Cook County, Illinois Genealogy

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Guide to Cook County, Illinois ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Chicago
Organized: January 15, 1831
Parent County(s): Putnam
Neighboring Counties
DuPage • Kane • Lake • Lake (IN) • McHenry • Will
See County Maps
Courthouse
Illinois, Cook County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Il-cook.png

Daniel Pope Cook.jpg.jpg

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Cook County was named for Daniel Cook, one of the earliest and youngest statesmen in Illinois history. He served as the second U.S. Representative from Illinois and the state's first Attorney General. The county is located in the northeastern area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Cook County Courthouse
50 W. Washington
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312-603-5030
Cook County Courthouse

County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Cook County are kept, see the Cook County Courthouse page.

Cook County, Illinois Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[2]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1872 1872 1872 1871 1871 1871 1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started 1916. General compliance by 1922.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

  • 1871 The Great Chicago Fire from October 8-10 destroyed all records.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[3]

Cities
Towns
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Townships

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

†This is a 'Former' Township

History Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • 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

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]


The Chicago History Museum has a tremendous collection of online 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.

The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Cook County edition as well as an Evanston edition. These volumes include a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Cook County and Evanston residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Cook County, Illinois online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Illinois Cemeteries for more information
  • Register of Confederate Soldiers Who Died in Camp Douglas 1862-65 and Lie Buried in Oakwoods Cemetery, Chicago, Ills. Online at: Internet Archive.

Burr Oak Cemetery
4400 W. 127th Street
Alsip, IL 60803[4]

Cook County Cemetery in Dunning
Over 38,000 burials over seventy years, the cemetery served as an institutional cemetery for Cook County. The Cemetery database of known burials is a work in progress, with over 7800 entries.

Chicago City Cemetery
City Cemetery existed as a burial ground from 1843 until about 1866, when further burials were legally prohibited. During that time, more than 20,000 were buried in the cemetery, which was subdivided into a Catholic Cemetery, a Jewish Cemetery, and a Potter's Field. Among the number were approximately 4,000 Confederate soldiers who died at Camp Douglas who were buried in Potter's Field. Dis-interrments began as early as 1860, as families of lot owners re-interred their loved ones in newly opened Rosehill, Graceland or Calvary cemeteries. Following the Chicago Fire of 1871, a major effort began to vacate the cemetery. The land was converted into a public park, now known as Lincoln Park. The Ira Couch family mausoleum still stands at the back of the park.

A well-researched account of the old City Cemetery is available at Hidden Truths: The Chicago City Cemetery and Lincoln Park. A database of original Cemetery lot owners and a map are also available.

Graceland Cemetery
4001 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60613-1992
Phone: 773-525-1105
Graceland Cemetery was established in 1860. Genealogy inquiries available via online form.

List of Cemeteries in Cook - Lake - Will Counties Containing Graves of the Military Dead Who Served in the Wars of the United States. Online at: Ancestry ($).[5]

Catholic Cemeteries, Archdiocese of Chicago

Looking for the burial location of a family member or friend? To serve the many families that visit the Catholic cemeteries, self-serve kiosks have been installed in major cemetery offices in the archdiocese. The kiosk is an all-encompassing 'open book' to burial records with exact locations and maps for Catholics buried in Chicago. All kiosks have the same information. Find the nearest kiosk to do all research in one location, versus hunting at each individual cemetery. Currently there are kiosks at 15 locations throughout Cook County.

Census Records[edit | edit source]

For information and tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census.

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1840 10,201 —
1850 43,385 325.3%
1860 144,954 234.1%
1870 349,966 141.4%
1880 607,524 73.6%
1890 1,191,922 96.2%
1900 1,838,735 54.3%
1910 2,405,233 30.8%
1920 3,053,017 26.9%
1930 3,982,123 30.4%
1940 4,063,342 2.0%
1950 4,508,792 11.0%
1960 5,129,725 13.8%
1970 5,492,369 7.1%
1980 5,253,655 −4.3%
1990 5,105,067 −2.8%
2000 5,376,741 5.3%
2010 5,194,675 −3.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Baptist

American Baptist-Samuel Colgate Historical Library
3001 Mercer University Drive
Atlanta, GA 30341
(678) 547-6680
Chicago Baptist Association
original records; no date
Chicago Baptist City Mission Society
1889-1943 original records
Auburn Park Baptist Church
1891-1903 original records
Baptist Forward Movement for Missionary Education
1918-1919 original records
Highland Park Baptist Church
1917 original records
Immanuel Baptist Church
23rd Street South Michigan Avenue
1881-1948 original records
LaSalle Avenue Baptist Church
1868-1919 original records

Church of Christ

1843-1875 Lyonsville Church, Lyons Township, Baptism Index 1843-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C505581 .

