How to Find Chicago Marriage Licenss Before 1871
Because of the Chicago fire, only a few civil
marriage records exist before 1871. Sources for these licenses
include:
Cook County, Illinois Marriage License Records, 1870-1880 by
Leona Hopper Newbill
FHL Film 0848650 Item 2
Some Cook County Marriages Prior to Fire abstracted by Joan
L. Alguire
FHL Fiche 6050058
Alternate sources of information include:
Newspaper Notices
Historical Newspapers, Birth, Marriage, & Death Announcements, 1851-2003Subscription database; available at Ancestry.com
Includes the Chicago Tribune, 1850-1985
Sam Fink's Index to Marriages Mentioned in Chicago Newspapers, 1833-1871
FHL Film 1321939 (Fink's marriages are included in the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index)
Includes the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Evening Journal, Chicago Democrat, Chicago Evening Post, Chicago Record-Herald, Chicago Daily News, Chicago Examiner, and the Inter-Ocean
Church Marriage Records
Catholic: Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic parish records have been filmed to 1915. Check the Family History Library Catalog to see what's available. Do a place search for "Chicago" and then select "Church Records."
Other Denominations:
See Newberry Library's Guide to Chicago Church and Synagogue Records.
If you know of other pre-fire church marriage records, please let me know so that they can be added to the list.