Chicago, Cook County, Illinois Genealogy

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

History

 * Incorporated as a city in 1837 after being founded in 1833 at the site of a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed
 * - Wikipedia
 * 1893 World's Columbian Exposition (Harold Washington Library Center Special Collections)
 * 1933 World's Fair: Century of Progress (Chicago Public Library Special Collections finding aid)
 * 1871 The Great Fire of Chicago and the Web of Memory (Chicago Historical Society with Northwestern University)

Original marriage licenses for Cook County were destroyed by the Great Fire of Chicago on October 8–10, 1871. Marriages in the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index for Cook County prior to the fire were found in the Sam Fink Index. A copy of the Sam Fink Index is available on microfilm at the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. The only additional information that this depository can provide is the name of the newspaper in which the marriage appeared. A microfilmed copy of the Index to Chicago and Cook County Marriages and Deaths Reported in Chicago Newspapers 1834–1889, compiled by Sam Fink, is also available at the Newberry Library (microfilm 608, general collections, 2nd floor.)

Community Areas
There are 77 individual community areas, as designated by the University of Chicago Social Science Research Committee. More than 200 neighborhoods are represented in the community areas. Community areas may have unique records available, or in some instances, their own newspapers. The Archival Collections at the Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Public Library include holdings for many Chicago community areas and ethnic groups.

The city is partitioned into four main sections: Downtown (containing the Loop), the North Side, the South Side, and the West Side.




 * Far North side: Rogers Park . West Ridge . Uptown . Lincoln Square . Edison Park . Norwood Park . Jefferson Park . Forest Glen . North Park . Albany Park . O'Hare . Edgewater
 * North side: North Center . Lakeview . Lincoln Park . Avondale . Logan Square
 * Northwest side: Portage Park . Irving Park . Dunning . Montclare . Belmont Cragin . Hermosa
 * Central, Near North, and Near South side: Near North Side . The Loop . Near South Side
 * West and Near West side: Humboldt Park . West Town . Austin . West Garfield Park . East Garfield Park . Near West Side . North Lawndale . South Lawndale . Lower West Side
 * Southwest side: Garfield Ridge . Archer Heights . Brighton Park . McKinley Park . New City . West Elsdon . Gage Park . Clearing . West Lawn . Chicago Lawn . West Englewood . Englewood
 * South side: Armour Square . Douglas . Oakland . Fuller Park . Grand Boulevard . Kenwood . Washington Park . Hyde Park . Woodlawn . South Shore . Bridgeport . Greater Grand Crossing
 * Far Southwest side: Ashburn . Auburn Gresham . Beverly . Washington Heights . Mount Greenwood . Morgan Park
 * Far Southeast side: Chatham . Avalon Park . South Chicago . Burnside . Calumet Heights . Roseland . Pullman . South Deering . East Side . West Pullman . Riverdale . Hegewisch

Street Numbering System
Before 1909, the river was the north-south dividing line. In 1909, the city was divided into four sections.

Prior to 1909
Prior to 1909, the river was the north-south dividing line for streets which crossed it. North Clark Street would be that part of the street north of the river. On the west side, Randolph Street was the dividing line as far as Union Park (whose western boundary was Ashland). Beyond that, Lake Street was the dividing line. The Chicago River divided the city into three parts. North Division was from the North Branch east to the Lake; South Division was from the South Branch east to the Lake, and West Division was everything west of the river's branches. In 1879, the South Division adopted the even-odd numbering system in present use.

1909 - present
In 1909, the city was divided into four sections with the corner of State and Madison as the dividing point. Madison, running east and west, divides streets running north and south. State Street, running north and south, divides streets running east and west. One hundred numbers equal a full block and eight hundred numbers equal a mile. So 800 N. State would be one mile north of Madison. 800 W. Madison would be one mile west of State. Streets that run at an angle may be numbered either way.

All numbered streets such as 18th, 31st, etc., are on the south side. 600 E. 40th St. is six full blocks or 3/4 of a mile east of State and 40 full blocks, or five miles, south of Madison. Chicago has a small east side, mostly south, because of the angle of Lake Michigan. The term "East Side" refers to the area on the far southeast side near Indiana.


 * In a street address, even numbers are on the west and north sides of a street; odd numbers are on the south and east sides. 817 W. 18th St. is on the south side of 18th, which is 18 blocks south of Madison (2-1/4 miles) and 8 blocks (one mile) west of State.


