in Camp Douglas 1862-65 and Lie Buried in Oakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, Ills. - digitized searchable book

Burr Oak Cemetery

4400 W. 127th Street
Alsip, IL 60803
(773) 233-5676

Searchable burials database provides burial information, a map of the cemetery, and a photo of the headstone, if available. The cemetery filed for bankruptcy in 2009 following allegations of grave tampering and the re-selling of graves that resulted in numerous lawsuits. The Cook County Sheriff's Office continues to research and publish updates to the database.


Cook County Cemetery in Dunning Over 38,000 burials over seventy years, the cemetery served as an institutional cemetery for Cook County. A web site is available with the home page providing a lot of history about the cemetery. The database a work in progress, has over 7800 entries.


Chicago City Cemetery

City Cemetery existed as a burial ground from 1843 until about 1866, when further burials were legally prohibited. During that time, more than 20,000 were buried in the cemetery, which was subdivided into a Catholic Cemetery, a Jewish Cemetery, and a Potters Field. Among the number were approximately 4,000 Confederate soldiers who died at Camp Douglas who were buried in Potters Field. Dis-internments began as early as 1860, as families of lot owners re-interred their loved ones in newly opened Rosehill, Graceland or Calvary cemeteries. Following the Chicago Fire of 1871, a major effort began to vacate the cemetery. The land was converted into a public park, now known as Lincoln Park. The Ira Couch family mausoleum still stands at the back of the park.

A well-researched account of the old City Cemetery is available on the website Hidden Truths: The Chicago City Cemetery and Lincoln Park. The website also include an online database of original Cemetery lot owners and a map.


Graceland Cemetery

4001 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60613-1992
(773) 525-1105
(773) 525-9091 fax

Graceland Cemetery was established in 1860 by Thomas Bryan, a prominent Chicago lawyer and is owned and operated by the Trustees of the Graceland Cemetery Improvement Fund, a not-for-profit trust. The cemetery's web site includes Grace of prominent Chicagoans buried there. Genealogy Inquiries can be made by mail, fax, or e-mail.

In 1946, the Aaron Miner Chapter D.A.R. (Chicago) prepared a List of Cemeteries in Cook - Lake - Will Counties Containing Graves of the Military Dead Who Served in the Wars of the United States. Ancestry ($) digitized this publication.[6]


Catholic Cemeteries, Archdiocese of Chicago

Looking for the burial location of a family member or friend? To serve the many families that visit the Catholic cemeteries, self-serve kiosks have been installed in major cemetery offices in the archdiocese. The kiosk is an all-encompassing 'open book' to burial records with exact locations & maps for Catholics buried in Chicago. The best part is each kiosk has the same information. Find the nearest kiosk to do all research in one location, versus hunting at each individual cemetery. Currently there are kiosks at 15 locations throughout Cook County.

Census[edit | edit source]

For information and tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census.

Federal[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1840 10,201 —
1850 43,385 325.3%
1860 144,954 234.1%
1870 349,966 141.4%
1880 607,524 73.6%
1890 1,191,922 96.2%
1900 1,838,735 54.3%
1910 2,405,233 30.8%
1920 3,053,017 26.9%
1930 3,982,123 30.4%
1940 4,063,342 2.0%
1950 4,508,792 11.0%
1960 5,129,725 13.8%
1970 5,492,369 7.1%
1980 5,253,655 −4.3%
1990 5,105,067 −2.8%
2000 5,376,741 5.3%
2010 5,194,675 −3.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Ward and ED Maps for 1870-1930 Censuses

State[edit | edit source]

Church History and Records[edit | edit source]

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Baptist[edit | edit source]

American Baptist-Samuel Colgate Historical Library

3001 Mercer University Drive
Atlanta, GA 30341
(678) 547-6680

Chicago Baptist Association

original records; no date

Chicago Baptist City Mission Society

original records 1889--1943

Auburn Park Baptist Church

original records; 1891--1903

Baptist Forward Movement for Missionary Education

original records 1918--1919

Highland Park Baptist Church

original records; 1917

Immanuel Baptist Church

23rd Street South Michigan Avenue

original records; 1881--1948

LaSalle Avenue Baptist Church

original records; 1868--1919

Church of Christ[edit | edit source]

Episcopal[edit | edit source]

Lutheran[edit | edit source]

321 Bonnie Lane
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
(847) 690-9410

s@elca.org

Hours: Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Appointments in advance of visits are advised.

