|
CHICAGO AREA/COOK COUNTY
RESEARCH:
SSGHS often receives questions regarding Chicago and Cook County research.
Before contacting SSGHS,
please read "Chicago and Cook County Sources: A Genealogical and Historical
Guide" by Loretto
Dennis Szucs (published by Ancestry.com) or its revised edition, "Chicago
and Cook County: A Guide to Research," also by Szucs.
Among the topics addressed are:
-
The availability of vital records
-
The impact of the Chicago Fire (1871) on vital
records
-
Local sources for immigration and naturalization
records
-
The availability of Chicago area newspapers
These books are available at http://www.amazon.com
VITAL RECORDS:
Cook/Will counties births, marriages and deaths are at the state or county
level. Some marriages are on Illinois State Archives databases (see our Internet Links page). Microfilmed vital
records are listed in the catalog of the Genealogical Society of Utah Family
History Library (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) at
<http://www.familysearch.org>. Links are on our "Internet Links" page. The
State of Illinois did not begin keeping vital records until 1916. Will County records begin in 1877. Cook County records
begin in 1871 (earlier records destroyed by the Chicago Fire). Information may be incomplete for these earlier
years.
Cook County Building
118 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60602
Vital Statistics, Randolph Street, Concourse
(312) 603-5656 |
Will County Clerk
Main Office
302 N. Chicago Street
Joliet IL 60432
(815) 740-4615 |
CENSUS RECORDS:
SSGHS does have some federal census microfilm and some Illinois state census
microfilm.
Census records for the entire United States are at any National Archives
regional facility and many large libraries.
NARA Great Lakes Region
7358 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, Illinois 60629-5898
(773) 581-7816
THE STATE OF ILLINOIS:
Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library
OTHER PLACES TO LOOK FOR OBITUARIES OR OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
-
An index to obituaries in The Times of Northwest Indiana
(also known as the Hammond Times)
for the years 1940-1999 are online through the Web site of :
HAMMOND PUBLIC LIBRARY
564 State Street
Hammond, IN
219-931-5100
http://www.hammond.lib.in.us
Since The Times publishes an Illinois edition, researchers
may have success with this source.
-
Obituary indexes of the Gary, Ind., Post-Tribune, 1931-1932
and 1985-1998,
in one-year increments are at
LAKE COUNTY (INDIANA) PUBLIC LIBRARY
1919 W. 81st Avenue
Merrillville, IN
219-769-3541
-
http://lakecountypubliclibrary.org/
-
Early newspapers for Northwest Indiana and Joliet,
IL carried news and columns from our coverage area.
Microfilms of Northwest Indiana papers may be found at the Lake County Public
Library in Merrillville, Ind.; Porter County Public Library in Valparaiso,
Ind. and at other Northwest Indiana libraries.
Joliet newspapers are on microfilm at the Joliet Public Library.
-
Obituaries in the Chicago Heights Star since 1906 are
indexed by the Chicago Heights Public
Library:
25 W. 15th Street
Chicago Heights, Illinois 60411
(708) 754-0323
<http://www.sls.lib.il.us/chs/index.html>
-
The Illinois State Historical Library, the repository
for Illinois newspapers, offers an obituary look-up service.
Illinois State Historical Library
Reference Department
Old State Capitol
Springfield, IL 62701
<http://www.state.il.us/hpa/lib/ishlgen.htm#Newspaper
Search Policy>
The following is from that library's Web
site: http://www.state.il.us/hpa/lib/ishlgen.htm#Newspaper Search
Policy
Illinois State Historical Library
Newspaper Search Policy
"Since our newspapers are not indexed, all search requests must include specific
information for a search
to be performed. Those specifics include the full name(s), exact date (day,
month, and year), and exact
location (city and county) of the occurrence. If such information is unavailable
and you live in the continental
United States, you may borrow newspaper microfilm on interlibrary loan through
your local library to do
your own research. Each search consists of looking for articles on one occurrence
(obituary notice, birth announcement, marriage announcement, etc.) for one
person.
Each letter must be accompanied by a self addressed, stamped, business sized
envelope. Checks and
money orders should be made payable to the Illinois State Historical Library.
A response will be sent
for successful and unsuccessful searches. Do not send a second letter until
you have received a response
to your first.
Illinois Residents: A non refundable copy fee of $1.00 must accompany each
letter. Each letter must be
limited to no more than two (2) search requests.
Non Illinois Residents: A non refundable fee of $10.00 per search must accompany
each search request.
Each letter is limited to no more than four (4) search requests."
AREA FAMILY HISTORY CENTERS (CHURCH OF JESUS
CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS)
402 Longwood Drive
Chicago Heights, IL
(708) 756-1280
(2 blocks west of Ashland Avenue
& 2 blocks north of Joe Orr Road)
13150 South 88th Avenue
Orland Park, Illinois
(708) 361-5474
655 Springfield Avenue
Joliet, Illinois
(815) 725-8621
|
Hyde Park
5200 S University Avenue
Chicago, Illinois
(773) 493-1830
Griffith Indiana
300 Wirth Rd (near Cline Ave.)
Griffith, Indiana
(219) 838-8189
Valparaiso Indiana
503 Burlington Beach Rd
Valparaiso, Indiana
(219) 464-4411 |
AREA GENEALOGICAL SOCIETIES:
There
are at least 20 genealogical societies in the Chicago area, including Cook
County, collar counties and northwest Indiana
-
Several societies concentrate on a particular geographic
area. A few of these include: Chicago Genealogical Society, North Suburban,
DuPage, Fox Valley, Will/Grundy, Elgin, Zion, Tinley-Moraine and more.
-
Several societies have an ethnic focus, such as:
Czech-Slovak, Scottish, Polish, Lithuanian and more.
-
For information on other Chicago area societies,
or to find societies in Illinois and elsewhere, go to our Internet Links
page and click "FGS Society Hall" or navigate to <http://www.fgs.org>.
|
