Lake County, Illinois Genealogy

United States Illinois  Lake County

Parent County

 * 1839--Lake County was created 1 March 1839 from McHenry County. County seat:  Waukegan

Neighboring Counties

 * Cook
 * Kenosha County, Wisconsin
 * McHenry

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

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
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Chain-O-Lakes (Libertyville)

Circuit Court

 * Lake County Circuit Court Case Files Index, 1840-1898 (courtesy: Illinois State Archives)

Military

 * 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.


 * - 38th 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
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.

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

Societies and Libraries
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.

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 and Family History (Linkpendium)