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Online Chicago & Cook County, Illinois Death Records & Indexes

A Genealogy Guide for Finding Death Certificates, Obituaries & Other Records

Illinois Full State Death Indexes

Illinois Death Index 1916-1950
Illinois Death Index Before 1916 (partial) includes a Cook County death index for 1871-1915

Cook County Vital Records and Indexes

Historical Cook County Vital Records - Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates includes birth certificates 75 years or older, marriage licenses 50 years or older and death certificates 20 years or older -- begins circa 1872; searches are free -- requires payment to download copies of the records (some records may not yet be available online)
You can also search the death index at Ancestry if you have a subscription:
- Cook County, Illinois Death Index, 1908-1988 2.7 million entries (requires subscription fee)
You may be able to obtain scanned copies of the death certificates 1878-1922 for free at:
- FamilySearch Labs: Cook County Deaths 1878-1922 (1910-1915 is missing for Cook County, excluding Chicago) FamilySearch Labs is a pilot program so there may be errors, missing data or occasional downtime

Obituaries & Death Notices in Chicago & Cook County Newspapers

Chicago & Illinois Newspapers Obituaries Archive (you can obtain copies of individual obituaries online for a fee) includes...
- Chicago Sun-Times (1986-Current)
- Chicago Tribune (1985-Current)
- several local papers for other Cook County cities (various years)

Chicago Tribune Obituaries, and Birth & Marriage Announcements 1850-1985 (requires payment - part of an Ancestry subscription)
also includes the Chicago Defender, 1921-1975

Chicago Sun-Times Obituaries (recent)
Chicago Sun-Times Obituaries Index 1988-1995 (requires payment - part of an Ancestry subscription)
Chicago Tribune Obituaries (recent)
Chicago Tribune Obituary Index 1988-1997 (requires payment - part of an Ancestry subscription)
Chicago Tribune 1870-1877 at Footnote includes searchable digitized newspaper images - searches are free, requires payment to view the images (includes coverage of the Chicago fire of 1871)
Vital Records Index from Chicago Newspapers 1833-1848 & 1849-1871 ongoing project
Chicago Jewish Obituary Database 1994-1998 from Jewishgen.org
Polish Genealogical Society of America's Chicago Death Notices for 1890-1971 from Chicago's Polish language newspaper
Archdiocese of Chicago: Obituaries of Catholic Priests - Recent

Cook County: Barrington Courier-Review Deaths 1890-2006 (also has births & marriages; some entries may be missing)
Cook County: Glenview Public Library Obituary Index
Cook County: Lemont Public Library Obituary Database
Cook County: Morton Grove Obituaries Index mid 1970s-present
Cook County: Oak Lawn - Obituaries from Local Oak Lawn Newspapers 1985-present
Cook County: Skokie Obituary Index 1960-present
Cook County: Western Springs Newspaper Obituary Index 2003-present
Cook County: Wilmette Newspaper Index (includes obituaries & death notices 1972-2010)

Chicago & Cook County Miscellaneous Death Indexes

Homicide in Chicago Database 1870-1930 11,000 entries with more details than the database listed next
Chicago Police Department Homicide Record Index 1870-1930
Cook County Coroner's Inquest Record Index 1872-1911
Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Probate Case Search 1980s-present
Cook County: Wilmette Vital Records Indexes includes a Wilmette Death Certificate Index 1913-Oct. 1953
Also Available (offline): Cook County Death Records Index 1871-1916 on Microfiche (see online version listed above); and Indexes to Deaths in the City of Chicago 1871-1933 on Microfilm (believed to be for burial permits) - these can be ordered for viewing at many local LDS Family History Centers

Cook County Cemeteries with Burial Indexes

Military Burials: The Roll of Honor, Containing the Names of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines of All the Wars of Our Country Who Are Buried in the Cemeteries of Cook County (by Eli Robert Lewis) scanned searchable book from 1922
Jewish Burials: JGSI Online Death Index Project - includes some Jewish Cemeteries in the Chicago Area from the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois (look for the "resources" category when you get there)
Cook County: Burr Oak Cemetery Headstones Photo Database (near Alsip, Illinois) (not yet complete)
Barrington Area Cemeteries with transcriptions
Wunders Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois - Burials Index (requires payment - part of an Ancestry subscription) Wunders is a German Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery

Cook County Cemeteries - Information

Cook County Cemeteries list of cemeteries in Cook County, many with contact info
Catholic Cemeteries - Archdiocese of Chicago information on obtaining burial information (no online index)

Ordering Chicago and Illinois Vital Records

Where to Write for Vital Records - Illinois (fees and restrictions may apply)

Also See...

Illinois Genealogy Databases at Ancestry (requires payment) includes census records, WWI draft cards, vital records, plus historical newspapers & city directories
Online Illinois Naturalization Records & Indexes

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Online Illinois Death Indexes & Records

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