Advice - Cook County ILGenWeb genealogy, family history

Birth Records
Census Records
Church Records
Death Records
Directories
Immigrant Records
Land Records
Naturalization Records
Organizations Records
Voter Wards

Researching Births

Obtaining Birth Records and Information

Index to Birth Records - Cook Co. Illinois Bureau of Vital Statistics - From 1871 to 1916 provides: name, birth date, Birth place (either Cook County or Chicago), and identification number. Note: Some Delayed Certificates are listed on this index and identified by "DS" in the ID Number. This index is available at the Newberry Library in Chicago, or can be ordered (if not already available) at your local Family History Center of the LDS organization.

Once you find the number and date of the certificate you want, you can then order a film from Salt Lake that has the actual certificate. When the film arrives, LDS calls you, and you make a photocopy. The cost is about half of what Cook County charges.

The records can be ordered from Cook County Bureau of Vital Statistics Office, P.O. Box 642570, Chicago, IL 60664-2570, Phone (312) 603-7790. The Vital Statistics is located downtown at the lower level of the Randolph Street entrance to the County Building. The department is open weekdays from 8:30am to 5:00pm. For a small service charge (about $5.00 per order), you can order as many birth certificates that you need and charge your record request to Visa, MC, Am Ex or Discover by calling Vital Chek at (312) 603-7799. You can mail in your request with a check or money order (about $7.00 for each requested certificate) made payable to the "Cook County Clerk" including a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Please include all the pertinent information. The cost is applicable even if the record is not found, so the more info you provide, the more likely you will get your certificate! The staff is stricter about relationship and date of birth when allowing persons to order birth certificates. It may be easier to obtain certificates if you explain that they are for Genealogy purposes. The certificate then comes marked as such so that it can't be used for illegal purposes. More than likely, if the date of birth was less than 50 years ago, you will not be able to obtain a birth certificate for that individual unless you are the person or parent.

Your local FHC may have the following indices available or orderable:
1871-1915, Chicago Birth Registers,
    54 reels, film numbers 1287720 ...1287764, and some films that end with 1315959.
1878-1894, County birth records,
    from Cook County Courthouse, Chicago ...films 1287765...1287794.
1878-1894, Register of births outside of the city,
    from Cook County Courthouse, Chicago ... films 1315972 - 1315973.
1896-1933, Chicago, Illinois birth records,
    from Northwestern memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL ... films 1315895 ...1315997.
1916-1918, Birth Corrections and delayed births,
    from Cook County Courthouse, Chicago ... films 1309023 ...1309261.
1916-1922, County birth records,
    from Cook County Courthouse, Chicago ...films 1308554 .... 1308642
    NOTE: These are not indexed.

It is our understanding that the IRAD research center has SOME marriage, birth, and death records for Cook and City of Chicago (ONLY), but please call ahead to see what their current year ranges are available for each of the record groups! Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD) Genealogical Research: Local Governmental Records located in IRAD, Ronald Williams Library, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 N. St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625-4699, Telephone: (773) 794-6279, Hours: Monday - Friday, except state holidays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Obtaining Delayed Birth Records and Information

There is a Delayed Birth Index that can be ordered from the LDS Family History Centers. The title is "Chicago Delayed Birth Indexes, 1871-1948" and it can be found in under Illinois, Cook, Chicago, - Vital Records - Indexes in the library catalog. It is contained on 7 reels of microfilm - filmed from the original records at the Cook County Courthouse, in Chicago IL. Although the record does say that all the records are "not in strict alphabetical order," generally:

Film # : Names contained include:
0378352 : AABel - Crabb
0378353 : Crabb - Frogner
0378354 : Frohlick - Jozwick
0378355 : Jrzeciakowska - Lyzricki
0378356 : Maack - Peterson
0378357 : Peterson - Sorg
0378358 : Sorgalis - Zusa

Submitted 13 Jan 1999 by Patricia

Census Records

All of the census records are available free online at Archive.org. You can read and even download the files. However, you may want to start looking with indexed 1850-1940 census records at FamilySearch:

Church Records

Baptist Churches

Archives of the American Lutheran Church

The Archives of the American Lutheran Church in Dubuque was one of the predecessor archives of the current ELCA Archives in Elk Grove Village. The archives in Dubuque is now called the ELCA Region 5 Archives, and collects records from disbanded congregations in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, among other things.

Concordia Historical Institute

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Contributed March 2001 by Joel Thoreson, Asst. Archivist, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Update submitted by Kathie Groll. Updated submitted Oct 2007 by Bart Hansen.

Newberry Library

The Newberry Library has microfilm of the early records of several of the older German Lutheran congregations in Chicago. They are: Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Luke, First Bethlehem Lutheran, First Immanuel Lutheran, First St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran, St. James Evangelical Lutheran, and St. Mathews Evangelical Lutheran.

Contributed Mar 2001 by Joel Thoreson, Asst. Archivist, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

United Church of Christ

The United Church of Christ has several predecessor bodies, including the German Evangelical Synod of North America, which is often confused with Lutheran synods. Their archives for German Evangelical congregations is located at: The Eden Seminary Archives, 475 Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, MO 63119-3192. Visit the online directory of current UCC congregations website for more info.

Contributed Mar 2001 by Joel Thoreson, Asst. Archivist, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Methodist

Central Illinois Conference Historical Society, 1211 North Park St, Bloomington, IL 61701
or
Garrett Theological Seminary, 2121 S Sheridan Rd., Evanston, IL 60201

Roman Catholic

Archives of the Archdiocese of Chicago

St. Mary of the Lake Seminary
Mundelein, IL 60060

The Archdiocese Archives DOES NOT have ONLY records from inactive parishes. I am aware of Sacramental records they have for 3 very active north suburban parishes.

