Cook County, Illinois Genealogy

United States > Illinois > Cook County

Cook County, Illinois was named for Kentucky-born, one of the earliest and youngest statesmen in Illinois history. When the county was formed in 1831, it's total population was about one hundred people, spread over 2,464 square miles. Parts of Cook County were subsequently carved off to form Lake, DuPage, Will, and McHenry counties, trimming the county to its current size of 946 square miles. As of 2005, Cook County was the second most populous county in the United States (after Los Angeles), with a population of 5.3 million. Just over half the county's population reside in Chicago, the county seat.

Clerk of Cook County
Birth, marriage, and death records are available through the Clerk of County Court. Records date to 1872. Approximately 75% of the county's eight million records are searchable and available for digital download from the county's Genealogy Online web site.

69 W. Washington St. 5th Floor Chicago, Illinois 60602 (312) 603-5656

Hours: M-F: 8.30AM-5PM; Sat:9AM-12

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County
Richard J. Daley Center Room 1001 50 W. Washington Chicago, IL 6060 (312) 603-5030

http://www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/

Archives Department
Contact: Phil Costello 50 West Washington Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 603-6601 (312) 603-4974 fax

http://www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/

Microfilmed copies of the index books are located in Room 1113. Most of the older court files are held in an off-site, suburban warehouse. Records are generally retrieved once a week, on Wednesday. Requests made early in the week make the Wednesday run. Records retrieved on Wednesday are usually available for viewing on Friday. http://www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/

Chancery Division
Richard J. Daley Center Room 802 Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 603-5133

Hours: M-F: 8AM-5PM; Sun-Sat: 10AM-5PM

Probate Division
Richard J. Daley Center Room 1202 Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 603-6441

Hours: M-F: 8AM-5PM; Sun-Sat: 10AM-5PM

Boundary Changes
15 January 1831: Cook County was created from Putnam County by an act of the Illinois State Legislature as the 54th county established in Illinois. The unincorporated Fort Dearborn settlement at the mouth of the Chicago River became the new county's seat.

12 January 1836: Will County formed from portions of Cook, Iriquois, and Unorganized Territory.

16 January 1836: McHenry County formed from north-western section of Cook county.

9 February 1839: DuPage County formed.

1 March 1839: Lake County formed from northern-most section of Cook county.

Record Loss
8-10 October 1871: Original marriage licenses for Cook County were destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire. Marriages from 1833-1871 found in the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index for Cook County are compiled from early Chicago newspapers. This compilation is known as the Sam Fink Index. A copy of the Sam Fink Index is available on microfilm at the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. The only additional information that this depository can provide is the name of the newspaper in which the marriage appeared. FHLC #1321939 A microfilmed copy of the Index to Chicago and Cook County Marriages and Deaths Reported in Chicago Newspapers 1834–1889 compiled by Sam Fink is also available at the Newberry Library (microfilm 608, general collections 2nd, floor.)

Populated Places
Chicago, New Trier, Arlington Heights, Elmhurst, Berwyn Township, Schaumburg Township, more...

Neighboring Counties
DuPage | Kane | Lake | McHenry | Will | Lake County, Indiana

Archives
Illinois Regional Archives Depository Ronald Williams Library Northeastern Illinois University 500 North St. Louis Avenue Chicago, IL 60625-4699 (773) 442-4506 Hours: Monday–Friday; 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. The depository is closed on all state holidays and any day that the university library is closed. It is always a good idea to call ahead before planning a visit.

Cook County Coroner's Inquest Record Index 1872–1911 http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/cookinqt.html

Office of the Medical Examiner County of Cook 2121 West. Harrison Chicago, IL 60612

Cook County Coroner's Inquest records dating after November 1911 are maintained by the Cook County Office of the Medical Examiner.

The National Archives and Records Administration-Great Lakes Region 7358 South Pulaski Road Chicago, IL 60629-5898 (773) 948-9001 (773) 948-9050 fax chicago.archives@nara.gov

Records created or received by Federal agencies in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and Federal courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:15 p.m. Second Saturday of the month 8:00 a.m.–4:15 p.m. Closed Sundays and Federal holidays

Naturalization Records: from U.S. District Courts (RG 21) in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin

http://www.archives.gov/great-lakes/finding-aids/naturalization-records.html

Archival Holdings Guide

http://www.archives.gov/great-lakes/holdings/

Illinois and Michigan Canal and Regional History Special Collection

http://www.lewisu.edu/imcanal/index-imcanal.htm Lewis University One University Parkway Romeoville, IL 60446-2200 [actually in Will County; but collection includes records that pertain to Cook County]

(800) 897-9000 Hours: Monday–Thursday 2:00–4:00 p.m.

