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[IL Occupations]

Large companies sometimes preserved records about their employees. These records usually contain hiring and termination details and may include biographical data about the employees and possibly their families. If a company where your ancestor worked is still in business, it may allow limited access to its historical employee records.

Few employee records have been made public. Below are some that are available for Illinois.

Farmers
Farming is one of the major occupations in Illinois. Farmers' directories were published occasionally. Local farmers' associations may have kept membership records with biographical information. Farms that have been owned by the same family for 100 years or longer are called "Centennial Farms." See:


 * Illinois Centennial Farm Heritage Association. The History of Illinois Centennial Farms. Dallas, Texas: Curtis Media, 1986. This book gives a short history of farming in Illinois and contains family histories and property descriptions of the centennial farms. Many libraries (WorldCat);

Lawyers

 * Crossley, Frederic Bears. Courts and Lawyers. Three Volumes. Chicago, Illinois: American Historical Society, 1916. This work gives a brief history of the court system in Illinois and biographical sketches of those who affected the history of the courts and those who were part of the bar about 1916.


 * Livingston,John, et al. "List of Lawyers in Illinois," in Law Register..... New York: Monthly Law Magazine, 1851. Viewable online at Google Books.

Medical Workers
The Illinois State Archives and IRAD depositories have registers of those serving in medical professions, including physicians, midwives, veterinarians, dentists, optometrists, nurses, and surgeons. Search their holdings by county.

State Employees
For state employees from 1921 and later, see:


 * Illinois Secretary of State. Blue Book of the State of Illinois. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Secretary of State, 1903–.

Pullman Car Workers
Pullman Car Works (Pullman, Illinois). Employee Records, ca. 1900–1949. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1993–94. These records include employment index cards (which contain hiring and termination dates) and service forms (which contain dates and places of birth as well as information on previous employment) for about 200,000 employees who worked in the Pullman car plant. (Not available at Family History Centers.)

Other Occupations
The Illinois State Archives and IRAD depositories have the Chicago Civil Service Commission records of policemen, firemen, and tradesmen. Search under Cook County.

Occupations are often listed in city directories, which also provide information about particular businesses. Separate business directories are also available.

It is usually best to start searches for occupations at the county level. Links to county pages appear below. Additional resources for Illinois occupations may be found in the Illinois-Occupations or Illinois-Officials and employees topic pages of the Family History Library catalog (FHLC). Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at FamilySearch Centers. Explore how to search the FHLC.

[IL Ethnic Groups]

Records and histories of minorities and ethnic groups may provide clues to immigrant origins, migration information and previous residences. See United States Minorities for further sources on ethnic, racial, and religious groups.

Ethnic Research in Illinois
You can find information on ethnic ancestors in most of the same records as other groups. Start your research in the same resources you would search for non-ethnic ancestors. The records listed on this page provide information about specific groups in Illinois.

Additional resources for Illinois ethnic groups may be found in the Illinois-Minorities topic page of the Family History Library catalog (FHLC). Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at FamilySearch Centers. Also find Illinois ethnic resources available at other libraries (WorldCat). Explore how to search WorldCat and the FHLC.

Some sources for early settlers of Kaskaskia and other French areas of Illinois are described in Illinois History.

African Americans
Some African-Americans may be listed in the comprehensive index of servitude and emancipation records at the Illinois State Archives. These records are also available in IRAD depositories. See also the following sources:


 * Tregillis, Helen Cox, comp. River Roads to Freedom: Fugitive Slave Notices and Sheriff Notices Found in Illinois Sources. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1988. The information was obtained from newspaper microfilm available at the Illinois State Historical Library.
 * Hodges, Carl G., and Helene H. Levene, comps. Illinois Negro Historymakers. Chicago: Illinois Emancipation Centennial Commission, 1964.

For further information, see: Illinois African Americans.

