Helpful Websites for Chicago Genealogy Research

Adoption

Juli Claussen Search and Genealogy Services

Juli can quickly search a unique database and provide a copy of the "petition to adopt," if a match is found. She charges a modest fee for a successful search, and no fee if the search is unproductive. She has always replied to my emails in a pleasant and professional way and I feel comfortable recommending her services without hesitation.

Using the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin to Find Birth Names

Books

Chicago and Her Churches
Catholic Church in Chicago, 1673-1871
Chicago Antiquities
Daily Law Bulletin v. 20 | v. 21 | v. 22 | v. 23 | v. 24 | v. 25 | v. 26 | v. 27 | v. 28
Encyclopedia of Chicago
Reminiscences of Chicago During the Civil War
Reminiscences of Chicago During the Great Fire
Revised Statutes of the State of Illinois, 1877

Cemeteries

Chicago and Cook County Cemeteries (Barry A. Fleig)
Cook County Cemeteries (Genealogy Trails)
Includes alternate cemetery names
Cook County Cemetery at Dunning
Extensive information the history of the cemetery; includes database of burials
Cook County Cemeteries Number Two, St. Peter's Lutheran Arlington Heights Wheeling Township (PDF)
Alphabetical list of burials; cemetery read by Gertrude Lundberg in 1969
International Jewish Cemetery Project
Very detailed list of Jewish funeral homes and cemeteries in Cook County
List of Cemeteries in Cook County, Illinois (Wikipedia)

Census

A Look At Cook
Enumeration district maps

Church Records

Please see Research Tutorial > Church Records.

Directories

Please see Research Tutorial > City Directories.

Genealogical and Historical Societies

Government Offices

Circuit Court Archives
Cook County Assessor Property Search
Cook County Clerk's Office
Cook County Clerk's Recordings Division

History

Chicago History (City of Chicago)
Chicago History Timeline (Chicago Public Library)
Encyclopedia of Chicago (Chicago History Museum)
From the Archives (Chicago Tribune)
History of Chicago (Wikipedia)

Libraries and Archives

Arlington Heights Memorial Library
Chicago History Museum
Chicago Public Library
Illinois Regional Archives Depository at Northeastern Illinois University
Irish American Heritage Center
National Archives at Chicago
Newberry Library Genealogy Holdings
Swedish-American Archives of Chicago
Swedish Immigration Research Center
Wilmette Family History Center
Winnetka Public Library

Maps

ChicagoAncestors.org
Locate addresses on map; view nearby institutions; search city directories
Illinois Library Digital Collections
View Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Street Re-numbering 1909
Learn about Chicago's street numbering system; convert early addresses
Street Name Changes
Convert old street names to new; guide complied in 1948
Federal Township Plats—Illinois
David Rumsey Map Collection
A Look At Cook
Locate census enumeration districts

Photographs

Chicago History Museum Photostore
Explore Chicago Collections
Search or browse photographs from numerous archival collections
Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection
Search and/or view by topic or location; covers 1939-1953
Illinois Digital Archives
Photographs and digitized ephemera; search and/or browse by topic

Property and Buildings

Cook County Clerk's Recording Division
Chicago Building Permits Digital Collection 1872-1954

Vital Records

Births

Cook County Birth Certificate Index 1878-1949 FamilySearch
Cook County Birth Register Index 1871-1915 FamilySearch
Cook County Birth Certificate Index 1871-1922 Ancestry
Cook County Birth Index 1916-1935 Ancestry

Marriages

Cook County Marriage Index 1871-1968 FamliySearch
Cook County Marriage & Death Indexes (Fink) 1833-1889 Ancestry
Cook County Marriage Index 1871-1920 Ancestry
Cook County Marriage Index 1930-1960 Ancestry
Illinois Marriage Index 1763-1900 Secretary of State

Deaths

Cook County Death Certificate Index 1871-1998 FamilySearch
Illinois Deaths & Stillbirths 1916-1947 FamilySearch
Illinois Statewide Death Index Pre-1916 Secretary of State
Illinois Statewide Death Index 1916-1950 Secretary of State
Cook County Coroner's Inquest Index 1872-1911 Secretary of State
Cook County Death Index 1908-1988 Ancestry
Cook County Vital Records County Clerk
Order Genealogy Records Online
Homicides in Chicago 1870-1930 Northwestern.edu