The problem at the Archdiocese Archives is that the archivist (Sylvia @ ext.722) does not seem to know what records are there, and if you are calling long distance (I have never reached her by my phone call) despite what her voice mail message says about calling you right back, it was always over a week before she would return a call, if ever.

Sylvia will send you a form which requires you to provide virtually ALL the info that is on the Sacramental record that you want. For $20, she will research the records and send you a certified copy.

Julia (@ ext. 728) does seem knowledgeable. She has, while I waited on the phone, checked for me on what Sacramental records and dates for particular parishes, that are in their archives. Julia can make an appointment (very limited availability) for you to come in and research the Sacramental records they have.

My suggestions:
1) I would always first call the parish, if still active.
2) I would go to a FHC and check what parish records are available there.
3) As a last resort, try the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Contributed 14 Dec 1998 by Joyce Mueller. Comments by Ron Flynn from a COOK-CO-IL-L email he posted on Saturday, February 20, 1999.

Death Records

Illinois State Archives

Some Illinois death records are available at the Illinois State Archives for free.
Please note the following:

1. Illinois Death records as recorded with the Illinois Department of Public Health are available at the Illinois State Archives in Springfield for the years 1916 through 1945 only.

2. The Archives will accept requests for two (2) death records per mailing or phone call.

3. Unless a certified copy is desired, there will be no charge for uncertified photocopies of the records.

4. The Illinois State Archives Regional Depository system may have some death records as recorded with Illinois County Clerks. These records vary in date spans; records are not available for all counties. The earliest date of records maintained by County Clerks in most cases is 1877. You can check the holdings of the Illinois Regional Archives depositories via the Archives web site at: www.sos.state.il.us

5. Requests can be made by mail, phone, e-mail, or fax as follows:

Illinois State Archives
Norton Building
Capitol Complex
Springfield, IL 62756

Phone: (217)782-3556
(217)782-3545
(217)782-3553
Fax: (217)524-3930

Directories

How to Find FHC Film Number for Chicago City Directories

Immigrant Records

Ship Passenger Lists

During the Depression the Works Progress Administration (WPA) composed personal name indexes to Ship's Passenger Lists for the Immigration & Naturalization Service. Information posted to 3X5 cards included:

passenger's name,
age,
sex,
occupation,
country of origin,
port of departure,
name of the ship,
date & port of arrival.

Baltimore, MD: 1820-1952
Boston, MA: 1848-1891 & 1902-1920
New Orleans, LA: 1853-1952
New York, NY: 1820-1846 & 1897-1943
Philadelphia, PA: 1800-1948

Atlantic, Gulf Coast & Great Lakes: 1820-1874
AL, FL, GA & SC: 1890-1924
Gulfport, FL 19, FL: 1904-1954
Pascgaoula, MS: 1903-1935
Key West, FL: 1898-1945
New Bedford MS: 1902-1954
Portland, ME: 1893-1954
Providence, RI: 1893-1954
Galveston, TX 1896-1951
San Francisco, CA: 1893-1934

Land Records

As a part of their Genealogical Research Series, the Illinois State Archives offers an excellent pamphlet, Land Sale Records, to help you find your ancestors through land transactions.

Land Patents

The original sale of land by the federal government is recorded in a land patent. This could be a available aid to locating your early settler ancestors. You might find a land patent for an ancestor by searching at The Bureau of Land Management. The site also allows you to view an image of the document, which will tell you where (county and state) the purchaser lived at the time of the purchase.

Locating Land

A good explanation of the system for mapping township sections is offered in the "Determining Location" topic located near the bottom of the Illinois State Archives Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales webpage, some of which was captured and displayed below.

Townships

Typically, townships are divided into 36 sections of 640 acres. Each section is further subdivided into quarter sections, half-quarter sections, or quarter-quarter sections. Examples of these subdivisions within a township appear below.

NW – The northwest ¼ of a section (160 acres)
S2NW – South ½ of the northwest ¼ of a section (80 acres)
NENW – The northeast ¼ of the northwest ¼ of a section (40 acres)

Tracing the Ownership of Your Ancestor's Home

Many genealogists have an interest in the homes their ancestors lived in. An abstract is a summary or list of all the recorded documents pertaining to a particular property, including transfers of ownership and mortgages on the property.

Abstracts usually begin with the original Government survey of the land in the early 1800s, here in the Midwest, and have the original Land Grant or sale of the property. They progress through subsequent sales and divisions of the original plat, down to the lot where your ancestors home was 1st built. Abstracts can be quite lengthy, and wonderfully historical or dull reading, depending on your point of view.

You can get an abstract (history) of ownership of your ancestor's property for any time span you wish. With some time, luck, resourcefulness and hopefully only a little money, you can trace the ownership of your ancestor' s property no matter where you are.

To trace the ownership of property in Cook County, you will need to know one or more of the following -

1. the address of the property
2. the property number or PIN
3. the legal description of the property

1. You must have the address of the property to begin. If you do not know the address where your ancestor's lived, you will need to obtain it from census records, city or telephone directories, or other sources.

2. To obtain the property or PIN number go to the Cook Co. Assessor's search site as shown on the RESOURCE page of this Cook County ILGenWeb (check the GOVERNMENT category and/or the LAND and/or PROPERTY categories).

You will notice that the search asks for a range of numbers for the address. Type in the same address number in both boxes. Besides the PIN number, you will get the class code of the property and assessed valuation.

If the class code tells you the property is not residential, or the property does not appear on the search, you may have to contact the Assessor's Office. Your ancestor's home could be the site of an expressway, factory, shopping mall or the like. If this is the case, you can still trace the ownership, but you will have to search the title at the Recorder's Office or through a title company.