Call 815-838-0500 extension 5529 before visiting

Biographies
The Chicago History Museum has a tremendous collection of on-line resources including the Biographical Dictionary of Chicago, part of the Encyclopedia of Chicago, and a photo index of portraits taken by early Chicago photographers. The Museum's collection includes tens of thousands of images from early photographers E.L. Brand and C.D. Mosher, among others, all indexed by the name of the person in the photograph, as well as by photographer and studio. Their collection can be searched at the Chicago History Museum Research Center.

Burr Oak Cemetery
4400 W. 127th Street Alsip, IL 60803 (773) 233-5676

Searchable burials database provides burial information, a map of the cemetery, and a photo of the headstone, if available. The cemetery filed for bankruptcy in 2009 following allegations of grave tampering and the re-selling of graves that resulted in numerous lawsuits. The Cook County Sheriff's Office maintains a web site with Burr Oak Cemetery Information, more than 50,000 headstone photos, and other cemetery information.

Chicago City Cemetery
Hidden Truths: The Chicago City Cemetery and Lincoln Park;

Online database

Cemetery lot owners

Online map

Graceland Cemetery
4001 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 60613-1992 (773) 525-1105 (773) 525-9091 fax

Graceland Cemetery was established in 1860 by Thomas Bryan, a prominent Chicago lawyer and is owned and operated by the Trustees of the Graceland Cemetery Improvement Fund, a not-for-profit trust. The cemetery's web site includes Graceof prominent Chicagoans buried there. Genealogy Inquiries can be made by maill, fax, or e-mail.

Census
Ward and ED Maps for 1870-1930 Censusesf

Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
321 Bonnie Lane Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 (847) 690-9410

s@elca.org

http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/History/ELCA-Archives.aspx

Hours: Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Appointments in advance of visits are advised.

Archives Catalog: online

Genealogy: Research Request http://archive.elca.org/archives/geneal.html

Lutheran Churches of Chicago: A Genealogical Guide http://archive.elca.org/archives/chicagochurches/chicago.html

Map of Chicago congregations at ChicagoAncestors.org http://www.chicagoancestors.org/

The Archdiocese of Chicago's Archives
Records Center

http://archives.archchicago.org/genealog.htm

Site gives information on the following types of genealogical materials and information on contacting them:


 * Sacramental Records
 * Orphanage Records
 * School Records
 * Deceased Priest Files (Restricted Collection)
 * Western Tablet, The New Word and the Chicago Catholic
 * Parish Commemorative Books
 * Other Collections and Records

Baptist Churches
American Baptist-Samuel Colgate Historical Library

3001 Mercer University Drive Atlanta, GA 30341 (678) 547-6680

Chicago Baptist Association

orignal records; no date

Chicago Baptist City Mission Society

original records 1889--1943

Auburn Park Baptist Church

original records; 1891--1903

Baptist Forward Movement for Missionary Education

original records 1918--1919

Highland Park Baptist Church

original records; 1917

Immanuel Baptist Church

23rd Street South Michigan Avenue

original records; 1881--1948

LaSalle Avenue Baptist Church

original records; 1868--1919

Land
Property research in Cook County is challenging and very time consuming. It is the reason one generally needs to exhaust every other type of record for Cook County before tackling the land research. The pre-1985 documents are available only at the Cook County Recorder of Deeds office.

118 North Clark Street Room 120 Chicago, Illinois 60602 (312) 603-5050 (312) 603-5063 fax

Hours, Monday through Friday: 8:00 a.m.--5:00 p.m.

http://www.ccrd.info/CCRD/controller

Township and Sectional Map of Cook County

http://www.ccrd.info/CCRD/il031/help/LegalExs.jsp

To do land research in Cook County, one needs to have the legal description of the property. It is possible to obtain a legal description if one has the "modern" address of the property. Link to the Legal Description Search Request page at the Cook County Recorder of Deeds' Website.

http://www.ccrd.info/CCRD/il031/help/LegalDescHelp.jsp

In Cook County there are two (2) types of conveyance (indexes) systems. One is a “regular” system that uses a geographic index instead of Grantor-Grantee indexes. The other is a Torrens or Registry System. Used for only a portion of properties in Cook County, those that had a clouded-title situation. It was a means of registering title to land with a financial guaranteed by a government unit that the title was “good”. A court action established the title and every subsequent transaction for the property had to be registered. Transactions for Torrens properties are either written in red in the tract books or there is a “T” after the grantee’s name. The Torrens systems was phased out a number of years ago.

With a legal description in hand, one needs to locate the property in the specific tract book. There are 1000+ tract books for Cook County. The tract books are ledgers. Each transaction for a particular parcel of land is recorded chronologically in the books.

Identifying the records in the tract books is the first step. The numbers recorded in the tract books are transaction numbers. To locate the deed one needs to find the transaction number in the deed books, another set of indexes. There is another set of numbers in the deed books (paging books). These are the numbers for the volume or book, the page, and the item of the recorded instrument (deed). One then orders the microfiche for the document.

