Illinois, Cook County Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of a name index to deaths for Chicago and Cook County, Illinois. It covers the years 1878 to 1939 and 1955 to 1994. Early records were kept in register books beginning in 1877. By the early 1900s most events were recorded on pre-printed forms.

Legislation in 1819 required physicians to record births and deaths for their practices. Then, the physicians transmitted the information to their medical society which published the information in the newspapers. In 1843, a law was passed where relatives of a deceased person could appear before the clerk of the county commissioner’s court and report information regarding the death. The recording of vital records was voluntary until 1877 so few births and deaths were recorded. A fire in 1871 destroyed the Cook County Courthouse and nearly all previous records housed there. The few existing originals that were created by the county clerk may be found in the county clerk’s office or in one of the Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD).

In 1877, the State Board of Health was created to supervise registration of births and deaths. All births and deaths were to be reported to the county clerk by physicians. However, many were still not registered because the penalties for non-compliance were weak. In 1915, the state of Illinois gave the responsibility of recording births and deaths to local registrars who reported the information to the county clerk and the State Board of Health (now known as the Illinois Department of Public Health). By 1919, it is estimated that 95% of the population was recorded in the vital records.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:


 * Name of deceased
 * Gender and race of deceased
 * Age of death in years, months and days
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death and duration of illness


 * Occupation of deceased
 * Marital status
 * Nationality and place of birth
 * Place of burial
 * Name and address of reporting doctor

After 1916 the following information was added:


 * Names of parents
 * Birthplace of parents
 * Date of burial
 * Name of informant
 * Employer

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person
 * The date of death and where the death occurred

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

What Do I Do Next?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record, if you can, to verify the information and to find additional information.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in census records
 * Search for other vital records, such as births and marriages
 * Search for church, land, and probate records
 * Search for an obituary or cemetery record

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names
 * One possibility why a person might not be found in the death records database is because there are missing certificates in this collection. The absent certificates are identified throughout the microfilm with a card stating the missing numbers. Since the actual certificates are absent from the microfilm they could not be indexed
 * Use alternative indexes
 * Contact the Cook County Clerk's Office

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Illinois.
 * Illinois Guided Research
 * Illinois Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.