Archives Catalog

Genealogy: Research Request

Lutheran Churches of Chicago: A Genealogical Guide

Map of Chicago congregations

Methodist[edit | edit source]

German Church Records[edit | edit source]

Roman Catholic[edit | edit source]

The Archdiocese of Chicago
Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Archives and Records Center
711 West Monroe Street
Chicago, IL 60661

See the Genealogical Information Guide regarding collections that may be useful in genealogical research, including:

  • Sacramental Records
  • Orphanage Records
  • School Records
  • Deceased Priest Files (Restricted Collection)
  • Western Tablet, The New Word and the Chicago Catholic
  • Parish Commemorative Books
  • Other Collections and Records

Catholic Parish Information Hosted by Ethnic Societies

Scan the list of Chicago Catholic Churches, or search the Chicago Catholic Parish Database, hosted by the POINTers in Person Italian research society.

The Polish Genealogical Society of America has created a comprehensive Marriage Index for Polish Parishes in Chicago through 1915.

Directories[edit | edit source]

  • Fold3.com ($) has Chicago City Directories 1843-1917, 1923 (only 3 yrs. missing) available online.
  • Google Books has The Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago for 1876 and 1887.
  • The spurring metropolis that is Chicago and the directories that came out during late 1800’s and early 1900’s could help you find ancestors that made a pit stop in those urban records or took up long term residence. Social registers, blue books and other directories could be what you need to fill that gap in your timeline between the missing 1880-1900 Federal Census and assist during the 1909 and 1911 Chicago city street renumbering. Most suburbs are listed within these publications and can be also be considered Cook County resources.
    1909 Renumbering
    1911 Renumbering
  • The Bon-Ton Directory of 1879 will help in locating the “most prominent and fashionable ladies” of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
  • The Elite City and Club lists for 1883-84 (reversed), 1885-86 and 1888-89 are available to check if your relatives were members of clubs such as the Amateur Musical Club or other social clubs of that area and era.
  • The Social Register for the years 1899-1907, 1908, 1912, and 1922 offer such sections as the names of married maidens.
  • The Chicago Blue Book of Selected Names of Chicago and Suburban Towns, which has coverage from 1890-1915 on Archive.org. Using these with census records or Chicago City directories (available on Fold3.com) can establish the address change for 1909 and 1911 street renumbering. Have a missing ancestor? Using these directories to find neighbors may help in tracking them down in censuses.

1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1897,1898, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910,1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915

  • A post-1930 census gem is The Selected Directory of Italians in Chicago for the years 1930 and 1933-34.

History[edit | edit source]

Land and Property[edit | edit source]

Property research in Cook County is challenging and very time consuming. It is the reason one generally needs to exhaust every other type of record for Cook County before tackling the land research. The pre-1985 documents are available only through the office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.

118 North Clark Street
Room 120
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(312) 603-5050

See the Township and Sectional Map of Cook County for information about townships, subdivisions, and sections.

To do land research in Cook County, one needs to have the legal description of the property. It is possible to obtain a legal description if one has the "modern" address of the property. Link to the Legal Description Search Request page at the Cook County Recorder of Deeds' Website.

In Cook County there are two (2) types of conveyance (indexes) systems. One is a “regular” system that uses a geographic index instead of Grantor-Grantee indexes. The other is a Torrens or Registry System. Used for only a portion of properties in Cook County, those that had a clouded-title situation. It was a means of registering title to land with a financial guaranteed by a government unit that the title was “good”. A court action established the title and every subsequent transaction for the property had to be registered. Transactions for Torrens properties are either written in red in the tract books or there is a “T” after the grantee’s name. The Torrens systems was phased out a number of years ago.

With a legal description in hand, one needs to locate the property in the specific tract book. There are 1000+ tract books for Cook County. The tract books are ledgers. Each transaction for a particular parcel of land is recorded chronologically in the books.

