Research Tools: Chicago Board of Education Directories

Tuesday I found myself in downtown Chicago with an hour to spare between copying a divorce file at the Circuit Court Archives and meeting up with my husband to attend a [really awesome!] Carolina Chocolate Drops concert at City Winery.  I decided to stop by the Harold Washington Library to take a close look at the Chicago Board of Education directories that are available at the Municipal Reference Collection desk on the fifth floor.

What Years are Available?

A guide to the library's holdings lists volumes beginning with 1895, but 1899 was the earliest the staff member could locate for me. She thought the earlier volume might fragile and therefore unavailable. Glancing at the key, the collection appears to be strong from 1900 to 1990, with a few gaps, and then the final volumes cover 1998 and 2003.

What's in the Directories?

Here's a quick list of what I found in the 1899 directory:

Regular board meeting dates
School term dates -- fall, winter, summer, evening
Dates of examinations for principals, admission to high school, admission to normal school
Members of board of education with address and a year (ending of their term of office?)
Committee members
School districts and the schools they included
List of high schools
Office hours
Principals of schools for the school year covered
Schedule of salaries
Reference books furnished for high schools and elementary schools
Apparatus furnished including maps and a globe
Text books adopted for use
Supplementary reading for each grade (titles of books)
Street railway lines
Railway passenger stations
Elevated roads
Population of the city by divisions
Locations of schools and how to reach them by public transportation
Schools for the deaf
Manual training centers
Teachers, school assignment, and address (arranged by surname)

The 1924 volume had the same rich information by by 1951, the other year I sampled, there was much less information -- schools and their addresses, district personnel rosters including teachers, but no home addresses. The 1973 volume included school lists with personnel and a list of principals but no mention of teachers.

How Can the Directories be Used for Family History Research?

I started to brainstorm based on the list above, but my ideas seemed to obvious. So, instead of making suggestions, I'll ask you a few questions:

• Have you used these directories? If so, for what?
• Have you seen similar directories in other parts of the country?
• Are there other ways to find the kinds of information that these directories include?

I'll go first. I haven't used school board directories for my own research but I was able to figure out a Minnesota school clerk's early 1900s employment dates and determine her salary using school board payroll records on microfilm. At the time it felt like a nice find.

Now it's your turn!

Example Pages

Chicago Police Department Personnel Registers, 1890-1910

Quick Introduction

Last Friday I visited the Chicago History Museum to explore the microfilmed Chicago Police Department Personnel Registers, 1890-1910, part of a collection titled Chicago Police Department collection [manuscript], 1966-1969.

There are three register volumes, 1890-1897, 1897-1904, and 1904-1910, and I chose to focus on the last one because it was the most relevant to my search. The names were grouped together by the first few letters of the surname and the handwritten entries were easy to read.  It only took a couple of minutes to find the first match. I also took a quick look at an earlier volume and it wasn't quite as easy to use. The names were only grouped by first letter of surname and so I had to look through many more entries to find what I needed.

What Information Do the Registers Include?

Register entries cross two facing pages and the column headings are listed below.

(View large images: Page 1 Page 2)

(Number) There are numbers on the far left with no column heading and I'm not sure what they mean.     Generally, they repeat, but when they change, they seem to climb sequentially.

Surname

Given Name

Star No. -- Usually not filled in.

Born (Month, Day, Year) -- Generally includes day, month, and year.

Place of Nativity -- Generally a country, a county and country, or a city and state.

Former Occupation -- Varied; examples include cigar maker, stone mason, railroad employee, piano maker, clerk, and cab driver.

Residence -- One or more street addresses.

Year -- Most likely the year the street address (above) was recorded.

Date of Appointment as Special -- Provides a date.

Date of Appointment on Probation -- Provides a date.

Date of Appointment as Regular -- Provides a date.

Resigned or Discharged -- Provides a date.; indicates resignation or discharge.

Cause -- This seems to be related to the resignation or discharge; causes are recorded with numerical codes.