Cook County Assessor's Office
118 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone 312-603-7550

3. Once you have the property address and PIN number, you can get the legal description, if you need it, by contacting the

Cook County Treasurer's Office
118 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone 312-443-5100

A legal description will read something like - W ½ of Lot 5, Block 4, of the XYZ Addition to the ABC City Plat, Section 21, Township 42 N, Range 13 E, of the 3rd P.M.

+ Contact the Current Owner -

The first place to try and get information on the history of your ancestor's home is to try and get it from the current owner. Assuming you do not live in the Chicago area and have no one to go knock on the door, go to your favorite internet search engine and look for "reverse directories" where you can type in the address. This is my favorite - http://in132.infospace.com/_1_469328__info/reverse.htm

If you get the current owner's name, but not his phone number, go back to your favorite internet search engine and look for "telephone search" or "internet white pages". You can call or write the current owners. You decide. Maybe they have an abstract they would share or copy for you, if YOU PAY THE COSTS. At the least try and get the former owner's name and about when they bought the home.

Even if you cannot get the name and phone number of the current owner, you can still write them. Tell them who you are and what you are doing, and ask if they can help. Include a SASE or tell them they can call you COLLECT. Yes, you will be writing to RESIDENT @, but put a short clever HANDWRITTEN message on the envelope to get them to at least open it and read your letter.

+ Cook County Recorder of Deeds -

If you don't have any luck with the current owner, you have 2 more options.

Cook County Recorder of Deeds
118 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone 312-603-5050

This office keeps all records of transfer of ownership or sales of property in Cook County as well as related documents such as mortgages, liens, easements and disputes. They have all the original documents there, either in bound volumes or on microfilm, and you can get copies of anything. HOWEVER, they DO NOT do lookups or research. SOMEONE must go there in person. Don't panic yet.

They have a number of searchable indexes, either in bound volumes or on computer, that a good genealogical researcher can easily navigate. They have staff on hand to assist and advise people on how to research the records and use the indexes.

There are Grantor (the person who sells the property) Indexes and Grantee (the person who buys the property) Indexes. Here, you need only the name and approximate year to begin the search. However, this search can be quite time consuming for a common name.

There is a Property Search Index in which you can search for property records by the PIN number or name of sub-division tract. Finally, there is the Retrieval Tract Book Index which lists all documents for property between 1871-1985 based on the legal description of the property.

So, you're not in the Chicago area and don't know anyone there who will help you. Hire a genealogical researcher to do it for you. That's what I did. I hired a researcher for $15.00/hr. and it took her 3 hours to get the information and document copies I needed.

Genealogical researchers are listed on the Cook Co. IL GenWeb page, on Rootsweb classifieds, and on Cyndi's List. Use your favorite search engine. Contact Chicago area genealogical libraries and associations. They will have or know of private researchers. Use your PC, telephone and snail mail.

+ Title Company Search -

If you have a lot of money or can't find a researcher or have no time, a Title Company will have the entire history of your ancestor's home, or any part of it you want, ready to sell you.

Use your favorite internet search engine to find a Yellow Pages Directory for Chicago, and look up Title Companies. I used Yahoo Yellow Pages and came up with over 100 title companies.

I used Chicago Title & Trust Co. You will want what they call a Tract Search. Call 1-800-621-1919. Punch in ext. 5981 and ask for Norbert Tyrus. Have the Cook County address of the property and PIN number from the Assessor's search site. Tell him what you want and for what period of time, and he'll quote you a price over the phone.

I asked to have all Deeds of Conveyance (sales) and Mortgages from 1898-1930 for my ancestor's Cook County home. The cost - $300.00. That's what prompted me to look for a researcher. I wound up paying $45.00 for 3 hours of research and received information and copies of documents for 3 different properties.

Naturalization Records

1790 - Citizenship required a 2 year residency in the US and must be preformed
in a court of record.

1795 - Added: 3 yr residency to file a declaration of intent, 5 yr residency to file final papers. This also provided citizenship to wives and minor children. (But remember women did not have the right to vote so there was no great motive for a women to become a citizen)

1804 - Widows and children of an alien who died before filing final papers were granted citizenship.

1855 - An alien female who married a US citizen was automatically granted citizenship (this was repealed in 1922)

1862 - Aliens over 21 yrs who were in the military could become citizens after 1 yr of residence.

1891 - Office of Immigration was established. Polygamists and those convicted of certain crimes or who carried certain diseases were excluded from citizenship.

1906 - Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization was established. Alien registration was required. residency requirements were changed to 2 years to file intent and 5 years for final papers. Wives and minor children still came under the 1855 law.

1907 - A female citizen who married an alien lost her citizenship and took the nationality of her husband. This was later changed in 1922 but citizenship was not restored until 1936.

1918 - Aliens serving in the US armed forces during WWI could be naturalized without any residency requirements (But remember they still had to go to some court to become a citizen)

1921 - The 1st Immigration Act to establish quotas of immigrants based on national origin was enacted.

1922 - Women 21 yrs and over were entitled to citizenship (women no longer became citizens when their husbands did) (Most important-women now had the right to vote so there was an incentive to become a citizen on their own)

1940 - Alien Registration Act required registration and fingerprinting at a local post office within 30 days of arrival.

1952 - Immigration and Nationality Act Amendment abandoned the national origins system of setting quotas on ethnic groups.

Obtaining Naturalization Records

When looking for Naturalization Records from Cook County, please keep in mind the following:

1) All Naturalization Records created in the Cook County courts from 1871 - 1903 do NOT contain the following data:

date and town of birth,
ports of departure and arrival,
occupation,
vessle of passage,
information concerning wife and children, etc.

In other words, the information contained on the soundex cards for pre-1904 Cook County Naturalization records reflects almost all the information contained in the records. The only possibility of obtaining more substantive genealogical information through Cook County Naturalization records 1871 - 1903 is if the petitioner filed his/her "Declaration of Intent" in a non-Cook County Court that required more specific information from the petitioner on its Declarations. Declarations are usually included with petitions in Cook County records. Also, items marked as "Court Order Only" on soundex cards refer to the order of the court that naturalized the individual. The court order is the only remaining record of naturalization.

