Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of a name index to births for Chicago and Cook County, Illinois. It covers the years 1871 to 1940. For copies of certificates for this time period please contact Cook County Clerk.

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: • 2 After 1916 the following information was added:
 * Birthdate
 * Birthplace
 * Full names of parents
 * Birthplace of parents

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate date of birth
 * The place where the birth occurred
 * The names of the child's parents

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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Search for other vital records, such as marriage and death
 * Use the information from the birth certificate to find the family in census records
 * Search the county for church, land, and probate

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

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties
 * If you know their religion, search for a church record of the birth
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned

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

Related Family History Library Holdings

 * Cook Co., Ill. birth index, 1871-1916
 * Chicago birth certificates, 1878-1922
 * Cook County birth certificates, 1878-1894
 * Cook County birth certificates, 1916-1922
 * Illinois, Cook County birth records, 1888-2006
 * Illinois, Cook County, Chicago, birth records, 1871-1978

Related FamilySearch Historical Record Collections

 * Illinois, Cook County, Chicago, birth records, 1871-1978
 * Illinois Births and Christenings, 1824-1940

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.