Identifying the records in the tract books is the first step. The numbers recorded in the tract books are transaction numbers. To locate the deed one needs to find the transaction number in the deed books, another set of indexes. There is another set of numbers in the deed books (paging books). These are the numbers for the volume or book, the page, and the item of the recorded instrument (deed). One then orders the microfiche for the document.

It is very expensive to make copies of property records in Cook County. The first two (2) pages of each document are $10.00 and then $1.00 for each additional page.

Pre-Fire land records are privately held by a title-guaranty company. One must make an appointment to view the records. These too are organized by legal description.

Another “quirk” to be aware of is out-of-county property recordings.

Many genealogy books describe how to find land records for rural America. For ancestors who lived in a city like Chicago, though, a very different set of resources is available. There are a number of online databases that give information about historic residences in Chicago and Cook County. Armed with an address from a census, you may be able to flesh out details about an ancestor's life and get a glimpse of where they lived.

It is possible that your ancestor was responsible for the construction of the building that they lived or worked in. The Chicago Historical Society has an index to building permits issued between the years of 1898-1912. The index is searchable by original owner's name, historical street name, architect, and the contractor issue date.

The historical street name field in this search hints at the fact that Chicago streets have undergone several name changes over time. The Newberry Library has three excellent documents detailing the changes. Specifically, there are .pdf files for the 1909 and 1911 street re-numberings and a general index to old and new street names.

With a current address for a historical property, it is easy to find and see the current structure at a location, for example by using Google Maps street view . To find out if the current structure is where an ancestor lived, a helpful tool is the Cook County Assessor's search. It is available through their webpage:. The basic search requires an identifying PIN for the property, however, an advanced search provides a more convenient search by address. In this search, be as general as possible in the street name for best results (for example, enter 59 instead of 59th Street). In addition to a description of the property, the results of this search provide a recent picture and the structure's age. This page will tell you if the building you see today is the same one that an ancestor lived or worked in many years ago.

Maps[edit | edit source]

McHenry CountyLake CountyKane CountyDuPage CountyLake CountyWill CountyIL COOK.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Military History and Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Civil War service men from Cook County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Cook County.

- 1st Regiment, Illinois Light Artillery, Batteries B, E, H, I, L, and M.
- 2nd Regiment, Illinois Light Artillery, Batteries L and M.
- 4th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company A (Also known as Grant's Escort) and Company B (Also known as Carrnichael's Cavalry Company).
- 8th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, D, E, F, G, K, L, and M.
- 9th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, B, C, D, F, H, I, K, L, and M.
- 10th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company D.
- 11th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company A.
- 12th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, K, and M.
- 12th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, E, I, and K.
- 12th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Companies A and K.
- 13th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, and H.
- 13th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
- 14th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, D, K, and M.
- 15th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company A
- 16th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, B, C, D, G, I, L, and M.
- 17th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, B, C, H, K, and L.
- 19th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies, A, C, D, E, F, G, and K.
- 23rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, (Irish Brigade), Companies B, C, E, F, G, H, I, and K.
- 24th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A, new Company A, Companies B, C, D, E, F, G, and H.
- 33rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
- 36th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.
- 37th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D and G.
- 39th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C, E, F, G, H, and K.
- 42nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and G.
- 44th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
- 45th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C
- 51st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, G and K.
- 52nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
- 55th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
- 57th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, E, F, G, and I.
- 58th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, D, E, F, and H.
- 59th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D, F, and K.
- 61st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
- 65th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (Scotch Regiment), Companies F, G, H, I and K.
- 72nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, H and K.
- 82nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, F, G, H, I and K.
- 88th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, D, E, G, H, I and K.
- 89th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, and K.
- 90th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies E, F, G, H and I.
- 100th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
- 113th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C, E, and G.
- 127th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, G, and H.
- 132nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies A, B, G, I, and K.
- 134th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies A, C, D, E, F, G, I and K.
- 142nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies A, G, and I.
- 147th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D, F, H and K.
- 153rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Companies E, F, H and I.
- 156th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C, E, I, and K.
- 69th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company D.
- 14th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company I
:- 6th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company I
:- 7th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company I
:- 8th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company G


  • Despite the destruction of the 1890 Federal Census, a few 1890 Census Veterans Schedules for the city of Chicago in Cook County survived. They are available on roll 118 of "Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War" (NARA M123). The schedules list veterans and their widows who served as Union soldiers in the Civil War. For more information on the 1890 Veterans Schedules see Union Census Records.