2) Petitions filed in the Cook County courts from 1904 to October 1906 should, but do NOT always contain the following:

address,
town of birth,
date of birth,
date of arrival,
port of arrival and departure,
occupation,
and witnesses.

3) Naturalization records from October 1906 to 1929 reveal the same information as item "2)" (above) as well as

the wifes name and date of birth,
(and sometimes even the wifes town of birth),
the children's names,
children(s)' dates and town of birth.

Post October 1906 declarations give a physical description of the petitioner.

4) Soundex cards, the word "minor" next to the certificate number does not imply that the petitioner naturalized as a minor. Rather, this term denotes that the person arrived in the U.S.A. as a minor and became a citizen sometime after reaching the age of 18 years. The soundex cards often reflect the number of years the "minor" resided in the U.S.A. before naturalizing. Minors did not file "Declarations of Intention". "Minor" petitions provide virtually no genealogical information.

5) The office (see below) charges $6.00 for each **file** copied. If you find a Naturalization file that you are interested in, send us a $6.00 check payable to the "Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County", along with:

OFFICE OF THE CIRCUIT COURT CLERK OF COOK COUNTY
ARCHIVES
RICHARD J. DALEY CENTER
ROOM 1113
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60602

Contributed by Zeteo

Organizations Records

Freemasonary

A Guide for Genealogists, Researching Masonic Records authored and published by John S. Yates, 1998, which gives the genealogist an overview of how to gain information from any of the early Masonic records. The book provides a guide for those interested in gathering information on those within the Masonic Orders, where to write with addresses for every state in the Union, and when each lodge was charted. Masonic Lodges outside the United States are given from Austrialia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, to Ireland.

The book explains the Masonic degrees as well as gives all states addresses. Addresses are also provided for the Grand Scottish Rite bodies throughout the U S, England, and Scotland. It tells what to expect the early records to tell the genealogist about their ancestor, listing fifteen different items of information from each member's card when available--when they have been recorded for posterity.

There are reminders and sample letters provided for requesting information (both nationally and locally) and success stories given. It also provides an example of what a record looks like, what to expect on the record, and answers to questions about the Masons you always wanted to ask.

This book even goes so far as to explain some of the other Masonic organizations that are open to the wives, mothers, daughters, widows, and sisters of the Master Masons, from which more information can be gathered.

Mr. Yates (Past Pres. of the Texas Genealogical Association, Past President of the North Central Texas Chapter No. 36 Sons of Confederate Veterans, and a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas), also goes so far as to furnish where many lodges go for their information other than local/public libraries. He gives the addresses to the Masons' publishing companies and communications that relate to Masonic related information.

By searching Masonic Records some researchers have found the clues they needed to find lost ancestors and provide clues to what their character, looks, and personality were while living, something that gives substance to the search for an individual one can never meet.

Contributed Nov 1999 by Bev Aylor

Voter Wards

1913 Major Ethnic Groups

Ward 1 - Croatian, Chinese, Italian, Serbians, Turkish, Persian, Russians
Ward 2 - Mixed, Southeast Corner- Japanese
Ward 3 - Mixed
Ward 4 - Polish, Northeast Corner Italian
Ward 5 - Ruthenians, Polish, Italians, Slovakians, Slavs, Germans
Ward 6 - Mixed
Ward 7 - Mixed
Ward 8 - Persians, Hungarians, Slovakians, Slavs, Serbians, Swedes, Dalmatians, Croatians.
Ward 9 - Swedes, Hollanders
Ward 10 - Jews, Bulgarians, Bohemians,
Ward 11 - Jews, Bohemians
Ward 12 - Jews, Bohemians
Ward 13 - Jews
Ward 14 - Polish, Slovaks, Hungarians
Ward 15 - Germans, Norwegians, Polish, Jews
Ward 16 - Polish, Jews
Ward 17 - Polish, Italians ,Turkish, Jews
Ward 18 - Jews, Bulgarians, Russians
Ward 19 - Jews, Italians, Greek, Irish, French
Ward 20 - Jews, Russian
Ward 21 - Mixed
Ward 22 - Italian, Romanians
Ward 23 - Swedes
Ward 24 - Germans
Ward 25 - Mixed
Ward 26 - Germans, Swedes
Ward 27 - German, Swedes, Norwegians, Polish
Ward 28 - German, Norwegians, Polish
Ward 29 - Bohemians, Dalmatians, Croatians
Ward 30 - Irish, Lithuanian, Slavs, Polish
Ward 31 - Dalmatians, Croatians, Irish, Swedes
Ward 32 - Irish
Ward 33 - Swedes, Norwegians
Ward 34 - Jews, Bohemians
Ward 35 - Norwegians, Irish

