ChicagoGenealogy: Research Insights from Study and Serendipity

Handy Links to the Indexes Mentioned in this Post 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) 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:

Handy Links to the Indexes Mentioned in this Post Illinois, Cook County Death Certificates, 1878-1922, 1959-1994  (FamilySearch) Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947  (FamilySearch) Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916  (Illinois Secretary of State) Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916-1947  (Illinois Secretary of State) Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988  (Ancestry) Cook County Genealogy, Certificates 20 Years or Older  (Cook County Clerk) If you're searching for Chicago and Cook County death records, there are a number of overlapping online indexes to choose from. In this post, I'll give you links to the indexes 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 up through 1947 from microfilm available through Family History Cent