Record (Fines) -- In one example, this column provides a date, the number of days of pay that were withheld, and the "Violation Rule No." In other example, the entry includes a date, the word "Susp'd," a Violation Rule No., and a note that the employee had been "restored to duty."

Record (Promotion) -- Provides date and rank and often includes multiple entries.

Retired on Pension -- Provides a date.

Many of the columns on the second page were blank, but the ones most relevant to family history research, were usually complete.

Why Search these Registers?

Birth information:
These registers provide birth dates and birth places that might otherwise be difficult to find. For example, many of the early Chicago records just list "Ireland" as place of birth, but these registers often include a county and in at least one case, the town and county in Ireland were listed.

Addresses:
Knowing where the family lived in a particular year can be a jumping off point for other research including city directories and church records.

Work history:
Knowing when a man joined and/or left the police force can be helpful in determining when individuals arrived in or left Chicago. It can also be helpful in narrowing down a death date. And, confirming a man's occupation before he joined the police force can be useful in tracking the family through earlier city directories or in confirming a matching record for a man with a common name.

Family stories:
Information about disciplinary action or promotions can add interesting detail to a family narrative.

And what about the scrapbook?

I also took a look at the scrapbook covering 1912-1914. It would be interesting to read and it might be helpful to someone looking for a particular event within that time period if an exact date was unknown. If the date was known, it would be better to search newspapers directly so the title, publication date, and page number could be recorded.

Tips for Making a Research Trip to the Chicago History Museum

The Museum's website offers useful tips, so I'll just mention a couple of things. First, take a USB flash drive in case you want to save images from microfilm. And second take a camera. Scanners aren't permitted, but cameras are. I used my cell phone. It worked great.

And, in case you're wondering how to get there, I took the #22 bus from the Daley Center because I visited the Circuit Court Archives on my way and it was very easy. You can drive--there's a parking lot quite close--but there are also many possibilities for bus and "L" listed on the Museum's directions page.

How to Locate District Court Naturalization Records Online, 1922-1940

Once again, FamilySearch has made an important group of Cook County records available online. This time, it's a database titled Illinois, Northern District Petitions for Naturalization, 1906-1991.

There are two things you should know about the title.

First, it says "petitions," but the database actually includes declarations and certificates of arrival, too.

And second, it says "1906-1991, but the images are being added and the collection isn't yet complete.

Current coverage (updated 1 May 2014):  First record #98951 from 1931; last record #278950 from 1943.

So, how do you find these records? It's pretty simple.

First, search for names in the Illinois, Northern District Naturalization Index, 1840-1950

When you find a match, check the "Title and Location of Court" box. If it says, "District" (or U.S. Dist.") then there's a chance you can find the matching record online.

Check the naturalization date. If it's between 1922 and 1940, look for the petition number. It will be found in the "Certificate Number" box and it's usually prefixed with the letter "P."

Next, go to  Illinois, Northern District Petitions for Naturalization, 1906-1991, click "Browse through images" and click on the "Cook County" link.

The numbers you see are petition numbers. If you can find a group that includes the P-Number from your Soundex card, you're in luck.

The online images will include certificates of arrival and declarations of intention in addition to the petitions, but they will be arranged numerically by petition number (even if the petition number doesn't appear on the certificates or declarations).

And what if the record you need isn't online yet? If it's from the District Court, I'd suggest submitting a request to the National Archives at Chicago online. The cost is $10 and I hear the turnaround time is pretty quick.

If it's from any other Cook County court (Circuit, Superior, County, or Criminal) then it will be at the Cook County Circuit Court Archives and I'd suggest having someone pick the record up in person. It's quicker and less expensive than by mail and it opens up the possibility of having color scans or photos instead of black and white photocopies. You can connect with a few researchers who offer that service by visiting the Circuit Court Archives page on our Genlighten website.

Help Index Cook Death Certificates, 1959-1994

I haven't done any FamilySearch indexing for a while--just too busy with other things--but my husband and I are getting ready for the Wilmette Family History Center's Family History Fair coming up on March 22, and so I logged in this morning to see what's changed since I last helped out. (The plan is to set up computers so that the youth who attend the Fair can give indexing a try.)