1912 Chicago Ward Descriptions

Ward 1 - Chicago river, Lake Michigan, 31st street, South Park, 25th street, State street, Indiana avenue, 25th street, Michigan avenue, 31st street, Wentworth, 30th street, 5th avenue, 25th place, Princeton, 25th street, Wallace, and south end of river
Ward 2 - 33rd street, 5th avenue, 30th street, Wentworth, 31st street, 25th street, Michigan avenue, 25th street, Indiana avenue, 25th street, Michigan avenue, 25th street, Indiana avenue, 25th street, South Park, 31st street, Lake Michigan, 38th street, cottage Grove, 39th street, and Stewart avenue.
Ward 3 - 39th street, St. Lawrence, 38th street, Lake Michigan, 47th street, South Park avenue, 49th street, State, 43rd street, state, 43rd street, Princeton, and Cottage Grove.
Ward 4 - South end of river, Wallace, 25th street, Princeton, 28th street, 5th avenue, 33rd street, Wallace, 35th street, Union street, 34th street, Halsted street, 34th place south end of river.
Ward 5 - 39th street, Illinois canal, south end of river, 34th place,Halsted, 34thstreet, Union, 35th street, Wallace, 33rd street, Stewart, 39thstreet,Princeton, 43rd street, Ashland, 45th street, Cicero.
Ward 6 - 49th street, St. Lawrence, 47th street, Lake Michigan, 60thstreet, SouthPark, 63rd street, and State Street.
Ward 7 - 63rd street, South Park, 60th street, Lake Michigan, 73rd street,StonyIsland, 75th street, State, Stewart, 66th street, Harvard, 67thstreet,Wentworth, and 71st street.
Ward 8 - 73rd street, Lake Michigan, State Line, 138th street.
Ward 9 - 75th street, Stony Island, Lake Calumet, Stony Island, 138thstreet,Indiana, Illinois/Central, Halsted, 123rd street, Ashland, Lyon,Vincennes,115th street, Peoria, 111th street, Halsted, 103rd street,Stewart, 84thstreet, Wallace, 79th street, and State.
Ward 10 - Taylor street, Loomis, 12th street, Center, 16 street, Morgan,18th street,south end of river, Ashland, 16th street, and Wood street.
Ward 11 - 12th street, Ashland, south end of river, Illinois canal.
Ward 12 - 12th street, Illinois canal, Central Park, 24th street, CliftonPark,Ogden, Homan, 19th street, and Kedzie
Ward 13 - Washington, Madison, Oakley, 12th street and Crawford
Ward 14 - Chicago, Ashland, Washington and Crawford
Ward 15 - North, Robey, Division, Ashland, Chicago, and St. Louis
Ward 16 - North end of river, Division, Robey, and Fullerton
Ward 17 - Division, north end of river, Kinzie, and Ashland
Ward 18 - Kedzie, river, Van Buren, Ashland, Taylor, Oakley, Washington, andHermitage
Ward 19 - Van Buren, south end of river, Bunker, Jefferson, Desplanes,Taylor,Halsted, 12th street, Loomis, Taylor, and Hermitage
Ward 20 - 12th street, Halsted, Taylor, DesPlanes, Jefferson, bunker, southend ofriver, Morgan, 16th street, Morgan, 16th street, and Center.
Ward 21 - Fullerton, Lake Michigan, Chicago river, Orleans, Division,Sedgewick, andClark
Ward 22 - Clybourn place, Center, Menomonee street Sedgewick, Division,Orleans,Chicago river, and north of river
Ward 23 - Cornelia street, Lake Michigan, Fullerton Avenue, Clark street,Sedgewick,Menomonee street, Larrabee street Center street, Sheffield Avenue,Fullerton Avenue, Racine, Roscoe and Southport.
Ward 24 - Belmont, Western, Roscoe, Racine, Clybourn Place, and north end ofriver,Fullerton, Sheffield, Center, Racine, Clybourne, north end ofriver,Belmont.
Ward 25 - Howard, Rogers, Lake Michigan, Cornelia, Clark, Devon, Ridge, andSouthport
Ward 26 - Howard, Ridge, Devon, Clark, Roscoe, Western, Belmont, north endof river,Devon, north shore Channel, Kedzie, and Southport
Ward 27 - Park Ridge, 72nd Avenue, Hamilton, Fulton, Hamilton, Fulton,Devon, northend of river, Belmont, Francisco, Diversey, Central Park Avenue,Fullerton,Crawford, Belmont, Harlem, Irving Park, 60th Avenue, Bryn Mawr,northchannel, Everell, Winter, Devon and Highland
Ward 28 - Belmont, north end of river, Robey, Francisco, North avenue,Sacramento,Diversey, Kedzie, Fullerton, and Sacramento
Ward 29 - 45th street, Ashland, 43rd Street, Center, 47th street, Loomis,Garfield,Wood, 65th street,, Loomis, 71st street, Robey, 69th street, andCicero
Ward 30 - 43rd street, State street, Garfield, Loomis, 47th street, andCenter Avenue
Ward 31 - Garfield, State, 63rd street, Loomis, 66th street, Wood
Ward 32 - 69th street, Robey, 71st street, Loomis, 63rd street, Statestreet, 79thstreet, Wallace, 84th street, Stewart, 103rd street, Halsted,107th streetCenter, 111th street, Morgan, 115th street, Vincennes, Wentworth,67thstreet, Harvard avenue, 66th street, Lyon, Western, 115th street, Ogden, 99th street, Western, 87thstreet, and49th Avenue
Ward 33 - Belmont, Crawford, Fullerton, Diversey, Sacramento, Armitage,Crawford,Central Park, North, 46th avenue, Kinzie, 52nd avenue, Madison,Austin,North, and Harlem.
Ward 34 - 12th street, Kedzie avenue, 19th street, Homan, Ogden, CliftonPark, 24thstreet, Central Park, Illinois canal, 39th street, and Kenton.
Ward 35 - Madison street, 52nd avenue, Kedzie street, 46th avenue, North,40thavenue, Armitage, Sacramento, North, St. Louis, Chicago, 40thAvenue, 12thstreet, and Austin.

Cook County Circuit Court Archives

The following is an excerpt from an email sent to the Cook County ILGenWeb Mail List that describes how to order Probate Court records from the Archives Dept. of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County:

"I was lucky enough to spend a whole day at the Archives Dept. of the Circuit Court in the Daley Center in downtown Chicago a couple of years back. while there, I did my own copying of files still held in the Daley Center Archives room.

“The older packets are not in the Daley Center. Several of the packets I needed were located in the warehouse in a suburb. Knowing we had only one day left to spend before returning home, they were able to locate all but one file in the warehouse and had it sent to the Daley Center the following day.

“They went way out of their way to help, as you can see.