Online Resources:


 * Illinois State Archives Servitude and Emancipation Records Database (1722–1863) includes names of African American servants, slaves, or free persons from selected governmental records. A full description of this database can be found here.
 * African-American Genealogy (Newberry Library) includes research guides, periodicals, and genealogical records.
 * Illinois State Archives: African-American Records. In addition to the servitude records mentioned above, this site provides research guidance, military databases, and record descriptions.
 * Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature has digital collections as well as archival collections.
 * Mapping the Stacks: A guide to Black Chicago's Hidden Archives is a plan to identify and organize the collections of Black Chicago. Finding aids are included.

American Indians
The most prominent Indian tribes in Illinois were the Illinois, Miami, Winnebago, Fox and Sacs (Sauk), Kickapoo, and Pottawatomie tribes. Most of these tribes were eliminated from Illinois by about the mid-nineteenth century either through warfare or resettlement to other territories by the federal government. See Illinois American Indians for additional information on tribes, reservations, agencies, and resources.

Belgian
Many Belgians settled in Rock Island County.


 * Center for Belgian Culture 712 18th Ave. Moline, IL 61265 309-762-0167

British
British Interest Group of Wisconsin and Illinois (BIGWILL) Their British Genealogist's Library collection is available at McHenry Public Library.

Czech and Slovak
The Paul M Nemecek Research Library of the Czech &amp; Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois (CSAGSI) offers an extensive ethnic collection, especially for Chicago and Cook County.


 * The CSAGSI Library is in the T.G. Masaryk School 5701 22nd Place Cicero, IL 60804

CSAGSI publishes a quarterly journal, Koreny (Roots)

German
If searching for German origins of ancestors who came to Chicago, the records of the German Aid Society of Chicago (Deutsche Gesellschaft) may be the key. Records from 1878-1977 include surviving applications and case histories and are housed at the University of Illinois at Chicago.


 * University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs (MC 288) 601 S. Morgan St. Chicago, IL 60607-7113 Telephone: (312) 996-7000


 * Otto, Ronald L. ed. Illinois German-Americana Genealogical Sources. Two Volumes. Quincy, Illinois: Illinois Chapter, Palatines to America, 1990–92.

Irish

 * Irish American Heritage Center 4626 North Knox Avenue Chicago, IL 60630 (773) 282-7035

Jewish

 * Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois P.O. Box 515 Northbrook, IL 60056-0515 Telephone: (312) 666-0100


 * Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies 610 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60605 Telephone: (312) 322-1700

Lithuanian

 * Death Notices From Lithuanian Newspapers. Chicago, Illinois: Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture; Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1979. This is a microfilm of a card file of obituaries (1900–1979) from newspapers worldwide. It is not available at Family History Centers.

Mennonite
Illinois Mennonite Historical and Genealogical Society 675 State Route 116 Metamora, IL 61548-7732 Telephone: (309) 367-2551

The Library collection includes holdings in genealogy and Anabaptist history for research.

Norwegian
Norwegians settled in Illinois. For example, there were Norwegian communities in Boone County and Kendall County. Stimes' article Long Prairie Norwegian Farm Families in Boone County in 1870 demonstrates how to trace Norwegians whose names were changed in America. Index to Norwegian Immigration includes history, church records, and family group records of Norwegians in Kendall County.

Polish

 * Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA) 984 N. Milwaukee Avenue Chicago, IL 60642 In addition to a wealth of historical information about Polish ancestry, culture and immigration, the PGSA has a number of free databases specific to Chicago research. (Membership entitles you to additional access to some databases.)

Haller's Army: During World War I, soldiers for the Polish Army in France, commonly called Haller’s Army, were recruited among Poles living in the U.S. Two forms that contain genealogical information were filled out by the recruits. Form A contains the volunteer’s name, address, and marital status; the number of children he had; how his family would be supported if he was accepted into service; whether or not he was a U.S. citizen; his age, physical description, and signature; the recruiting station; and the date. Form C contains additional information, such as the volunteer’s date and place of birth; the address of his closest relative in America and in Poland; his previous military service; and remarks. All volumes of the collection are available through PGSA at the above address.