It is very expensive to make copies of property records in Cook County. The first two (2) pages of each document are $10.00 and then $1.00 for each additional page.

Pre-Fire land records are privately held by a title-guaranty company. One must make an appointment to view the records. These too are organized by legal description.

Another “quirk” to be aware of is out-of-county property recordings.

Naturalization
Cook County Clerk of Circuit Court has posted an index to their Natualization Declaration of Intentions. If you find the record in the index, you can order these records for a small cost. They also hold the petitions and naturalization certificates for the Superior Court. An index to the petitions and naturalization certificates from the Superior Court may be found in the Family History Library Catalog, film numbers 1,023,967-1,023,968.

Newspapers
Daily Herald story index (1901–1964)

http://www.dailyherald.com/search/dhindex/index.asp?alpha=a

The Hyde Park Herald (1882–2008)

http://hpherald.com/archive/

Digitized; searchable.  Oak Lawn Public Library Obituaries from Local Newspapers

http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/indexsearch/lhobits.shtml

Index to 200,000+ obituaries and death notices published 1 January 1985 to the present in the following newspapers: Beverly Review, Blue Island Forum, Blue Island Sun Independent, Daily Southtown, Oak Lawn Independent, Oak Lawn Reporter, Southtown Economist, Southtown Star, Southwest Courier, Southwest News-Herald (Chicago edition),Southwest News-Herald, (Oak Lawn edition), and theStar (Oak Lawn edition). 

Vital Records
Cook County Genealogy Online -- has more than 8 million birth, marriage, and death records for Cook County available online. (Fees are charged for obtaining copies.)

Wilmette Family History Center - has a large collection of Chicago and Cook County resources on microfilm. Available records include Chicago birth certificates, 1878-1915; Cook County marriage licenses, 1871-1916; and Chicago death certificates, 1878-1947. The Center also has all of the available Archdiocese of Chicago parish microfilms (records to 1915) and a complete set of Chicago city directories on microfilm. For more information, contact the center at (847) 251-9818.

Cook County, Illinois Birth Certificates, 1878-1922 Free indexes and images at FamilySearch-Record Search Records include such information as name of child, birthdate and place, gender, race, maiden name of mother, name and occupation of father and record number.

Cook County, Illinois Birth Registers, 1871-1915 Free indexes and images at FamilySearch-Record Search Records include such information as name of child, birthdate and place, gender, race, maiden name of mother, name and occupation of father and record number.

Cook County, Illinois Marriages 1871-1920 Name indexes and images of marriage licenses and returns recorded at Cook Co., including Chicago are available at FamilySearch-Record Search. Includes such information as names of the bride and groom and date and place of marriage.

Voter Registration
 https://i-share.carli.illinois.edu/nby/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&v1=1&BBRecID=97399

Arlington Heights Memorial Library
500 North Dunton Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL 60004-5910 847-392-0100; Fax: 847-506-2650

http://www.ahml.info/research/genealogy

Harold Washington Library
400 South State Street Chicago, Illinois 60605 (312) 747-4300 (312) 747-4875 Special Collections, 9th Floor (312) 747-4890 fax

specoll@chipublib.org

The Newberry Library
60 West Walton Street Chicago, IL 60610-7324 (312) 943–9090 http://www.newberry.org/genealogy/collections.html

Reading Room hours Tuesday–Friday: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (item requests 9:00 am–noon, and 1:00–4:00 pm) Saturday 9:00 am–1:00 pm (Item requests 9:00 am-noon)

Genealogy Collection Guides and Research Tools http://www.newberry.org/genealogy/guides.html  Quick Search Services : Fee $7.00 per search http://www.newberry.org/genealogy/quicksearch.html * Chicago Newspaper Death Notice/Obituary Search * City Directory Search * Chicago Ward/Enumeration District Location Search * Chicago Church Records Search * Birth and Death Index Searches * Census Index Search * Census Search * Federal Census of Illinois: Soundex Search Request * Ireland's Townland Ordnance Survey Maps * Naturalization Soundex Search

Elk Grove Village Library
1001 Wellington Avenue; Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-3391 847-439-0447; Fax: 847-439-0475; TDD: 847-439-0865 http://www.egvpl.org; e-mail: contact@egvpl.org Hours Monday–Thursday 9:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.; Friday 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.; Saturday 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.; Sunday 1:00–7:00 p.m.

Oak Lawn Public Library
9427 South Raymond Avenue; Oak Lawn, IL 60453; 708-422-4990 http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/index.shtml Hours Monday–Thursday: 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. Friday & Saturday: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Sunday: 1:00–5:00 p.m. (mid-September through mid-May) Obituaries from Local Newspapers http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/indexsearch/lhobits.shtml Index to 200,000+ obituaries and death notices published 1 January 1985 to the present in the following newspapers: Beverly Review, Blue Island Forum, Blue Island Sun Independent, Daily Southtown, Oak Lawn Independent, Oak Lawn Reporter, Southtown Economist, Southtown Star, Southwest Courier, Southwest News-Herald (Chicago edition), Southwest News-Herald, (Oak Lawn edition), and the Star (Oak Lawn edition).

