Follow the links below to learn more about the Chicago and Cook County
records that we can search for you. If you're looking for a birth, marriage, or
death record that's not on this list, check the Research Tutorial pages for information on
where to find what you need. Select the Request Lookups tab to view a form that you can use to send in your requests.
Death Certificate Lookups
Chicago Death Certificates, 1878-1915
Paper
and digital copies. $5.00 per lookup. Request this lookup when you've
found an entry in the Illinois
Statewide Death Index, 1871-1915 for a Chicago or Cook County record.
Chicago Death Certificates, 1916-1947
Paper and digital copies. $5.00
per lookup.
Request this lookup if you have an entry from the Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916–1950 for a certificate for Chicago up to 1947. (For records 1948-1950, see this page. For certificates outside of Chicago, see Molly's Website.)
Chicago Death Index, 1871-1933
Digital
images of index pages. $2.00 per image. Request this lookup if you are looking for deaths 1871-1877 or if you
were unable to find a name in the online index for a death 1878-1933. If you
have a last-known address, it can also be useful for narrowing a search
when you are looking for an individual with a common
name.
Cook County Coroner's Death Certificates,
1879-1904
Paper and digital
copies of certificates. $5.00 per lookup. Request this search if you know that an
individual's name appears in Cook County Coroner's Inquest Record Index,
1872–1911.
Out-of-town Death
Certificates, 1909-1915
Paper and digital copies of certificates. $5.00 per
lookup. Request this lookup if you found an entry in the Chicago Death Index, 1871-1933 that was marked "OT"
(out-of-town).
Index to Deaths Mentioned in Chicago Newspapers, 1856-1889 (Sam Fink's)
Digital images of index
pages. Fee: $2.00 per image. Request this lookup if you are searching for evidence of
a death before 1871 or if you are looking for obituaries or death notices
for other years.
Marriage Record Lookups
Cook County Marriage Licenses, 1871-1916
Paper and digital copies. $5.00 per lookup. Request
this lookup if you have a license number from the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index or if you've found an
extracted marriage record in the International Genealogical Index. Note: If you don't have the
license number for a 1900-1916 marriage or for an extracted marriage found in
the IGI, we can check the index for you for a small additional fee. ($1.00 if the
entry is found; $2.00 per film checked, maximum $5.00, if the entry isn't
found.)
Birth Certificate Lookups
Chicago Birth Certificates, 1878-1915
Paper and digital copies of certificates.
$5.00 per lookup. Request this lookup when
you've found an entry in the Cook County birth index (see below) and want to obtain a copy
of the certificate. (If the certificate number begins with "DS" or "ODS,"
request the record from the Cook County
Clerk's office
Cook
County Birth Index, 1871-1916
We can provide digital images of index
pages on a limited basis, if you tell us the surname(s) you need. (For common surnames, we will need the children's names and the father's given name.) Please email to see if we can fulfill your request. Request this lookup if you want to begin
looking for births in Chicago and Cook County.
Chicago Delayed Birth Index, 1871-1948
Digital images of index pages. $2.00 per scan. Request this lookup if you've checked the Cook County birth index
with no luck and want to know if the birth was reported through delayed birth
registration, probably in the 1940s. Because this index isn't alphabetical by given name, we cannot handle lookups for common surnames.
Catholic Church Record Lookups
Church
records
Archdiocese of Chicago Parish
Records to 1915
Paper and digital copies of parish register pages. $5.00
per lookup. Request this lookup if you have an entry from an online index for a
baptism or marriage OR if you have the date and priest and/or parish name from a marriage license.