Episcopal

1891-1954 St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Evanston, Marriage Index 1891-1954 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch M730951 .[6]

Lutheran

Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
321 Bonnie Lane
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
(847) 690-9410
s@elca.org
Lutheran Churches of Chicago: A Genealogical Guide
Map of Chicago congregations
1868-1906 St. Paul's Church, Richton, Baptism Index 1868-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C730971 .
1870-1906 St. Paul's Church, Richton, Marriage Index 1870-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch M730971 .


Zion Lutheran Church in Tinley Park
1879-1936 Zion Lutheran Church, Tinley Park, Marriage Records And Index 1879-1936. Online at: Internet Archive.
1941-1988 Zion Lutheran Church, Tinley Park, Marriage Records And Index 1941-1988. Online at: Internet Archive.


Methodist

1857-1929 First United Methodist Church, Evanston, Baptism Index 1857-1929 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C730941 .[7]
1857-1929 First United Methodist Church, Evanston, Marriage Index 1857-1929 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch M730941 .

Roman Catholic

The Archdiocese of Chicago
Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Archives and Records Center
711 West Monroe Street
Chicago, IL 60661
Genealogical Resources

Catholic Parish Information Hosted by Ethnic Societies

Scan the list of Chicago Catholic Churches by POINTers in Person.
The Polish Genealogical Society of America has created a comprehensive Marriage Index for Polish Parishes in Chicago through 1915.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

  • late 1800’s and early 1900’s The spurring metropolis that is Chicago and the directories that came out during late 1800’s and early 1900’s could help you find ancestors that made a pit stop in those urban records or took up long term residence. Social registers, blue books and other directories could be what you need to fill that gap in your timeline between the missing 1880-1900 Federal Census and assist during the 1909 and 1911 Chicago city street renumbering. Most suburbs are listed within these publications and can be also be considered Cook County resources.
  • 1879 The Bon-Ton Directory of 1879 will help in locating the “most prominent and fashionable ladies” of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
  • 1883-84, 1908and 1888-89 The Elite City and Club lists for 1883-84 (reversed), 1885-86 and 1888-89 are available to check if your relatives were members of clubs such as the Amateur Musical Club or other social clubs of that area and era.
  • 1899-1907 1908 and 1912 The Social Register for the years 1899-1907, 1908, 1912, and 1922 offer such sections as the names of married maidens.
  • 1890-1915 The Chicago Blue Book of Selected Names of Chicago and Suburban Towns, which has coverage from 1890-1915 on Archive.org. Using these with census records or Chicago City directories (available on Fold3.com) can establish the address change for 1909 and 1911 street renumbering. Have a missing ancestor? Using these directories to find neighbors may help in tracking them down in censuses.
1890, 1891,1892,1893, 1894, 1895, 1897,1898, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910,1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

African Americans

Black's Blue Book:Business and professional directory; a compilation of names, addresses and telephones of all Chicago's colored business and professional people. - Chicago: F.S Black, 1917-1913.-4V.: F548.9.N3 B6 Scott's Blue Book: a standard classified business and service directory of greater Chicago's colored citizens' commercial, industrial, professional, religious and other activities.- Chicago: Scott's business and Directory Service, 1939-1965. 6 v. F548.9N3 S4

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

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 through the office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.

See the Township and Sectional Map of Cook County for information about townships, subdivisions, and sections.

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.

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.

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.

Many genealogy books describe how to find land records for rural America. For ancestors who lived in a city like Chicago, though, a very different set of resources is available. There are a number of online databases that give information about historic residences in Chicago and Cook County. Armed with an address from a census, you may be able to flesh out details about an ancestor's life and get a glimpse of where they lived.

