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.