Cook County Birth Index, 1871-1916
Chicago Birth Certificates, 1878-1922
How to Find Chicago Birth Records Before 1871
Chicago birth records are not available before late 1871 because the "Chicago Fire of October 8, 1871 destroyed all county vital records prior to that date." (See Genealogy Records at the Cook County Clerk's Office website.) Some alternate sources of information are listed below.
- Baptismal records
- County histories
- Death certificates
- Delayed birth certificates
- Family records including bible records
- Pension records
- School records
- Social security applications
How to Find Chicago and Cook County Birth Records, 1871-1877
Search the birth registers at FamilySearch's Record Search. Many of the early entries didn't include the child's given name, so search by parent or surname if you don't find a match on your first try.
How to Find Chicago and Cook County Birth Records, 1878-1922
Search the birth certificates at FamilySearch's Record Search. If the births were reported, you should be able to find the records online there for free. If you've never used the site, I've put together a how-to that walks you through step by step. If you don't find a match for a pre-1916 record, try searching the birth registers, also at FamilySearch's Record Search.
There are a number of reasons why you might not be able to easily find a Chicago birth certificate:
1) The birth might not have been reported when the child was born. A
January 1912 article in the Chicago Tribune, for example, suggests that
as few as 50% of infants born might have actually been registered at that time.
If the individual lived into the 1940s, consider checking the Chicago Delayed Birth Index.
2) The surname might be spelled in an unexpected way. If you have a birth month and year (from the 1900 census, for example) and you think the surname might be spelled incorrectly in the index, try searching
entries in the Chicago Birth
Registers, 1871-1915. These pages can serve as an alternate
index and they are available on microfilm and online at FamilySearch.
Other sources of birth information include:
- Newspaper Notices (though very few births seem to have been mentioned in the Chicago papers)
Historical Newspapers, Birth, Marriage, & Death Announcements, 1851-2003
Subscription database; available at Ancestry.com; includes the Chicago Tribune, 1850-1985 and the Chicago Defender, 1921-1975?
- Baptismal records
- School records (check Chicago Board of Education proceedings)
- World War I draft registration cards (available at Ancestry.com)
- Later passenger lists for United States citizens returning from abroad (available at Ancestry.com)
- Passport applications (available on FHL microfilm, at Ancestry.com, and at Footnote.com)
How to Find Chicago Birth Certificates After 1922
Birth certificates 75 years or older are available from the Cook County Clerk's Office and many of them are available for purchase and download at www.cookcountygenealogy.com.
Check the index available on the Cook County Clerk's Genealogy Online site or check the Cook County, Illinois Birth Index, 1916-1935
available at Ancestry.com. Ancestry's search gives you more flexibility. You can search by first and/or last name using Soundex, and you can also limit the day, month, and/or year.
If you find a matching entry between 1916 and 1922 inclusive, look for the record for free at FamilySearch. (see above)
If you find a matching entry after 1922, download the record from the website for a fee.
If you don't find a matching entry, request a manual search by printing their Genealogical Request Form and mailing it, along with $15, to
Cook County Clerk David Orr
Bureau of Vital Records - Genealogy
P.O. Box 642570
Chicago, IL 60664-2570