“The last file, my GGF, was misfiled. We filled out a form with the name of deceased; Docket #; No. pertaining to aged file; the Box it should be stored in, and the date of death.

“All the above information can be found in the indexed books in the Archive Room at the Daley Center. I assume this information is also on film or microfiche at LDS Family History Center.

“If you do not have access to LDS or the Daley Center Archive Room, write to them giving the name of deceased, date of birth and date of death. They will search the index books for you and send you the material. Sending a copy of the death certificate would be helpful to them as well, but not necessary.

“I recommend the first address since they will do the search, then the material is mailed from the second address with your inventory and/or bill attached.

“It is my understanding that you can call them direct, but I do not have the phone #. I always use the mail as I have a paper copy for follow up and I don't have to go thru endless repetitions if there is a follow up.

Most people are very helpful, but I find that if you reply to everyone with a thank you whether they were able to help you or not, it will pay off in the long run. Because of a thank you, ( apparently they get few once the request is answered) I heard from clerk's who remembered a unique case and later found the material I was looking for. They contacted me long after I thought the solution was hopeless."

Great Lakes National Archives

The address for the Great Lakes National Archives is 7358 S Pulaski, Chicago, IL 60629-5898. You can get more information from www.nara.gov. However, I go to the Archives frequently and the website description of how to get there was completely incorrect.

Although the address is on Pulaski, the actual entrance is on 73rd St [NOT 75th]. (There's a light at 73rd and Pulaski, turn west, and then turn right into the third driveway. It comes up pretty fast and the sign, though large, is not obvious. If you miss it, you'll end up in a parking lot for Daley College. Just turn around and look for the single-story, low-slung, circular building on the north side of the street.)

Wonder of wonders, they have free on-site parking and a security guard in the evening. The building is wheelchair and mobility-impaired accessible.

Although the hours are listed as 8:00am to 4:15pm Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, and Tue 8:00am to 8:30pm, the microfilm reading room, which is where all the census films are located, actually opens at 6:30 am, there just aren't any staff to assist you. So if you have an idea of how to locate the reel you want, you can get in a good chunk of extra research time. (The drawers are well-labeled and I think it's pretty obvious.) By the way, the staff try really hard to push everyone out the door 15 minutes in advance of the posted closing time.

As far as getting help, some of the staff are excellent, others are a waste of taxpayers' money. There are also some volunteers who will go out of their way, interrupting their own work, to help you whether you're an experienced reseacher or a newbie.

In addition to the entire collection of Federal census films and the Soundex- Miracode films for 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, they also have some bound indexes for earlier years, films of Chicago city directories for about four years, and some of the standard genealogical resources. Most of these other materials are just for Illinois and surrounding states. They also have a printed guide to the formal collection which might help you organize your work there. (It does NOT include indexes, atlases and the like.)

The Archives staff prefer that you make an appointment in advance for morning, afternoon, or evening. But it's really not mandatory during the day -- unless you're going to be there on the day after Thanksgiving when everybody else has the day off too! (Yeah, I did that -- duh.)

There's a small employee "lunchroom" that they allow researchers to use for "brown bag" purposes. It has a soda machine and a snack machine, but don't count on either of these being full.

Phone: 773-581-7816
e-mail: archives@chicago.nara.gov

Hope you have a very successful trip!

Newberry Library

The Newberry <www.newberry.org> can be intimidating, especially if you don't know what to expect. So, for out-of-towners and anyone else who hasn't been there yet I offer the following.

TRANSPORTATION There are parking garages in the area - but not cheap. On Saturdays they have an "early bird" special in by 10 and out by 6 will cost you $7.50. The minimum rate is $5.50 for the first 1/2 hour. The library has a deal with a lot on Chestnut and will validate your ticket. This will give you a better rate, but is only for 5-6 hours. I don't have the details on this but a call to the Newberry ahead of time will solve that. There are also a small number of parking meters for street parking, but you'll have to run down every couple of hours to feed the meter. You might find public transportation a good alternative. The Newberry can provide the bus routes, if it is not on the web site try e-mailing them.

SECURITY When you enter the lobby, there is a security desk front and center. To your left is a coat room with lockers. You will not be allowed to carry in coats, bags, briefcases, etc. Put them in a locker and carry your notebooks, computers, etc. The locker will cost a quarter, which will be returned to you when you open it back up. Go back to the security guard and tell him you need an application for a reader's card and sign in for the 2nd and 3rd floors. You will need a photo id to get the reader's card - like a driver's licence. Once he buzzed you through head left to the elevators and go to the 3rd floor.

On the third floor, fill out the application and turn it in at the desk. They will give you a readers card. They will also ask for a donation. This is voluntary. You decide if and how much. I will only offer that this is not a public library and receives no tax support. It was created out of the estate of a wealthy man in the 1880s.

CARD CATALOG On the third floor you will find 2 separate catalogs. You must check them both. The bulk of the collection - items acquired before 1980 - is on the traditional paper cards in cabinets. The computer catalog (available on their web site as well) covers acquisitions from 1980 to present. There are a couple of special catalogs to consider. In the paper catalog area, all the way to the end, you'll find a separate card file for city directories, vertical files for place and surname, and some indexes to Cook county historical and biographical works. I suggest you write all references in your notebook first, before filling out call slips as they will not be returned to you.

Search for your SURNAMES and PLACES - both city and county and even state. They have a wide range of material including genealogies, surname society newsletters, county histories, "mug" books, etc.

Now go down to the second floor. You must check in at the desk with your readers card and get a seat assignment. It will be something like "J-2" which is table J seat 2. You'll see that these are labled on the corners of the tables. Any call slip you submit must have the seat assignment on it.

