Chicago Jewish Records

Go to [[Jewish Genealogy Research|Jewish Genealogy Research Main Pag] Go to [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago Main Pag]

"Jews began trickling into Chicago shortly after its incorporation in 1833. A century later Chicago's 270,000 Jews (about 9 percent of the city's population) were outnumbered only in New York and Warsaw. By the end of the twentieth century, approximately 270,000 Jews lived in the Chicago metropolitan area, but only about 30 percent of the entire Jewish population remained within city limits." See more about Jewish History in Chicago here: [http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/671.html Encyclopedia of Chicag.

Map of Chicago

 * To view present-day Chicago at Google Maps, click [https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Chicago,+IL&hl=en&sll=40.379214,-111.733668&sspn=0.11769,0.264187&oq=chicago&hnear=Chicago,+Cook+County,+Illinois&t=m&z=10 her.

Chicago Vital Records

 * To view an excellent summary of Chicago's available vital records on this Wiki, click [[Chicago, Illinois#Vital_Records|her].
 * U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI)
 * Search the SSDI for Social Security number, birth, and death dates by clicking [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1202535 her.
 * Order your ancestor's original Social Security Application (Form SS-5, cost $27 or $29) to obtain parents' names and full place of birth by clicking [https://faq.ssa.gov/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=2000&hitOffset=88+69+47+44+28+25+10+6&docID=4670 her.

Chicago Directories

 * Find information on this Wiki about Chicago directories and links to online resources by clicking [[Chicago, Illinois#Directories|her].
 * Access the Family History Library's excellent collection of Chicago directories by clicking [https://familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=topicdetails&subject=334428&subject_disp=United+States%2C+Illinois%2C+Cook%2C+Chicago+-+Directories&columns=*,0,0 her.

Chicago Immigration Records
Passenger lists are available through multiple sources. Not all passengers arrived at the Port of New York. For example, some may have entered by crossing the Canadian border or have gone through other ports. Following are suggestions for finding your arriving family members:


 * Use the One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse by clicking [http://stevemorse.org/ her.
 * Use the FamilySearch.org databases by clicking [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list?page=1&countryId=22&recordType=Migration her.
 * Ancestry.com has many immigration collections, including Hamburg Germany departures. The Hamburg Passenger lists starting in 1850 include information about the last place of residence in Europe. New York arrivals seldom show European residence information until after 1900.
 * Access Ancestry.com with a paid membership by clicking [http://home.ancestry.com/ her.
 * Access AncestryInstitution.com from the Family History Library, a Family History Center, or other participating institution by clicking [http://home.ancestryinstitution.com/ her.

Chicago Naturalization Records

 * Use the FamilySearch.org databases by clicking [https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list?page=1&recordType=Migration&countryId=14 her.
 * Ancestry.com has many naturalization collections, both indexes and completed forms giving place of origin, immigration details, and information on family members.
 * Access Ancestry.com with a paid membership by clicking [http://home.ancestry.com/ her.
 * Access AncestryInstitution.com from the Family History Library, a Family History Center, or other participating institution by clicking [http://home.ancestryinstitution.com/ her.

Next Steps
Once one knows the Old World names used by their ancestors and the town or village of origin:


 * Determine the present-day country for the town or village of origin by using the JewishGen.org Communities Database. To use the database, click [http://www.jewishgen.org/Communities/Search.asp her.
 * Continue research using FamilySearch Wiki articles:
 * The countries, regions and cities with the largest historical Jewish populations have their own "CountryName Jewish Research Page." To access the list, click [[:Category:Jewish Research by Country, Region, and City|her].
 * For countries not listed there, search the Wiki for the country to get more help.
 * Look to see if there is a Facebook Research Community page for the country by clicking [[Research Communities on Facebook|her].

Facebook Research Community
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 * Get ideas and help with Chicago Genealogy [https://www.facebook.com/IllinoisGenealogy her.