I was surprised and thrilled to find that Cook County death certificates were listed as one of the current indexing projects. I immediately downloaded a batch and went to work!

The batch was from May of 1963 and my job was to extract detailed information from the easy-to-read certificate and type it into the form--everything from the obvious name, death date, death place, to occupation, birth and parent information, to informant, to cemetery name and funeral home. It's going to be a very useful index.

I immediately posted a note on the Chicago Genealogy Facebook page--perfect way for Chicago researchers to give back--and realized that there was a need for some detailed instructions on how to participate. Step-by-step instructions are below.

If you'd like to know more about the project, check out the Project Page. It describes the project and includes sample images.

If you decide to lend a hand, post a comment and let blog readers know about your experience.

How to Get Started Indexing Cook County Death Certificates at FamilySearch

1) Go to the Get Started with Indexing page.

2) Download and install the software. (It's pretty quick and easy.)

















3) Find the icon on your desk top and click to open it.












4) Sign into FamilySearch or register for a new account.














5) You might see a white screen for a few seconds. Just be patient and the indexing dashboard will load.

6) Click on the "Download Batch" button, click on "Show all projects," and scroll to find "US, Illinois Cook County--Deaths."

7) Make sure "US, Illinois Cook County--Deaths" is highlighted, select the number of batches you want to download, and click "Okay."

8) From there, read the directions carefully, and start typing.

If you haven't indexed before, there's one thing you should know. Information from every batch is extracted by two people and then it goes to an arbitrator who reviews any discrepancies to make the final call. Index carefully, yes, but don't sweat over something that you're not quite sure about. Just do your best and it will be plenty good enough.

Why Does the FamilySearch Death Index Have Duplicate Entries?

Have you noticed that some people are listed twice in FamilySearch's Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1922 index, sometimes with slightly different information or spellings? Have you ever wondered why? Have you ever wondered which record to go after? Or whether you should go after them both? In this post, I'll tell you what I know about the duplicate entries and the corresponding death records.

Let's use Charlotte Klug as an example. If I search for her name in the index two matches come up. The first entry leads to certificate #5805 on film number 1239830. The second entry leads to MF 73350-1 p 8967 on film 1239813.

If you search the two film numbers in the Family History Library Catalog, you'll see that they're from the same series: Chicago Death Certificates, 1878-1915.

From 1908-1915, many individuals who died in Chicago will have two death certificates on two different films from this series.

The record from the first entry can be found on a film using a register number that can also be found on a microfilm index called Index to Deaths in the City of Chicago During the Years 1871 to 1933: Showing Name, Address and Date of Death. These numbers appear to group the records together by the date they were recorded. Surnames beginning with all letters of the alphabet are mixed together. I'll call this the "register number record" or RNR.

The record for the second entry can be found on a film using a certificate number that's also available from the Illinois Statewide Death Index. These records are organized by the certificate number on the films and the numbers group them together by month by the first letter of the surname. In other words, all of the "K" records for March, 1909 would be a sequential group. I'm going to call this the "certificate number records" or CNR.

So, what's the difference between the two records? Let's look at the CNR for Charlotte first. Notice that it's written in two hands. The top was probably filled in by the undertaker and the bottom was likely filled in by the physician.



Now look at the RNC. The handwriting, including the signatures, is all the same.



I believe the CNR is the original record and I think the RNR is probably a copy made by someone at the Cook County Clerk's Office.

So, how did the recording process work? I don't know for sure, but I can guess, based on what I know about other Cook County Clerk's Office records.

In this case, I think the CNR was filled out by the undertaker, physician, and/or coroner, and returned to the  County Clerk's Office. Then I think a copy was made by hand on a blank form and I think both were assigned a register number based on the order that the original was received and entered.

The copies were kept in register order number and eventually the originals were grouped by the first letter of the surname within the month and assigned certificate numbers. There's a third number stamped on top of the original records, but I don't know what the significance of it is.

I've compared duplicate records from other years, but I haven't done a systematic study. In some years, the two records look the same at quick glance but there are usually very subtle differences in the writing. In those cases, I think the undertaker and physician created two record at the same time and submitted both to the clerk's office.

