1. Chicago Resources:
What’s available outside of the Family History Center
Suzanne Hoffman, Family History Consultant

2. What We Know
The first birth on record in Chicago was of Eulalia Pointe du Sable, daughter of Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable and his Potawatomi Indian wife in State formed in 1818
Illinois has 102 counties
Illinois has more units of government than any other state
The Chicago Public Library is the 6th largest public library in the US with a collection of more than 6.0 million materials (NY has 24 million)
Illinois has more units of government (more than 6,000) than any other state (i.e., city, county, township, etc.). Over six thousand. One contributing reason may be the township governments, which are generally six miles square.
Libraries: NYC, Boston, Detroit, Cincy, LA are larger

3. Illinoisans 5th largest state in population (12.8 million - 2015)
50.7% female, 49.3 male (2010) average age 36.6
71.5% White, 15.8% Hispanic, 14.5% Black, 4.6% Asian, .3% American Indian, 6.8% other, 2 or more 2.3%
25th largest state in land mass (55.58 sq miles)
Nearly 80% of the state is farm land – even today!
Illinois has the largest recoverable bituminous coal reserve of any state – close to 1.2 billion tons
Chicago population – 2.7 million (2016 and decreasing)
45% White, 32.9% Black, 28% Hispanic, 5% Asian, .4% American Indian, 15.6% other, 2 or more 3%
Cook County population – 5.23 million (2015)

4. Trivia
New York Sun editor Charles Dana, tired of hearing Chicagoans boast of the World's Columbian Exposition, dubbed Chicago the "Windy City"
The 4 stars on the Chicago flag represent Fort Dearborn, the Chicago Fire, the World's Columbian Exposition, and the Century of Progress Exposition
The name "Illinois" comes from a Native American word meaning "tribe of superior men (Algonquin dialect)”
Peoria is the oldest community in Illinois
In 1865, Illinois became the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery
Western Avenue is the world’s longest nonstop road, at 23.5 mile

5. Start With FHC Site First
Go to Cyndi’s List for other resources
Check out Genealoger for more regional info  
Part of the challenge is that people go right to a program like FamilySearch and Ancestry and bypass a lot of the other resources that are available to them – even here in the Family History Center. If you are going to visit, ensure you get the most out of our resources. To do that you need to know what those resources are. Other online aggregators of information include Cyndi’s List – probably the most well known blog out there for Genealogy with over 70,000 listings - by Cyndi Ingalls.

6. Immigration and Naturalization
Multiple places to find records
Ancestry.com – Immigration (from Wilmette FHC)
FamilySearch - Naturalization
NARA and USCIS records and how to request them
NARA – National Archives and Record Administration

8. Special Places for Death Information
Directories – very often have death dates in them (Newberry, Harold Washington, History Museum)
Any Social Club records: Masons, Elks, Odd Fellows, Moose, Knights of Columbus, The Shriners, etc.

9. Cemeteries 216 Cemeteries in Cook County
45 are under the Archdiocese of Chicago – Catholic Cemeteries

11. Chicago Newspapers Daily News and Tribune
Harold Washington Library
Daily News, Tribune and Sun-Times
Chicago History Museum
Daily News, Tribune, Sun-Times, and Defender
Newberry
Daily News, Tribune, Sun-Times, Defender, Crain’s Business and Evanston Review
Northwestern Library Reading Room (ProQuest)
Suburban Papers
Local Libraries

12. Foreign Language Newspapers
Sonntag and Abendpost (German)
Harold Washington
Chicago History Museum
Chicagoski Dezenniki (Polish)
Polish History Museum
Newberry
Holdings of 22 different language translated newspapers from
Sonntag -

13. Other On-Line Resources
(previous link)
There are more than 1600 blogs
Now
in conjunction with genlighten.com
RootsWeb
WorldFamilies.net (DNA Family Projects)
WikiTree Genealogy (100% free)
A lot of the blog posts are about the genealogical record gathering process. There are still a few about the industry in general and what is happening commercially.

