ChicagoCookGenealogy

GENEALOGY LOOK-UPS

ChicagoCookGenealogy

 

Welcome to ChicagoCookGenealogy. I am a genealogist interested in helping my fellow researchers. I know how hard it is to find records in various courthouses and archives in Cook County. I also know how expensive it is to obtain records from those same places. My goal is to assist you in obtaining the records you need for the lowest possible cost.

Please note that these are not "QUICK" look-ups. Except for naturalizations and obituaries, it is at least a two-stage process. Obituaries are readily available; Naturalizations are stored at the Circuit Court Archives or NARA and can be obtained the same day of the indexing. Wills/probate, divorces and civil suits have to be indexed, and, if found on index, requested from an offsite storage facility. This process takes 7-10 days. I then make a return trip to review the file and make the copies.  Not all indexes are typed and legible; many of the indexes are handwritten while some others are in ledgers that are deteriorating. I will do my best to find "your" ancestor, trying as hard as I do for my own. 

Keep in mind that records from courthouses in Chicago did not survive the Chicago Fire October 8-10, 1871. Do not expect to find naturalizations that occurred in the local courts, divorce records or wills/probate. Newspaper accounts and many church records did survive. You may have to "reconstruct" your family using those records instead. LDS has filmed many of them; check their catalog for particulars.

Currently I can help you obtain the following documents:

Naturalizations 9/27/1906+

Probate/wills 10/11/1871+

Property records 10/11/1871+

Divorces 10/11/1871+

Obituary indexing

Obituary copies

This site was under construction, thanks to changes made by Comcast.   I'm trying to streamline the process so I don't have to sift through pages of emails, but I need your cooperation in utilizing the appropriate form as detailed in each individual section of this site.  It is not interactive, but it's the best I can do right now. Please scan the completed form back to me, or cut & paste it. I've also noticed that using my gmail link may force you to outlook express to email me. This is something I can thank Microsoft for. I can't get around it, so please enter my email address in the CONTACT section of this, my home page.

Please also utilize the BLOG located here for information on genealogy related events coming up. There are currently two ongoing projects to digitize Chicago/Cook BMD. This is very exciting for us and I will post any updated information that I become aware of.

Feel free to comment on the blog.  I'd love to hear from you, but the guestbook was somehow attracting undesirable spam from porn sites so I have deleted it. Please use the comments blog instead.

The EVENTS link will contain my tentative schedule for going to the archives and other resources I use in my research. Please look there for weather related changes I'm sometimes forced to take. Living in the Windy City can prevent me from taking the public transportation I need to get to archives. Please understand that I can't control Mother Nature. 

I have tested all links and know they are working at this time. Please let me know if a link breaks in the future.  

If you do decide to contact me, please add my email address to your email contacts. Spam filters can stop even safe transmissions.

I look forward to assisting you through the Cook County maize!

Sincerely,

June

chicagocookgenealogy@gmail.com