 * Not every block shown on the map is a full block numerically. For example, Madison Street from State to Dearborn is only a half a block numerically. Dearborn is 50 west. Clark Street, the street after Dearborn, is 100 West. (Numbers may extend to 100 but most street numbers go up to 60 or so)."


 * A Look at Chicago has ward and enumeration districts (ED) maps for Cook County for the 1870 through 1930 censuses. It also has ward descriptions.

Neighboring Counties
Cook | DuPage | Lake | Will

Chicago History Museum
Research Center 1601 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60614

Chicago Public Library
Chicago Public Library 400 S. State Street Chicago, IL 60605 (312) 747-4300

Biographies

 * Biographical Dictionary of Chicago, part of the Encyclopedia of Chicago at Chicago History Museum Research Center.
 * Photo index of portraits taken by early Chicago photographers - tens of thousands of images from early photographers E.L. Brand and C.D. Mosher, among others, 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 Historical Society Research Center.
 * A History of the City of Chicago: Its Men and Institutions. Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens (Google eBook)

Cemeteries
See Cook County, Illinois Cemeteries.

Graveyards.com - This list of Chicago-area cemeteries provides location information, including geographic coordinates, and a link to a page with additional cemetery information, including photos, when available.

Catholic Cemeteries Chicago - This free site helps with finding the location of graves within Catholic cemeteries in the Chicago area.

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

Census

 * 1870 Chicago Census Report, Volume 1, 1870 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * A Look at Chicago's Ward and ED Maps for 1870-1930 Censuses

Churches and Synagogues
The Newberry Library's "Guide to Chicago Church and Synagogue Records" provides information on how to find records from Chicago's churches and synagogues. It can be sorted by denomination, name, or ethnicity.

Catholic
Chicago-City Catholic Churches - This list of Chicago Catholic churches includes the address, coordinates, years open, community (neighborhood), and ethnicity. FamilySearch Catalog entries are linked to church names. There is also a search function to help you figure out which church your ancestors attended.

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Illinois, Chicago, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Methodist
For records of former congregations, view Illinois Church Records.

The oldest Methodist church in Chicago is still in use, and willing to check their records. First United Methodist Church The Chicago Temple 77 W. Washington This is the parent church of some 200 congregations, and a Chicago landmark. There is no index, photocopies are not offered, and the records must be searched by the staff. Contact Stephanie Vazquez, Administrative Assistant stephanie@chicagotemple.org

Directories
Chicago city directories were published in 1846, 1851, 1853–54, annually after 1855 until 1917, 1923, and 1928-29. With a few exceptions, they generally include heads of household (including widows) and individuals who were working. Front matter generally includes lists of government offices, churches, and civic organizations, and back matter includes business listings.

Chicago city directories can be found online at Fold3.com and the Newberry Library's ChicagoAncestors.org, under the "Tools" tab. They can also be found on FS Library microfilm and at many research facilities in the Chicago area.


 * Chicago City Directory and Business Advertiser, 1855, Fergus, May Supplement, is available as a free Google eBook at Google Books. The text is searchable by address, as well as surname.
 * PDF format files of the Chicago city directories are available at the Newberry Library's ChicagoAncestors.org for the following years: 1866, 1870, 1871, 1880, 1885, 1892, 1900 and 1910.
 * The website DistantCousin.com has a transcription of the 1844 and 1855/56 Chicago city directories.
 * 1928/29 Polk's Directory (by street address; PDF Chicago History Museum website; loads slowly)
 * The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Yearbook, 1905 (pp. 446-454 "Old Residents of Chicago" arranged by year of arrival; at Google Books; searchable by address).
 * The Newberry Library has these unique Chicago directories on microfilm only: Cook County, IL Business 1855–1856 Business (Call # Microfiche 283 #553 – 553.7) or (Call # Graff 1727 no. 1, Cook County, IL Republicans 1900 (see Chicago, IL; Cook Counties (Northern), IL Farmers 1918 (see DuPage County), and Cook County, IL Suburban &amp; Rural 1929.


 * Fold3.com ($) has Chicago City Directories 1843-1917, 1923 (only 3 years missing) available online.
 * The spurring metropolis that is Chicago and the directories that came out during late 1800s and early 1900s can help you find ancestors who made a pitstop in those urban records or took up long-term residence. Social registers, blue books, and other directories might 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 in these publications and can 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 whether 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, offers 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 address changes for 1909 and 1911 street renumbering. Have a missing ancestor? Using these directories to find neighbors might help in tracking down the missing ancestors 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.