CLOSED STACK LIBRARY - For many of you this will be your first encounter with a closed stack library. On the second floor you will find many of the how-to, indexes, and genealogical periodicals that are frequently used. Everything else is out of public access. You must fill out a call slip and request that it be brought to you. You may only turn in 3 call slips at a time. The call slip requires your name and address. I usually bring return address labels or a return address stamp to save time and wear on my hands.

If you stand in the entrance of the room facing the windows, the desk is on your right, the tables are ahead, and to your left is the microfilm/fiche area. Head that direction now. Just before getting to the "Local History" desk you'll see census indexes on your left. Also, there is a rack on the wall with research guides or pathfinders. These have been made up for various topics and are extremely helpful. Some topics are Chicago, Polish, Irish, German, Immigration ... These are also available from their web site.

COPIES - You may not make any photocopies yourself. If you find a something in a book, etc., you must fill out a request (at the main desk) for copies. There are restrictions on the number of pages you may copy (I think 25). Then turn in the book with the request. They will make the copies for you and you may pick them up on the 1st floor in the book shop. Check them carefully to make sure that they are legible before paying. The cost of copies is also quite high. This is to discourage you from making any.

In order to use microfilm/fiche, you must ask at the LH desk (in that area) for a reader. You will need your seat assignment/reader card - don't ask me why. Once you have your reader, most of the film/fiche is self serve. You get it, you put it back. Behind the LH desk are cabinets containing census and soundex, city directories, and newspapers.

CENSUS - They have IL census for all available years along with printed indexes, and the 1900 and 1920 soundex. They do not have the 1910 soundex --BUT-- they have a finding aid. You find them in the city directory for 1910, then you locate that address on a map that they have prepared with the enumeration districts marked. From there you go to the film and ed and search for the street and address. I have found people this way that were not in the soundex.

In addition to IL they have all the states from 1790 to 1850. After 1850 they have scattered stuff on other states. Look in the notebooks on the LH desk. The card catalog might also point to some state censuses (like 1875 NY census for Rensselaer Co.). These are very spotty in coverage and you will have to submit a call slip to get them.

CITY DIRECTORIES - a full run of Chicago on microfilm.
NEWSPAPERS - Daily News up to 1935, Tribune 1936-early 1970s on microfilm.
The fiche cabinet has many of the vital records indexes that are also available through the LDS. Births - Cook Co. - 1871-1916 Deaths - Cook Co. - 1871-1916 Deaths - Illinois - 1916-1944
There are film/fiche printers near the LH desk. It's 50 cents a page.
They have city directories from some of the suburbs and even from places like Seattle WA. For these you need to look at the card catalog drawer mentioned above on the 3rd floor.

PHONE BOOKS - They have many fragile, paper, telephone books from the city and suburbs. For availability, check at the main desk where you turn in call slips. They have a notebook of the holdings.

FOOD, DRINKS, RESTROOMS - There are restrooms on every floor. On 2 and 3 they are down the hall - away from the elevators. There is a visitor lounge on the 1st floor. As you come down the stairs and pass security, it is down the hall to your right. There are restrooms there as well.

No food or drinks in the library. There are water fountains on each floor near the elevators. The vistor lounge has pop, candy, and coffee machines and tables/chairs. You should probably bring a lunch if you are making a day of it as there are not many places to eat nearby. If you do, leave it in your locker until lunchtime.

LDS/FHC Film Numbers

Film Numbers for Illinois genealogy research

All the following USA/CAN films are available through your local Family History Center.

1) Illinois -Genealogy
2) Illinois- Vital records
3) Illinois- Cemeteries
4) Illinois Church records

Daughters of the American Revolution Chicago Chapter (Illinois)
Daughters of the American Revolution Fort Dearborn CH

LDS/FHC Photocopy Request

Family History Center Form 31768 Request for Photocopies

Form 31768 is used to Request for Photocopies of Census records, books, microfilm, or microfiche from the Salt Lake City, Utah, offices of the Family History Department of the LDS Church. Microfilm and / or Microfiche records may include birth, marriage, death, or burial records.

First of all, print the form. You may need to modify the Print settings on your browser so that the URL and page numbers do NOT appear on the printed document.

Once you have visited your local LDS/FHC and know what documents you want to order, just complete the form:

Fill in you name and address on side one. There are a few rules listed here as well as the address to mail it to.

Side two is broken into 4 sections:

Each section has the first line already completed with an example of how to fill it out. The only part I have ever used is the second one - General Microfilm Microfiche.

This section has six columns:

I hope this helps. I have probably used this form over 100 times over the years and it is not foolproof. My success rate of getting what I want is probably only 80%. But it only costs $2.00 for 8 records so it is still well worth it. I would be happy to help anyone who has problems with the process.

Additional Advice

Here are some additional comments which might help in using this form:

Salt Lake has several different forms and some of them seem confusing. When a patron comes to a local family history center and wants only a few copies, he can use the form. The volunteer or the director at the center should stamp the family history center name and their FHC number in the boxes below the patron's name. However, since the form is on line I don't know if they have to do that anymore.

(page 1)
The patron needs to fill out name, address, etc. in the top box. After ordering what they want, Salt Lake will send the information they copied directly to the patron and not send it to the FHC.

(page 2)
Census records
The patron needs to fill out film number, etc. from the census. I have never seen anyone fill this part out. The patrons I've worked with have felt that you might as well view the census because the cost is not much more than sending in the $2.00 minimum and there may be other families that are related on it and it usually comes in a shorter time than copies from SL. Salt Lake works mostly on volunteers and if they have a deluge of requests it takes longer.

Microfiche
I's usually cheaper to order the fiche than send for copies, since the fiche only cost $.15 and a copy costs $.25. However, for bigger collections of fiche, it would be worthwhile. Fill in the spaces from information the patron gets off the fiche index, fiche, library catalog or on line from Salt Lake. (Same with fiche indexes.)

