![]() ![]() The IRAD system houses older county and local government records at seven regional archives, located at various Illinois university campuses. The Newberry Library is a private library in downtown Chicago with extensive reference materials and special collections for Illinois and beyond. The Illinois State Historical Library has a biographical index of more than 10,000 Illinois individuals in local histories and other sources. The Chicago Historical Society is also an important resource for those with ancestors from the Chicago area. Chicago voting records, which can serve as a substitute for the missing 1890 census, are indexed for 1888, 1888 to 1890, and 1892. Chicago vital records begin in 1871 and include births to 1933, deaths to 1945, and marriages to 1920. The FHL’s strong microfilm holdings for Chicago and Cook County ease the burden of big-city research. Many 19th- and early 20th-century Chicago immigrants later migrated farther west. The pre-1916 Statewide Death Index is at. The State Archives also provides two online indexes to death records: The index to death certificates from 1916 to 1950 is at. The most up-to-date edition of this enormous ongoing project is available at. The Illinois State Archives and the Illinois State Genealogical Society have worked for years to compile the Illinois Marriage Records Index, 1763-1900. Online help for Illinois research is abundant. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Archives in Chicago is the central archive for American Lutheran Church records research. Sacramental records to 1915 for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago are available through the FHL. It is available online at The Illinois USGen web site includes a county-by-county list of cemeteries, as well as an index to tombstone transcriptions and abstracts.Ĭhurch records can provide vital information. A helpful guide for locating such records is Chicago and Cook County: Guide to Research by Loretto Dennis Szucs.Īnother useful statewide resource provided by the Illinois State Genealogical Society is their Cemetery Location Project. This makes thorough research in alternate records important for those with early Chicago ancestors. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed much of the city and its local records. ![]() Divorce records are part of the civil court records at the county level. Couples were required to obtain a marriage license, and marriage returns filed by the minister or justice of the peace indicated where the marriage took place and may provide the couple’s religious denomination. But in 1877, preprinted marriage books included columns for such details as ages, residences, birthplaces, and often the names of the parents of the bride and groom. Pre-1877 marriage records provide little information. For divorces, a statewide index exists only from 1962. Earlier records (sometimes including pre-1877 records) can be obtained from the county clerk. Post-1916 birth and death records are available from the State Department of Public Health in Springfield. Illinois law required the filing of vital records beginning in 1877, but statewide registration didn’t begin until 1916. Older court and vital records are often available on microfilm through the Family History Library (FHL), or may have been transferred to an Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) location. The records are held by the clerks of the county court and the circuit court for each county. Illinois county-level court records include probate, civil, and criminal cases, divorce, adoption, naturalizations and guardianship. State censuses for 1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, and 1865 are at the Illinois State Archives and on subscription site, but many counties are missing or incomplete for the censuses through 1845. The 1810, 1818, and 1820 territorial censuses have been indexed and published. Various territorial and state censuses exist, as well. (The exception is Randolph County, for which the 1810 census survived.) Mortality schedules exist for 1850, 1860, 1870 (partial), and 1880. Family Tree Templates and Relationship ChartsĪvailable federal census for Illinois begins with 1820.Best UK, Irish and Commonwealth Genealogy Websites.Best African American Genealogy Websites.Surnames: Family Search Tips and Surname Origins.Preserving Old Photos of Your Family History.How to Find Your Ancestor’s US Military Records.
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