How to Find Records for Genealogical Research in Chicago
May, 2010
New! Cook County death certificates, 1878-1922, are now online for free at FamilySearch's Record Search. I will update the tutorial page to reflect this change soon!
There have been many changes in Chicago and Cook County research since I began offering lookups—early Chicago birth, marriage and death records are now online for free, for example—and I'm updating my pages to make sure they're current. I'm also rearranging things to make the site easier to use and I'll be adding new material under the tabs that are not yet linked.
I'll be finished soon. In the meantime, please click on the active links above to find step-by-step guidance on how to find important vital records for Chicago and Cook County research and check back for new information to be posted. And, if you have questions, feel free to email me.