So, which record should you search for if you find duplicate entries in the index? I think it's best to search for the CNR -- the one that seems to be the original.

But how can tell which is which? Easy. Find the matching entry in the Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 and use the certificate number listed there to choose the matching entry in the FamilySearch index.

If you live in the Chicago area, the Wilmette Family History Center has all of the CNR films and many of the RNR films. If you don't, you can access the reels at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, order in the film at your local Family History Center, or just ask me to retrieve the record. I charge $6/search and if the local FHC has both reels, I'm happy to provide copies of both records for the same fee. I also offer small discounts for 3 or more requests submitted at the same time.

Guide to Online Birth Indexes for Cook County: Which Ones to Use When (with links)

Handy Links to the Indexes Mentioned in this Post

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Cook County Birth Registers, 1871-1915 (FamilySearch)
Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878-1922 (FamilySearch)
Cook County, Illinois, Birth Certificates Index, 1871-1922 (Ancestry)
Cook County, Illinois Birth Index, 1916-1935 (Ancestry)
Historical Cook County Illinois Vital Records (Cook County Clerk)

This is the last of a series of three posts focusing on the Chicago and Cook County vital records indexes that are available online. In this article, I'll give you links to the Cook County birth indexes that I use regularly and summarize their strengths and limitations to help you decide which one(s) will work best for your search.

Once you've found an index entry, the records can be obtained from a number of different places but the rule of thumb is this:

• get records from 1923 forward from the the Cook County Clerk's Office ($15 + a handling fee if you buy the records online at www.cookcountygenealogy.com)


• get records from 1871-1922 from Family History Library microfilm (the cost of a photocopy if you have local access to the films; $7.50 if you need to order a film from the FamilySearch catalog and have it sent to your local Family History Center);  or from me through Genlighten ($6.00 each with quick turnaround; discounts for batch orders)

Cook County Birth Registers, 1871-1915 (FamilySearch)

Quick Advice: Use this index if you're looking for births from 1871-1877. The birth register pages are the only records that are available for this time period (no certificates before 1878). Be aware that many of the entries lack given name(s) for the child so you might need to search on parent names.

If you're looking for records from 1878 forward, search the Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878-1922 first. It leads to certificates. If you can't find a match there, then check this index because names might be transcribed differently. If you find a match in this index, the birth register number can be used to find the certificate.

Strengths: 

• can be searched using combinations of child's name, parent names, gender, race, birth year range, and parent birth places
• * can be used as a wildcard
• search results show birth dates and parent names
• entries provide FamilySearch film numbers
• the Reference IDs provide volume and page numbers needed to find matching entries

Limitations:

• reference IDs are inconsistent (some provide volume and page; some provide page and line number)
• in most cases you'll have to look at the register page to get the certificate number needed to find the matching birth certificate (1878 forward)
• if a name is misspelled, especially the first few letters, it might be hard to bring up the matching entry

Additional Information: It seems likely that birth information was copied from certificates onto the register pages in the order that the clerk's office received them and that certificate numbers were assigned based on the line numbers in the register. If you have a choice, get a copy of the birth certificate rather than the register pages.

Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878-1922 (FamilySearch)

Quick Advice: Start with this index. If you don't find a match for a child, search parent names instead. If you still can't find a match for births up through 1915, try searching the birth register index linked above.

Strengths: 

• can be searched using combinations of  child's name, parent names, gender, birth year range, and parent birth places
• * can be used as a wildcard
• search results show birth dates and parent names
• entries provide FamilySearch film numbers and certificate numbers (Reference ID)

Limitations:

• if a name is misspelled, especially the first few letters, it might be hard to bring up the matching entry

Cook County, Illinois, Birth Certificates Index, 1871-1922 (Ancestry)

Quick Advice: This index overlaps the two FamilySearch indexes listed above and it doesn't provide certificate numbers or distinguish between birth register entries and birth certificate entries. It's best to use the FamilySearch indexes first.