It is possible that your ancestor was responsible for the construction of the building that they lived or worked in. The Chicago Historical Society has an index to building permits issued between the years of 1898-1912. The index is searchable by original owner's name, historical street name, architect, and the contractor issue date.

The historical street name field in this search hints at the fact that Chicago streets have undergone several name changes over time. The Newberry Library has excellent documents detailing the changes (Search Help provides detailed instructions to using these three search options). Specifically, there are pdf files for the 1909 and 1911 street re-numberings (see Cook County Directories and a general index to old and new street names.

With a current address for a historical property, it is easy to find and see the current structure at a location, for example by using Google Maps street view . To find out if the current structure is where an ancestor lived, a helpful tool is the Cook County Assessor's search. It is available through their webpage:. The basic search requires an identifying PIN for the property, however, an advanced search provides a more convenient search by address. In this search, be as general as possible in the street name for best results (for example, enter 59 instead of 59th Street). In addition to a description of the property, the results of this search provide a recent picture and the structure's age. This page will tell you if the building you see today is the same one that an ancestor lived or worked in many years ago.

Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

McHenry CountyLake CountyKane CountyDuPage CountyLake CountyWill CountyIL COOK.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War

Regiments. Civil War service men from Cook County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Cook County.

- 1st Regiment, Illinois Light Artillery, Batteries B, E, H, I, L, and M.
- 2nd Regiment, Illinois Light Artillery, Batteries L and M.
- 4th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company A (Also known as Grant's Escort) and Company B (Also known as Carrnichael's Cavalry Company).
- 8th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, D, E, F, G, K, L, and M.
- 9th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, B, C, D, F, H, I, K, L, and M.
- 10th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company D.
- 11th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company A.
- 12th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I, K, and M.
- 12th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, E, I, and K.
- 12th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Companies A and K.
- 13th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, and H.
- 13th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
- 14th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, D, K, and M.
- 15th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry, Company A
- 16th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, B, C, D, G, I, L, and M.
- 17th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, B, C, H, K, and L.
- 19th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies, A, C, D, E, F, G, and K.
- 23rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, (Irish Brigade), Companies B, C, E, F, G, H, I, and K.
- 24th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A, new Company A, Companies B, C, D, E, F, G, and H.
- 33rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
- 36th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.
- 37th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D and G.
- 39th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C, E, F, G, H, and K.
- 42nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and G.
- 44th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
- 45th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C
- 51st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, G and K.
- 52nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
- 55th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
- 57th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, E, F, G, and I.
- 58th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, D, E, F, and H.
- 59th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D, F, and K.
- 61st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
- 65th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (Scotch Regiment), Companies F, G, H, I and K.
- 72nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, H and K.
- 82nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, F, G, H, I and K.
- 88th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, D, E, G, H, I and K.
- 89th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, and K.
- 90th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies E, F, G, H and I.
- 100th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
- 113th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C, E, and G.
- 127th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, G, and H.
- 132nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies A, B, G, I, and K.
- 134th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies A, C, D, E, F, G, I and K.
- 142nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies A, G, and I.
- 147th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D, F, H and K.
- 153rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Companies E, F, H and I.
- 156th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C, E, I, and K.
- 69th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company D.
- 14th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company I
:- 6th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company I
:- 7th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company I
:- 8th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company G

  • The Roll of Honor, Containing the Names of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines of All the Wars of Our Country Who Are Buried in the Cemeteries of Cook County. By Eli Robert Lewis. Chicago, Ill.: Printing Products Corp., 1922. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Allen County Public Library.
  • Despite the destruction of the 1890 Federal Census, a few 1890 Census Veterans Schedules for the city of Chicago in Cook County survived. They are available on roll 118 of "Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War" (NARA M123). The schedules list veterans and their widows who served as Union soldiers in the Civil War. For more information on the 1890 Veterans Schedules see Union Census Records.

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Cook County Clerk of Circuit Court has posted an index to their Naturalization 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 FamilySearch Catalog, film numbers 1,023,967-1,023,968.

Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Catalog Film #1321939(*).
The Newberry Library (microfilm 608, general collections 2nd, floor.)
The Wilmette Illinois FamilySearch Center

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Almshouse Records[edit | edit source]

Criminal and Punishments[edit | edit source]

1870-1930 Police Department Records at IRAD-NEIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available

Public Records[edit | edit source]

Voting Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Probate Indexes and Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

The records for Chicago and Cook County are available for as early as 1871. Earlier records were destroyed by Chicago fire of October 8, 1871. Many Cook County, Illinois births, marriages, and deaths indexes and images are now available online at Cook County Clerk's Office or through the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Cook County. For state-wide facilities, see Illinois Archives and Libraries.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository
Ronald Williams Library
Northeastern Illinois University
500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625-4699
Phone: 773-442-4506

National Archives at Chicago
7358 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60629-5898
Phone: 773-948-9001
Fax: 773-948-9050
Archival Holdings Guide
Records created or received by Federal agencies in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and Federal courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Illinois and Michigan Canal and Regional History Special Collection
Lewis University
Howard and Lois Adelmann Regional History Collection
One University Parkway
Romeoville, IL 60446-2200
Website

FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in Cook County. For state-wide library facilities, see Illinois Archives and Libraries.

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

Elk Grove Village Library
1001 Wellington Avenue
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-3391
Phone: 847-439-0447
Website

Harold Washington Library Center
400 South State Street
Chicago, IL 60605
Special Collections, 9th Floor
Phone: 312-747-4300
Email: specoll@chipublib.org
Website

The Newberry Library
60 West Walton Street
Chicago, IL 60610-7324
Phone: 312-943–9090
Website

Oak Lawn Public Library
9427 South Raymond Avenue
Oak Lawn, IL 60453
Phone: 708-422-4990
Website
The Oak Lawn Public Library Local History collection includes photos, yearbooks, phone books, and a collection of obituaries from local newspapers.


South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society
3000 West 170th Place
Hazel Crest, IL 60429-1174
Phone: 708-335-3340
Email: info@ssghs.org
Website
Facebook

The South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society Library contains yearbooks, phone books, obituaries, maps, church and funeral home records, cemetery transcriptions and more.

Museums[edit | edit source]

Chicago History Museum
1601 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60614-6038
Phone 312-642-4600
Website
Facebook
Our Research Collections encompass a broad category of documents, images, publications, and printed materials that are generally available for hands-on use by the public in the Museum’s Research Center. We have material that helps researchers searching for ancestors who lived in Chicago, such as histories of local churches, yearbooks of Chicago area schools, city directories and criss cross directories.

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Cook County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Illinois Societies.

Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago (AAGHSC)
PO Box 37-7651
Chicago, IL 60637
Phone: 773-602-2743
Email: aaghsc@yahoo.com
Website

Berwyn Historical Society
1401 Grove Avenue
PO Box 479
Berwyn, IL 60402
Phone: 708-484-0020
Email: info@berwynhistoricalsociety.org
Website
Facebook

Blue Island Historical Society
13018 Maple Avenue
Blue Island, IL 60406-2094
Phone: 708-371-8546
Website
Facebook

The Czech Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois (CSAGSI)
PO Box 313
Sugar Grove, IL 60554
Library (T. G. Masaryk School)
5701 22nd Place
Cicero, IL 60804
Website

Chicago History Museum
1601 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60614-6038
Phone: 312-642-4600
Email: web@chicagohistory.org
Website
Facebook

Chicago Genealogical Society
PO Box 1160
Chicago, IL 60690-1160
Email: info@chicagogenealogy.org
Website
Facebook

Edgewater Historical Society
5358 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60640
Email: edgewaterhistoricalsociety@yahoo.com
Website
Facebook

Glenview History Center
1121 Waukegan Rd
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: 847-724-2235
Website
Facebook

Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest
129 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL 60302
Phone: 708-848-6755
Email: oprfhistorymatters@sbcglobal.net
Website
Facebook

Hyde Park Historical Society
5529 S Lake Park Ave
Chicago, IL 60637
Phone: 773-493-1893
Email: info@hydeparkhistory.org
Website
Facebook