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Cook County Clerk of Circuit Court has posted an index to their Naturalization Declaration of Intentions. If you find the record in the index, you can order these records for a small cost. They also hold the petitions and naturalization certificates for the Superior Court. An index to the petitions and naturalization certificates from the Superior Court may be found in the FamilySearch Catalog, film numbers 1,023,967-1,023,968.

Online Records

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Places and Localities[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[9]

Cities
Towns
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Townships

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

†This is a 'Former' Township

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Records


Repositories[edit | edit source]

  • County Courthouse

County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Cook County are kept, see the Cook County Courthouse page.

  • Family History Center
  • Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
  • Public Libraries

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Illinois, Cook, Maywood Public Library, Obituary Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Taxation[edit | edit source]

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

See also How to order Illinois Vital Records or order electronically online.

The records for Chicago and Cook County are available for as early as 1871. Earlier records were destroyed by Chicago fire of October 8, 1871. Many Cook County, Illinois births, marriages, and deaths indexes and images are now available online:

Cook County, Illinois Births - Online, Index and Images[edit | edit source]

Family History Library Chicago birth index, 1871-1916 fiche 6016532

Cook County, Illinois Marriages - Online, Index and Images[edit | edit source]

Cook County, Illinois Deaths - Online, Index and Images[edit | edit source]

Family History Library Chicago death index, 1871-1916 FHL fiche 6016533

For birth and marriage records after these years, check with the Cook County Clerk's Office.

For death records after these years, check with the Cook County Clerk's Officeor the Illinois Department of Public Health

Chicago and Cook County Birth Index, 1871-1916 on microfilm

Instructions on how to search the Chicago and Cook County Birth Index on microfilm as well as Family History Library microfilm numbers can be found in the FS book 71266 found online.

These birth index microfilms can be searched at the following repositories.

Illinois State Archives

Illinois Regional Archives Depository at Northeastern Illinois University

Family History Library

Wilmette Family History Center

These microfilms can also be loaned to anyFamily History Library Center.

Voter Registration[edit | edit source]

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Arlington Heights Memorial Library[edit | edit source]

500 North Dunton Avenue
Arlington Heights, IL 60004-5910
847-392-0100; Fax: 847-506-2650
Website: Arlington Heights Memorial Library

The genealogy collection includes books, periodicals, newspapers, maps, and several databases to help with family history research. Also includes local census and local cemetery information.

Harold Washington Library Center[edit | edit source]

Chicago Library Downtown.png

400 South State Street
Chicago, Illinois 60605
(312) 747-4300
(312) 747-4875 Special Collections, 9th Floor
(312) 747-4890 fax
specoll@chipublib.org
Website: Harold Washington Library Center

The Newberry Library[edit | edit source]

Newberry library2.jpg

60 West Walton Street
Chicago, IL 60610-7324
(312) 943–9090
Website: The Newberry Library

Reading Room hours
Tuesday–Friday: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (item requests 9:00 am–noon, and 1:00–4:00 pm)
Saturday 9:00 am–1:00 pm (Item requests 9:00 am-noon)

Genealogy and Local History Section

Contact a Librarian


Elk Grove Village Library[edit | edit source]

1001 Wellington Avenue; Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-3391
847-439-0447; Fax: 847-439-0475; TDD: 847-439-0865
Website: Elk Grove Village Library
Hours: Monday–Thursday 9:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.; Friday 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.; Saturday 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.; Sunday 1:00–7:00 p.m.

Oak Lawn Public Library[edit | edit source]

9427 South Raymond Avenue; Oak Lawn, IL 60453; 708-422-4990
Website: Oak Lawn Public Library
Hours: Monday–Thursday: 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; Friday & Saturday: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Sunday: 1:00–5:00 p.m. (mid-September through mid-May)

The Oak Lawn Public Library Local History collections includes photos, yearbooks, phone books, and a collection of obituaries from local newspapers.  The local Obituary Index is searchable online, and includes 200,000+ obituaries and death notices published since 1 January 1985 in a dozen southwestern Chicago-area newspapers. Copies of local obituaries available using the Obituary Search Request form.