Land and Property
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. A number of online databases 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 ancestors were 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 1898 and 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 renumberings 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.

Newberry Library
Search Chicago neighborhoods by address or intersection at the Newberry Library's Chicago Ancestors neighborhood search tool. Addresses may be identified in a census, voter registration, or city directory. The search function then allows the marking of significant locations.

For example, search for the parish churches closest to the residence of a Catholic ancestor. Click on the hyperlink for each church to identify the FS Library microfilm number of the baptismal and marriage records with the corresponding years. Films may be available at a local FamilySearch center.

Other sites include:
 * Chicago in Maps: Historical Maps
 * Chicago in Maps: Thematic Maps
 * Chicago 1863, hosted by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library

Civil War
The Harold Washington Library has several collections that may be helpful to researchers interested in Chicago during the Civil War:


 * Bass, Henry Papers (1952–1975)
 * Civil War. Army of the Potomac Collection (1863)
 * Civil War Round Table Records (1945-1975)
 * Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War Collection (1895–1964)
 * Hambrecht, George F. Papers (1842–1928)

World War I
WWI draft registration cards are available FamilySearch at United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Illinois draft registrations are not indexed as of August 2012.

Chicago had 86 registration districts. The Italian research society Pointers In Person has a Chicago Ward Map Registration District finding aid to help determine the draft registration district in Chicago where a man may have registered.

Newspapers

 * Illinois Newspaper Project Search this database to find what newspapers are available and where to find them.
 * The Hyde Park Herald (1882–2008) has digitized, searchable newspapers - http://hpherald.com/archive/
 * Dziennik Zwiazkowy Historical Newspapers. This resource has 10 years (1908-1917) of a Chicago Polish newspaper, available for download as a PDF. Please note that this is not the newspaper in the PGSA databases.

Probate Records
Cook County probate records, 1871-1975, are held by the Archives Department of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. View archive holidings for more information about the records that are available.

Births
Chicago Birth Certificates


 * Illinois, Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878-1922 - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Illinois, Cook County Birth Registers, 1871-1915 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Marriages

 * FamilySearch has two overlapping collections of Illinois marriages:
 * Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1920 (index and images - free)
 * Illinois County Marriages, 1815-1935 (Index only.
 * Illinois Statwide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 (Illinois State Archives) includes Chicago and Cook County marriages, as well as the Sam Fink index of marriages compiled from area newspapers. Copies of original Chicago and Cook County marriage records included in this index can be ordered by phone from the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) at Northeastern Illinois University.
 * Genealogy Online is the Cook County Clerk's website. Marriage records more than 50 years old can be ordered online for a fee. Over one million Cook County marriages are currently available through that website. Some records available at this site are also available for free at FamilySearch.org.
 * Searchable Marriage Index for Polish parishes in Chicago through 1915 at the Polish Genealogical Society of America.

Deaths

 * Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1922 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Newspapers
Northeastern Illinois Obituary and Death Notice Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. From various funeral homes in the suburbs of Chicago and Joliet areas.

Voter Records

 * 1888 – 1892 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Asian Americans
The Harold Washington Library Special Collections includes records of the Asian American Small Business Association from the 1990's.

Dutch
The Harold Washington Library Special Collections includes the Brennan, George A. Papers (1915–1934). Part of the Calumet Region Community Collections. Collection reflects Brennan's personal interest in the local history of the Calumet Region and the early Dutch community in Chicago. [George A. Brennan Papers Finding Aid]

Italian
The Harold Washington Library Special Collections includes Italians in Chicago Project (1979–1981). Oral history transcripts from interviews with Italian Americans in Chicago; from a project at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Jewish

 * For further help visit the Chicago Jewish Records page in this Wiki by clicking here.
 * This Wiki also has pages containing more generalized help with Jewish research available here.

Swedish
Swedish American Archives of Greater Chicago

Swensen Swedish Immigration Research Center

Websites

 * The Cook County ILGenWeb Project, a member of The ILGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * USGenWeb Archives Project Cook County
 * Newberry Library Genealogy and Local History
 * Chicago Genealogical Society
 * GenealogyBank Chicago, IL Key Genealogy Resources Online – Handy Guide
 * Chicagology focuses on Chicago prior to WW II
 * LDSGenealogy Chicago Genealogy (in Cook County, IL)
 * Chicago History Museum
 * Chicago Public Library genealogy resources