14. What Other Resources Exist?
Ask for help on Facebook group – Chicago Genealogy (closed group)
For Fee

15. Newberry Library Not just for Chicago – all US collection
All 50 states
Newspapers from all over the US (ProQuest)
Card catalogue of Family Histories
Library Access to CARLI I-Share (86 libraries)
WorldCat access
Adoption and Orphan Research
Chicago Church and Synagogue records
Over 50 Chicago area newspapers in varying languages

16. Harold Washington Library
Van Buren and State St.
All Cook County and Chicago Censuses
Chicago Newspapers on open shelves
Chicago City Directories
Cook County and Sidwell Property Maps
Sanborn Fire Insurance maps
Chicago History and Special Collections
Chicago Neighborhoods

17. Chicago History Museum
Free Research Library
Better with notable Chicagoans
Card catalogue of names
Chicago “Blue Books”
Photography index
History of townships and neighborhoods
Exhibits and Event data

18. The Need to get Out of Doors
Clerk of the Cook County Courts – Daley Center
Naturalizations
Probates
Divorces
Criminal Cases
Wills
All cost money and you must have some idea what you are looking for

19. The Need to get Out of Doors (con’t)
Cook County Recorder of Deeds – County Building, 118 N. Clark St.
Need to know exactly what you are looking for
May provide approximate date of death (sale of property)
Probate case #’s
Names of family members

20. The Need to get Out of Doors (con’t)
Cook County Recorder of Deeds – County Building, Clark St.
Need to know exactly what you are looking for
May provide approximate date of death (sale of property)
Probate case #’s
Names of family members

21. The Need to get Out of Doors (con’t)
NARA – National Archives (74th and Pulaski)
Records for Great Lakes Region
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin
Native American Enrollment records
Court records
Fugitive Slave records
Land records
Military records
Immigration and Naturalization records
Ethnic Heritage records: Japanese, Chinese, Europe

22. IRAD – Illinois Regional Archives Depository
Births, Deaths, Marriages
Land Deeds and Sales
Voter Registration
Probate records
Civil and Criminal Court records
Coroner’s Inquests
School records
Township records
Municipal records
City of Chicago Pre-Fire records
Northeastern Illinois University,
Foster and St. Louis - Chicago

25. Chicago Catholic Archdiocese Archives
Appointment necessary
Records available by Parish (you must know the Parish)
Parish Baptismal records
Marriage records
Burial records
Limited dates

26. Genealogical Societies
Chicago Genealogical Society**
Cook County Friends of Genealogy
NW Suburban Genealogy Society
Elgin Genealogical Society
DuPage County Genealogical Society
Lake County Genealogical Society
Fox Valley Genealogical Society
McHenry County Genealogical Society
Kane County Genealogical Society
South Suburban Genealogy Society
Schaumburg Genealogical Society
Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago
American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, Northern Illinois Chapter
Armenian General Benevolent Union and Genealogy
Czech & Slovak Genealogical Society

27. Genealogical Societies (con’t)
Illinois State Genealogical Society**
International Society of Sons & Daughters of Slave Ancestry
Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois
Lithuanian American Genealogical Society
Polish Genealogical Society of America
Scottish Genealogy Group of the Illinois St. Andrew Society
Zion Genealogical Society
Daughters of the American Revolution
Society of Colonial Wars
Society of the War of 1812
Sons of the American Revolution
Sons of Union Veterans

28. Historical Societies Arlington Heights Museum & Historical Society
Barrington Area Historical Society & History Museum
Bartlett Historical Society
Cary-Grove Historical Society
Chicago History Museum
Chicago & Northwestern Historical Society
Crystal Lake Historical Society
Deerfield Area Historical Society
Des Plaines Historical Society & Museum
DuPage County Historical Museum
Edgebrook Historical Society
Edgewater Historical Society
Evanston Historical Society

29. Historical Societies (con’t)
Glenview Area Historical Society
Highland Park Historical Society
Irving Park Historical Society
Jewish – Spertus Museum
Kenilworth Historical Society
Lake Forest - Lake Bluff Historical Society
Lake – McHenry County Historical Alliance
Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society
Lithuanian – Balzekas Museum
McHenry County Historical Society & Museum
Morton Grove Historical Society
Mt. Greenwood Historical Society
Mt. Prospect Historical Society
Niles Historical Society-Museum
Norwood Park Historical Society

30. Historical Societies (con’t)
Northeastern Illinois Historical Council
Oak Park/River Forest Historical Society
Old Edgebrook Historical Society
Palatine Historical Society
Polish American Museum
Park Ridge Historical Society
Ravenswood-Lakeview Historical Society
Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society
Scottish Home
Skokie Historical Society & Heritage Museum
Swedish American Museum
Wauconda Township Historical Society
Wheeling Historical Society & Museum
Wilmette Historical Society

31. Event Listings http://eogn.wikidot.com/eogn-calendar:illinois

33. Chicago Resources:
What’s available outside of the Family History Center
Suzanne Hoffman, Family History Consultant