Family Search Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Libraries

There are seven FamilySearch Centers in the Chicago area:

Each Family History Center's operating hours and collections are unique, so contact the Family History Center nearest you to learn what resources are available.In some cases, you may opt to visit a center further from your home in order to take advantage of a center's unique on-site collections or hours that are better suited to your schedule.

Societies[edit | edit source]

Chicago Genealogical Society[edit | edit source]

Chicago Genealogical Society
PO Box 1160
Chicago, IL 60690-1160
Website

Online databases.

  1. Vital Records From Chicago Newspapers, 1833-1848
  2. Vital Records From Chicago Newspapers, 1849 and later
  3. CGS Members Surname Database
  4. The Chicago Genealogist Quarterly

South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society[edit | edit source]

3000 West 170th Place; Hazel Crest, IL 60429-1174; 708-335-3340; ssghs@usa.net) South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society
Library is located in the same building as the Municipal Center/Police Department.
Library hours:
Monday: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; Tuesday: 1:00–5:00 p.m.; Wednesday: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; Thursday: closed; Friday: 10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.; first Saturday of the month: 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; second Saturday of the month: 12:00–4:00 p.m.; Sunday: closed
Holdings include:

  • Oak Forest Hospital Cemetery Burial place for indigent people who died in Cook County and also for people who died at Oak Forest Hospital when it was a TB Sanitarium for Cook County.  Three rolls of microfilm covering seven books of burial records (4 March 1911-17 November 1971).
  • Pullman Car Company Employee Records Pullman Car Works (111th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue) was one of the largest employers in the Chicago area. There are approximately 200,000 packets for individuals in the collection (1900-1949). Request a free "quick search" using the email Quick Search Request.

Online databases:

Ethnic Societies[edit | edit source]

The Czech Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois[edit | edit source]

P.O. Box 313; Sugar Grove, IL 60554
Czech & Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois: CSAGSI
Library (T. G. Masaryk School; 5701 22nd Place; Cicero, IL 60804)
Open second Saturday September through May from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Online Resources
1. Cemetery and Church Resource Page
2. Topical Index to Korney Articles (1996–2009)

Irish American Heritage Center[edit | edit source]

4626 North Knox Avenue; Chicago, IL 60630; 773-282-7035

Contact the Irish American Heritage Center for more information about Genealogy Sessions, held the last Sunday of each month.  The Heritage Center Library has genealogical research resources.

Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois[edit | edit source]

P.O. Box 515; Northbrook, IL 60056-0515; info@jgsi.org
Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois

Search 68,000 entries from 14 local cemeteries included in the JGSI Online death index

Italian[edit | edit source]

POINTers in Person (PIP) Chicago-North chapter is an affiliate of POINT (Pursuing Our Italian Names Together)See a listing of society members and their Italian Surname interests.

Polish Genealogical Society of America[edit | edit source]

984 North Milwaukee Avenue; Chicago, IL 60642-4101; PGSAmerica@pgsa.org
[1]
773-384-3352

Online databases


Websites[edit | edit source]

Wiki articles describing an online collections are found at:

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Cook County, Illinois. Page 192-199 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 194-197.
  2. ↑ The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago © 2005 Chicago Historical Society. The Encyclopedia of Chicago © 2004 The Newberry Library http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/335.html
  3. ↑ Cook County, Illinois official web site http://www.co.cook.il.us/portal/server.pt/community/government/226/about_cook_county
  4. ↑ US Census Bureau Quick Facts, Population as of 2008. http://quickfacts.census.gov]
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Cook County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_County,_Illinois 4/11/2017.
  6. ↑ Illinois Miscellaneous Genealogical Records: From Counties, Bond, Boone, Calhoun, Cook, Crawford, Du Page, Johnson, Knox, Lake, Will, Pope: Kentucky county, Mercer: Missouri county, Ralls. Evanston, Ill.: Illinois Society, D.A.R., 1946. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  7. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/1/10/Igiillinoisac.pdf.
  8. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/1/10/Igiillinoisac.pdf.
  9. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Cook County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_County,_Illinois, Last accessed 19 December 2019.

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