Strengths:

• combines the two FamilySearch indexes listed above
• entries include FamilySearch film numbers
• entries can be saved to Ancestry trees

Limitations:

• entries don't include certificate numbers
• searches bring up entries for birth register pages and birth certificates; the only way to tell them apart is to check film numbers in the Family History Library Catalog or to find matching index entries at FamilySearch
• no links available for purchasing the matching records through the county clerk's website

Cook County, Illinois Birth Index, 1916-1935 (Ancestry)

Quick advice: Use this index if you need records from 1923 forward or if you are planning to purchase records from 1916-1922 from the County instead of getting them from FamilySearch films.

Strengths:

• can be searched using the child's name and birthdate
• provides file (certificate) numbers
• provides links to purchase records online from the Cook County Clerk's website

Limitations:

• database doesn't include parents which limits search possibilities and makes it hard to find matches for common names
• doesn't provide film number for the records from 1916-1922 that can be obtained from FamilySearch films

cookcountygenealogy.com (Cook County Clerk)

Quick advice: The search capability on this site seems to be limited to exact spellings within a year range. Create a free account on this site but use the 1916-1935 index at Ancestry.com to search (see above). This approach offers more flexibility and lets you easily click through to purchase and download records from this site. 

Strengths:

• search results include children's names and birth dates
• database includes records 75 years and older
• records are available for immediate purchase and download

Limitations:

• must create an account and log in before searching
• can only be searched using exact spellings
• searches can only be limited by a date range
• doesn't include early birth records and may not include recently-released records
• database doesn't include parents which limits search possibilities and makes it hard to find matches for common names

Additional Information: Birth certificates are available if they are 75 year or older but the online collection is, to the best of my knowledge, incomplete. If you can't find what you need online, you can mail in a search request using the Genealogy Record Request Form.

Guide to Online Marriage Indexes for Cook County: Which Ones to Use When (with links)

Handy Links to the Indexes Mentioned in this Post

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Cook County, Illinois, Marriage and Death Indexes, 1833-1889 (Ancestry)
Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 (Illinois Secretary of State)
Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1920 (FamilySearch)
Cook County, Illinois, Marriages Index, 1871-1920 (Ancestry)
Cook County, Illinois Marriage Indexes, 1912-1942 (Ancestry)
Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930-1960 (Ancestry)
Historical Cook County Illinois Vital Records (Cook County Clerk)

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This is the second in a series of three posts focusing on the Chicago and Cook County vital records indexes that are available online. In this article, I'll give you links to the Cook County marriage indexes that I use regularly and summarize their strengths and limitations to help you decide which one(s) will work best for your search.

Once you've found an index entry, the records can be obtained from a number of different places but the rule of thumb is this:

• get records from 1921 forward from the the Cook County Clerk's Office ($15 + a handling fee if you buy the records online at www.cookcountygenealogy.com)


• get records up through 1916 from the Illinois Regional Archives Depository at Northeastern Illinois University (reimburse IRAD for the copy costs; you can visit in person or submit requests by telephone); from Family History Library microfilm (the cost of a photocopy if you have local access to the films; $7.50 if you need to order a film from the FamilySearch catalog and have it sent to your local Family History Center);  or from me through Genlighten ($6.00 each with quick turnaround; discounts for batch orders)


• get records from 1917-1920 from Family History Library microfilm (see above)


• get the 1833-1871 newspaper notices/articles mentioned in Sam Fink's Index from an online Chicago Tribune source if the code is * or from a repository that holds newspapers for any of the other codes

Cook County, Illinois, Marriage and Death Indexes, 1833-1889 (Ancestry.com)

Quick Advice: This is actually a newspaper index known as "Sam Fink's." Use it when you want to find mention of pre-fire marriages, 1833-1871, in newspapers. To learn more about this index, refer to my "Sam Fink's Marriage-Death Index Available on Ancestry" post.

Strengths:

• can be search by bride and/or groom name
• can be searched by marriage date
• page images can browsed
• index page images include the newspaper title symbols needed for finding the matching articles

Limitations:

• must have a key to the newspaper title symbols in order to follow up (see below)
• entries for marriages appear twice because the marriage index appears twice on the film

Newspaper Key (for marriages and deaths):

Chicago Tribune *

Chicago Times %

Chicago Evening Journal $

Chicago Democrat #

Chicago Democratic Press #

Chicago Evening Post ?

