Lake County, Illinois Genealogy

United States Illinois  Lake County

County Organization
Lake County's civil records start the following years:

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

Historical Facts
Lake County is named for Lake Michigan which Lake County borders.

Boundary Changes
Prior to County Formation


 * 1795-1801 - Lake part of Knox County and the Northwest Territory
 * 1801-1812 - Lake part of St. Clair County
 * 1812-1815 - Lake part of Madison County
 * 1815-1816 - Lake part of Edwards County
 * 1816-1819 - Lake part of Crawford County
 * 1819-1821 - Lake part of Clark County
 * 1821-1823 - Lake part of Pike County
 * 1823-1825 - Lake part of Fulton County
 * 1825-1831 - Lake part of Putnam County
 * 1831-1836 - Lake part of Cook County
 * 1836-1839 - Lake part of McHenry County

County Formation and After


 * 1839 - Lake County created from McHenry County

For more information see Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties or Lake County Fact Sheet (Illinois State Archives). For interactive county boundary maps see Illinois County Boundaries, 1790-Present, Illinois Historical Counties, or Illinois County Maps and Atlases.

Neighboring Counties

 * Cook
 * Kenosha County, Wisconsin
 * McHenry

Cemeteries
Illinois cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.


 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone.  May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.


 * Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Lake County and links to the information for the individuals buried there.


 * Lake Co. IL USGenWeb Tombstone Project usually gives the names of the deceased in alphabetical order by last name with birth and death dates plus any remarks.


 * Illinois Cemeteries by county.


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists . Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Lake County cemeteries gives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and web site.

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.

Church Records
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Chain-O-Lakes (Libertyville)

Court Records

 * 1857-1963 County Court Case File Index IRAD-NIU; search for Bureau County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)

Circuit Court

 * 1840-1898 Lake County Circuit Court Case Files at Illinois State Archives; Index


 * 1840-1898 Circuit Court Case Files IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)

African American
The following have information concerning African American research.


 * African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records


 * Illinois State Archives pamphlet on African American Research describes what records are at the State Archives with an online method for ordering records.
 * African-American Resources for Illinois

Genealogy
Federal Land Sales of residents of Lake County, Illinois have been annotated with genealogical and geographical information by Historic Millburn Community Association Incorporated. The material has been placed in an Online Historical Archives.

History

 * [1831–1857] McHenry and Lake County Old Settlers' Association members. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.

Land and Property

 * 1800s-Present - Use the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land Patent Index to obtain original federal land transfer records including homestead, military warrants, and cash entry patents. These records help a research establish location and lead to National Archives' records which may include genealogical information. Earlier land transfer records are housed at the National Archives.


 * 1800s-Present - Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales from Illinois State Archives also provides an index to federal land sales.


 * 1800s-Present - Federal Land Sales of residents of Lake County, Illinois have been also been annotated with genealogical and geographical information by the Historic Millburn Community Association Incorporated. The material has been placed in an Online Historical Archives.

Civil War
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.


 * - 17th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company I.
 * - 37th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C and F.
 * - 39th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
 * - 51st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 64th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (Yates’ Sharpshooters), Company K.
 * - 65th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (Scotch Regiment), Company F.
 * - 96th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, C, D, and G.

Probate Records
Lake County Court Probates from 1840-1900 are available at Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) - Northern Illinois University Region located at Founders Memorial Library, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, or on microfilm at the Family History Library SLC film #2366882 thru 2366882.

There are almost 4000 probate folders in the boxes. You have to have a Box Number or you will not be able to locate the probate folder. The boxes have aprox 2 years of probate in them until you hit 1882. Some of the file folders are not in numeric order. Lake County Genealogical Society Quarterly. Libertyville IL: Mar 1987. Vol. 7 Iss. 3 index #1-200. Further Persi search has failed to locate an index to these files as of Mar2010.


 * 1840-1900 Probate Case Files IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
 * 1840-1963 Probate Case Files Index IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Buffalo Grove Illinois Family History Center

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
The Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD), managed by the Illinois State Archives, houses the archival records of local Illinois counties, townships, municipalities and school districts. The seven Regional Depositories are housed on state university campuses scattered throughout Illinois.

The Northern Illinois University (IRAD-NIU) holds the records for Lake County. Learn more about finding and using their records.


 * Illinois Regional Archives Depository c/o Regional History Center Founders Memorial Library, Room 400 Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL 60115 Telephone: (815) 753-1807

Societies
Lake County (Illinois) Genealogical Society PO Box 998 Mundelein, IL 60060-4534

The LCIGS has an extensive list of genealogical resources including:


 * Index to Births (1866-1915)
 * Index to Cemetery transcirption books by township
 * Index to Church records
 * Index to Marriages, 1839-1916
 * Index to Naturalizations,1854-1920
 * Index to Obituaries (Index to Waukegan News-Sun, 1950s - present)
 * Index to Deaths, 1877-1901
 * Index to Burials, Peterson Funeral Home, 1865-1945
 * Index to Probates, 1848-1963
 * Probate records on microfilm, to about 1900
 * Wills
 * Index to Surnames in the LCIGS Quarterly Journal

See the LCIGS web site for more information, including the costs associated with a lookup request, and the form to request a looks-up.

Vital Records

 * The website of the Lake County Court Clerk explains how to order birth, marriage, civil union, death, and adoption records.

Birth Records

 * 1866-1893 Birth Records and Certificates IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
 * 1877-1905 Birth Record Index IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
 * 1922-1941 County Hospital Birth Records IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)

Marriage Records

 * 1839-1901 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index at Illinois State Archives; Index
 * 1839-1915 Marriage Records IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
 * 1893-1905 Marriage License Applications IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
 * 1839-1918 Marriage Record Index IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)

Death Records

 * 1877-1901 Death Records IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates at Illinois State Archives; Index
 * 1916-1938 Death Record Index IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
 * 1922-1972 County Hospital Death Records IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Lake County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Lake County, Illinois Genealogy, Faces and Records Resources (N2Genealogy)
 * Lake County, Illinois Genealogy, Faces and Records Resources (N2Genealogy)