Books
That's the one that's most used in our FHC because Salt Lake doesn't take requests to microfilm or fiche books anymore - they had too many and now do them as they can. Fill out the information.

When the patron has everything filled out on the form, they have to enclose a check or money order - $.25 per copy with a $2.00 minimum and mail it to the address at the top of the first page. Sometimes it takes less than two weeks, sometimes more.

YEAR	COMMENTS	LDS#	PUBLISHER
1839	1 fiche	6043786	Fergus
1840/43	none published
1843	1 fiche-statistics	6043787
1844	2 fiches	6043788	Ellis & Fergus
1845/46	3 fiches	6043789	Campbell
1846	1 fiche-business & stats	6043790	Norris/Eastman & Davidson
1846/47	2 fiches	6043791	Norris/Geer & Wilson
1847/48	2 fiches	6043792	Norris/Kedzie
1848/49	not available
1849/50	4 fiches	6043793	Langdon
1851	4 fiches	6043794	Danenhower
1852/53	5 fiches	6043795	Udall & Hopkins
1853/54	4 fiches	6043796	Hall & Smith/Fergus
1854/55	6 fiches	6043797	Hall
1855/56	6 fiches	6043798	Fergus
1856	1 fiche-supplement	6043799	Fergus
1856	not available
1856	3 fiches-business	6043800	Hall
1856/57	6 fiches	6043801	Case/Gager
1856/57	7 fiches	6043802	Gager
1858	10 fiches	6043803	Cooke
1858/59	not available
1859	5 fiches-business	6043804	Griggs
1859/60	10 fiches	6043805	Cooke
1859/60	2 fiches-business	6043806	Hellier
1859/60	8 fiches	6043807	Smith & Du Moulin
1860/61	8 fiches	6043808	Cooke
1861/62		1376659	Halpin & Bailey
1862/63		1376659	Halpin & Bailey
1863/64		1376659	Halpin & Bailey
1864/65		1376660	Bailey
1865/66		1376660	Halpin
1866/67		1376661	Edwards/Greenough & Deved
1867/68		1376661	Bailey
1868/69		1376662	Edwards
1869/70		1376662	Edwards
1870/71		1376663	Edwards
1871	fire edition	1376663	Edwards
1872		1376664	Edwards
1873		1376665	Edwards
1874/75		1376666	Lakeside/Williams & Donnelley
1875/76		1376667	Lakeside/Williams & Donnelley
1876/77	lacks title page	1376668	Lakeside/Donnelley & Loyd
1877/78		1376669	Lakeside/Donnelley & Loyd
1878/79		1376670	Lakeside/Donnelley & Loyd
1879		1376671	Lakeside/Donnelley & Loyd
1880		1376672	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1881		1376673	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1882		1376674	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1883		1376675	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1884		1376676	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1885		1376677	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1886		1376678	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1887		1376679	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1888		1376680	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1889		1376681	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1890	A to Quaney, Thomas J.	1376882	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1890	Puzzo, A. to Z	1376683	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1891	A to Miner, J.	1376684	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1891	Miner, J. Potter to Z	1376685	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1892	A to Markham, Monroe	1376686	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1892	Markham, Patrick C. to Z	1376687	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1893	A to Nelson, Axel	1376688	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1893	Nelson, Axel to Z	1376689	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1894	A to Morrissey, William	1376690	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1894	Morrissey, William to Z	1376691	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1895	A to Meyer, John J.	1376692	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1895	Meyer, John J. to Z	1376693	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1896	A to Livingston, Thomas M.	1376694	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1896	Livingston, Tina B. to Z	1376695	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1897	A to Lynch, William J.	1376696	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1897	Lynch, William J. to Z	1376697	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1898	A to McFann, John S.	1376698	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1898	McFarlan, Bernard S. to Z	1376699	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1899	A to Maw, Florence M.	1376700	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1899	Maw, Frank to Z	1376701	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1900	A to Merry, George	1376702	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1900	Merry, James to Z	1376703	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1901	A to McConnell, Alex.	1376704	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1901	McConnell, Alex. to Z	1376705	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1902	lacks title page	1759633
1903	lacks title page	1759634
1904	lacks title page	1759635
1905		1759636	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1906	not available
1907	lacks title page	1759637
1908		1759638	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1909		1759639	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1910	lacks title page	1759640	Lakeside
1911	lacks title page	1759641	Lakeside
1912	lacks title page	1759642	Lakeside
1913		1759643	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1914	lacks title page	1759644	Lakeside
1915		1759645	Lakeside/Chicago Dir. Co.
1916	lacks title page	1759646	Lakeside
1917	lacks title page	1759647	Lakeside
1923	lacks title page	1759648
1928/29		1759649	Polk

McHenry	Lake IL
Kane
DuPage		Lake IN
	Will

Advice for Successful Researching

Researching Births

Obtaining Birth Records and Information

Obtaining Delayed Birth Records and Information

Census Records

Church Records

Baptist Churches

Archives of the American Lutheran Church

Concordia Historical Institute

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

Newberry Library

United Church of Christ

Methodist

Roman Catholic

Archives of the Archdiocese of Chicago

Death Records

Illinois State Archives

Directories

How to Find FHC Film Number for Chicago City Directories

Immigrant Records

Ship Passenger Lists

Land Records

Land Patents

Locating Land

Townships

Tracing the Ownership of Your Ancestor's Home

Naturalization Records

Obtaining Naturalization Records

Organizations Records

Freemasonary

Voter Wards

1913 Major Ethnic Groups

1912 Chicago Ward Descriptions

Cook County Circuit Court Archives

Great Lakes National Archives

Great Lakes National Archives

Newberry Library

Newberry Library

LDS/FHC Film Numbers

Film Numbers for Illinois genealogy research

LDS/FHC Photocopy Request

Family History Center Form 31768 Request for Photocopies

Additional Advice

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