Chicago Record-Herald "

Chicago Daily News @

Chicago Examiner [cent sign]

The Inter-Ocean :

Additional Information: These index entries are included in the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 with FINK in the license number column but that index doesn't provide the newspaper codes so it's best to use the one at Ancestry. The marriages in this index end in 1871; it's the death entries that go through 1889.

Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 (Illinois Secretary of State)

Quick advice: The entries in this index are covered by Sam Fink's Index (see above) and the Illinois Cook County Marriage Index, 1871-1920 (see below). Use this index when you need to locate or confirm a license number for a record found in the FamilySearch Index or when you think the marriage might have taken place outside Cook County.

Strengths:

• includes entries for other Illinois counties
• may include spellings different than the FamilySearch Index

Limitations:

• doesn't provide newspaper codes for the Fink entries
• if you find matches up through 1900, it takes an extra step to find the corresponding FamilySearch microfilm numbers

Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1920 (FamilySearch)

Quick advice: Use this index first if you're looking for marriages for 1871-1920. 

Strengths:

• can be searched by bride or groom or by bride and groom using the spouse field
• can limit search results by approximate birth year
• provides ages for bride and groom
• provides FamilySearch film numbers as "Reference ID"

Limitations:

• the search form offers birth place and parent name options but the information isn't in the index so you'll get no results if you use those fields
• some index entries don't include license numbers; you can get them up through 1900 from the Illinois Secretary of State index listed above

Cook County, Illinois, Marriages Index, 1871-1920 (Ancestry.com)

Quick advice: This index overlaps the FamilySearch index listed above. 

Strengths:

• easy to search
• can save results to an Ancestry.com tree

Limitations:

• lists film numbers but doesn't provide the license numbers needed to find the records on film

Cook County, Illinois Marriage Indexes, 1912-1942 (Ancestry.com)

Quick advice: Use this index when you need to find marriages from 1921-1942. If you find a match for 1930 forward, go to cookcountygenealogy.com to purchase and download the matching record. If you find a match for 1921-1929, try the county site but know that you will probably need to mail a Genealogy Record Request Form to get a copy. If you are looking for a 1912-1920 record, use the FamilySearch Index if you plan to get the record from FamilySearch microfilm.

Strengths:

• can be searched using combinations of names and dates
• index entries are linked to an index page that can be attached to an Ancestry.com tree
• entries include the spouse name on the same line as the indexed person
• search is more flexible than the one at cookcountygenealogy.com

Limitations:

• doesn't provide FamilySearch film numbers
• doesn't provide a quick link for getting the record from Cook County

Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930-1960 (Ancestry.com)

Quick advice: Use this index when you need to find marriages from 1930-1960. If you find a match, click through to purchase and download the matching record from cookcountygenealogy.com.

Strengths:

• can be searched using combinations of names and dates
• index entries can be attached to an Ancestry.com tree
• entries include the spouse name
• search is more flexible than the one at cookcountygenealogy.com
• if you find a match, you can click through to purchase and download the matching record from cookcountygenealogy.com; the item will appear in your cart after you log in

Limitations:

• few, if any

cookcountygenealogy.com (Cook County Clerk)

Quick advice: The search capability on this site seems to be limited to exact spellings within a year range. Create a free account on this site but use the 1930-1960 index at Ancestry.com to search it (see above). It offers more flexibility and you can easily click through to purchase and download records from this site. 

Strengths:

• records are available for immediate purchase and download
• entries provide spouse names, license numbers, and event dates

Limitations:

• must create an account and log in before searching
• can only be searched using exact spellings
• searches can only be limited by a date range
• doesn't appear to include marriages before c. 1930

Additional Information: Marriage licenses are available if they are 20 years or older but the online collection is, to the best of my knowledge, incomplete. If you can't find what you need online, you can mail in a search request using the Genealogy Record Request Form.