Irish American Heritage Center
4626 North Knox Avenue
Chicago, IL 60630
Phone: 773-282-7035

Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois
PO Box 515
Northbrook, IL 60056-0515
Email: info@jgsi.org
Website
Search 68,000 entries from 14 local cemeteries included in the JGSI Online death index

Mount Prospect Historical Society
101 S Maple St
Mount Prospect, IL 60056
Phone: 847-392-9006
Email: info@mtphistory.org
Website
Facebook

Niles Historical and Cultural Center
8970 N Milwaukee Ave
Niles, IL 60714
Phone: 847-390-0160
Email: nhs@vniles.com
Website
Facebook

Norwood Park Historical Society
5624 N Newark Ave
Chicago, IL 60631
Phone: 773-631-4633
Email: info@norwoodparkhistoricalsociety.org
Website
Facebook

Palatine Historical Society
PO Box 134
224 East Palatine Road
Palatine, IL 60067
Phone: 847-991-6460
Email: claysonhouse@palatineparks.org
Website
Facebook

Park Forest Historical Society
227 Monee Road
Park Forest, IL 60466
Phone: 708-481-425
Website
Facebook

Park Ridge Historical Society
721 N Prospect Ave
Park Ridge, IL
Phone: 847-696-1973
Email: info@parkridgehistorycenter.org
Facebook
Website

Polish Genealogical Society of America
984 North Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60642-4101
Phone: 773-384-3352
Email: PGSAmerica@pgsa.org
Website

Ravenswood-Lake View Historical Association
6728 N. Jean Avenue
Chicago, IL 60646-1303
Email: secretary@ravenswoodhistorical.com
Website
Facebook

Ridge Historical Society
10621 S Seeley Ave
Chicago, IL 60643
Phone: 773-881-1675
Email: ridgehistory@hotmail.com
Website
Facebook

Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society
7363 N Greenview Ave
Chicago, IL 60626
Phone: 773-764-4078
Email: info@rpwrhs.org
Website
Facebook

South Holland Historical Society
16250 Wausau Ave (lower level)
South Holland, IL 60473
Phone: 708-596-2722
Facebook

South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society
3000 West 170th Place
Hazel Crest, IL 60429-1174
Phone: 708-335-3340
Email: info@ssghs.org
Website
Facebook
Library is located in the same building as the Hazel Crest Police Department.
Holdings include:

Oak Forest Hospital Cemetery Burial place for indigent people who died in Cook County and also for people who died at Oak Forest Hospital when it was a TB Sanitarium for Cook County. Three rolls of microfilm covering seven books of burial records (4 March 1911-17 November 1971)
Pullman Car Company Employee Records 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 (1900-1949).

Tinley Park Historical Society
6727 174th St
Tinley Park, IL 60477
Phone: 708-429-4210
Email: tinleyparkhistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Western Springs Historical Society
916 Hillgrove Ave
Western Springs, IL 60558
Phone: 708-246-9230
Email: info@westernspringshistory.org
Website
Facebook

Wilmette Historical Museum & Wilmette Historical Society
609 Ridge Road
Wilmette, IL 60091
Phone: 847-853-7666
Email: museum@wilmette.com
Website
Facebook

Winnetka Historical Society
411 Linden St
Winnetka, IL
Phone: 847-446-0001
Email: whsadmin@winnetkahistory.org
Website
Facebook

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Cook County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_County,_Illinois 4/11/2017.
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Cook County, Illinois. Page 192-199 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 194-197.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Cook County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_County,_Illinois, Last accessed 19 December 2019.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors in "Burr Oak Cemetery", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr_Oak_Cemetery, accessed 15 June 2023
  5. ↑ Illinois Miscellaneous Genealogical Records: From Counties, Bond, Boone, Calhoun, Cook, Crawford, Du Page, Johnson, Knox, Lake, Will, Pope: Kentucky county, Mercer: Missouri county, Ralls. Evanston, Ill.: Illinois Society, D.A.R., 1946.
  6. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at :https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/1/10/Igiillinoisac.pdf.
  7. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at :https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/9/9c/Igiillinoisd.pdf.
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