Societies
Chicago Genealogical Society (P.O. Box 1160; Chicago, IL 60690-1160)

http://www.chicagogenealogy.org/aboutus.html

Online databases.

1. Vital Records From Chicago Newspapers, 1833-1848

2. Vital Records From Chicago Newspapers, 1849 and later

3. CGS Members Surname Database

South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society (3000 West 170th Place; Hazel Crest, IL 60429-1174; 708-335-3340; ssghs@usa.net) http://www.ssghs.org/ Library is located in the same building as the Municipal Center/Police Department. Library hours: Monday: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; Tuesday: 1:00–5:00 p.m.; Wednesday: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; Thursday: closed; Friday: 10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.; first Saturday of the month: 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; second Saturday of the month: 12:00–4:00 p.m.; Sunday: closed Holdings include: Oak Forest Hospital Cemetery http://www.ssghs.org/oak%20forest%20hospital%20cemetery.htm Seven (7) books of burial records for Cook County Cemetery from Oak Forest Hospital microfilmed by SSGHS. There are three rolls of microfilm covering the period of 4 March 1911 to 17 November 1971. Pullman Car Company Employee Records http://www.ssghs.org/pullman.htm Pullman Car Works (111th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue) was one of the largest employers in the Chicago area. There are approximately 200,000 packets for individuals in the collection. Online databases. 1. Able-Bodied Men Military Census 1861--1862 http://www.ssghs.org/able_bodied.htm 2.Cemetery Master Index by Township http://www.ssghs.org/cemetery_index.htm 3.WWII Harvey, Illinois Letters http://www.ssghs.org/letters.htm

Ethnic Societies
The Czech & Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois (P.O. Box 313; Sugar Grove, IL 60554) http://www.csagsi.org/ Library (T. G. Masaryk School; 5701 22nd Place; Cicero, IL 60804) Open second Saturday September through May from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Online Resources 1. Cemetery and Church Resource Page  2. Topical Index to Korney Articles (1996–2009)

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

http://irish-american.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=47

Library http://irish-american.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=86

Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois (P.O. Box 515; Northbrook, IL 60056-0515; info@jgsi.org) http://jewishgen.org/jgsi/index.html

Online databases. 1. Online Death Index Project http://jewishgen.org/jgsi/projects/deathsearch11.html

POINTers in Person (PIP) Chicago-North chapter; an affiliate of POINT (Pursuing Our Italian Names Together), http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~itappcnc/index.htm

Online databases.

1. Chicago City Catholic Churches http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~itappcnc/pipcnchicagochurches.htm 2. Searching the Chicago Catholic Parish Database in One Step; Daniel E. Niemiec

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~itappcnc/cathsearch.htm 3. Suburban Cook County Catholic Churches http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~itappcnc/pipcnchicagosubchurches.htm 4. Member Surnames http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~itappcnc/pipcnsurnames.htm

Polish Genealogical Society of America (984 North Milwaukee Avenue; Chicago, IL 60642-4101; PGSAmerica@pgsa.org) http://www.pgsa.org/index.php Library Hours: phone 773-384-3352 Online databases 1. Birth Index http://www.pgsa.org/CzuchBir.php 2. Dziennik Chicagoski Death Notice Index: 1890–1929 http://www.pgsa.org/dzien9029.php 3. Dziennik Chicagoski Death Notice Index: 1930–1971 http://www.pgsa.org/database.php 4. Marriage Index for Polish Parishes in Chicago through 1915 http://www.pgsa.org/CzuchMar.php 5. Poles of Chicago 1837–1937 http://www.pgsa.org/poleschicago.php 6. Polish White Eagle Association Index Search http://www.pgsa.org/PWEA.php 7. PRCUA Insurance Claim File Index http://www.pgsa.org/PRCUA/prcu.php 8. St. John Cantius Church Births 1893–1915 http://www.pgsa.org/stjohnk.php 9. SS. Cyril & Methodius Church, Lemont, IL, Birth & Death Index http://www.pgsa.org/stcyr.php 10. Holy Trinity School Class 1883, Chicago, IL http://www.pgsa.org/holytrinity.php 11. St. Hedwig Orphanage Census 1920, Niles Township, IL http://www.pgsa.org/sthedwigorph.php

Web Sites

 * The Cook County ILGenWeb Project, an member of The ILGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Cook County
 * Newberry Library Genealogy Collection and Links
 * FamilySearch.org Family History Library Catalog for Cook County.