 * Haller’s Army Index Searchable by surname and first name, the index shows the volunteer’s surname and given name, the town and state where he volunteered, his form (A or C described above, or L, that is, loose papers), and page number.


 * United States (with Some from Ontario, Canada) Recruits for the Polish Army in France, 1917–1919.... Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1995. A microfilm copy of Form A records only. The forms are in Polish, but at the beginning of each film is a blank form printed in English. There is an alphabetical list of volunteers for each item.

Swedish

 * Swenson Swedish Immigration Center Augustana College 639 38th Street Rock Island, IL 61201-2296 Telephone: (309) 794-7204 Offers Swedish immigration and genealogical research, their quarterly publication Swedish American Genealogist, and workshops.


 * The Swedish-American Historical Society 3225 W. Foster Ave, Box 48 Chicago, IL 60625 Phone: (773) 583-5722 Also houses the Swedish-American Archives of Greater Chicago


 * Swedish American Museum 5211 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60640

Multiple Ethnic Groups

 * Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library has materials on various ethnic groups and ethnic migration patterns as well as a collection of interviews conducted by the Springfield African-American History Foundation. Search the card catalog.

A brief history of ethnic groups and a bibliography of literature on German, French, British, Irish, Scandinavian, and Swiss immigrants can be found in:


 * Wyman, Mark .Immigration History and Ethnicity in Illinois: A Guide. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Historical Society, 19–?. Other libraries (WorldCat)

Ethnic organizations and societies may suggest additional avenues of research for specific ethnic groups. Addresses and information for ethnic societies can be found in:


 * Wynar, Lubomyr Roman. Encyclopedic Directory of Ethnic Organizations in the United States. Littleton, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 1975.

Researching Illinois Court Records
Since 1964, the records of all earlier courts have been in the custody of the circuit court in each county. Links to Illinois county wiki pages appear below.

Additional resources for Illinois court records may be found in the Illinois-Court Records topic page of the Family History Library catalog (FHLC). Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers. Also find Illinois Court Record resources available at other libraries (WorldCat). Explore how to search WorldCat and the FHLC.

Records of the former Cook County Superior Court and some other Chicago area courts are now with:


 * Circuit Court of Cook County, Archives Department Room 1113, Richard J. Daley Center Chicago, IL 60602 Telephone: 312- 443-5500

Published Materials

 * Clayton, John. The Illinois Fact Book and Historical Almanac, 1673–1968. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 1970. Provides information about court procedures and records.
 * "History of the Illinois Courts," available at the website of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Lake County, covers from the early history of courts prior to Illinois becoming a state to the present.
 * "A History of the Illinois Judicial Systems" is available on the Illinois Courts website.
 * Schweitzer, George K. Illinois Genealogical Research. Knoxville, Tennessee: Geo. K. Schweitzer, 1997, pages 90–95. This section on court records provides references, difficulties, an historical breakdown of courts by time period, and how to locate the records.
 * Rolewick, D.F. A Short History of the Illinois Judicial Systems. Springfield, Illinois: Adminstrative Office of the IL Courts, 1971.
 * Fiedler, G. The Illinois Law Courts in Three Centuries, 1673–1973. Berwyn, Illinois: Physicians Record Co., 1973.
 * Crossley, Frederic Bears. Courts and Lawyers. Three Volumes. Chicago, Illinois: American Historical Society, 1916. This work gives a brief history of the court system in Illinois and biographical sketches of those who affected the history of the courts and those who were part of the bar about 1916.
 * Klein, Fannie J. Federal and State Court Systems: A Guide. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Ballinger Publishing, 1977, 103–8. Describes the court structure.

Refer to the Probate Records and Naturalization and Citizenship for information about those specific court records.