Chicago and Cook County Resources Part 1

Chicago plays a big role in my family history research. Both of my parents, all four grandparents, and four of my great-grandparents were born in Chicago. 

Navy Pier and the Chicago skyline

Photo by Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau 


The Windy City also drew my non-native ancestors. Two of my great-grandparents immigrated directly to Chicago and six of my immigrant great-great grandparents moved there after settling somewhere else first.

Chicago was officially incorporated as a town in 1832 and four years later, when the population reached 4170, it was incorporated as a city.

By the 1870 census more than 300,000 people called Chicago home. The population boom is attributed primarily to the arrival of railroads and the meatpacking industry.

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 left much of the city in ashes and many genealogically-related records were lost forever. There are still many records available however and workarounds exist for the records that were burned.

Most Illinois counties did not begin recording births until 1877. Cook County held records earlier than many other counties, but most of those were lost in the Fire. Images of Cook County Birth Registers from 1871 (post-Fire) to 1915 are online at Family Search. Newspapers reported a few births as early as 1833. A list was compiled by the Newspaper Research Committee and microfilmed by the Family History Library (FHL) on film # 844952.

More than a million images make up the FamilySearch collection of Cook County Birth Certificates 1878-1922. I have found ancestors that have a birth certificate and are listed in the registers, so you may want to check both. If you aren't able to locate a birth record, check this microfiche index for surname misspellings and unnamed infants.

Corrected birth certificates (names added or changed, misspellings on the originals etc) appear on 17 rolls of microfilm available at the FHL. If your ancestor's birth wasn't recorded, he or she may have obtained a Delayed Birth Certificate when job hunting, enlisting in the military, or applying for Social Security. The Chicago Fire or World War I may have been catalysts for the records on this film.

Baptismal records often list birth dates. Catholic ancestors may appear in FamilySearch's newly released Catholic Church Records 1833-1925 which is a goldmine if you know the name of the Chicago church your family attended. If your ancestors were Lutheran (ELCA), start here to look for archived records. Start here when searching for Missouri Synod Lutherans.

Hidden in a long list of Catholic churches, there are record indexes for other denominations on these FHL microfilms.

The Illinois State Archives and the Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) are  indexing marriage records from 1763 to 1920. This database contains over two million names and is searchable by bride's or groom's names. FamilySearch has a Cook County Marriages Index and images from 1871 to 1920.

Generally speaking, the government thinks of marriage as a contractual agreement between the parties involved, so records were/are pretty consistently created. If you are unable to locate a Chicago or Cook County marriage record, look for church records on the sites listed above. Remember that indexers struggle with poor handwriting, faded copies, misspelled names and other hurdles. Think creatively when searching any archived record.

Death records often yield the most information about our ancestors' lives. The Illinois Statewide Death Index is far from complete, but most 1871-1950 Cook County death records have been indexed. They are online in two databases; pre-1916 and 1916-1950. Images of death certificates from 1878 to 1922 and Deaths and Stillbirths 1916-1947 are available free on FamilySearch.

Other sources for information regarding the death of Cook County ancestors are funeral home records, burial permit listings, the Sam Fink index, probate records, and obituaries:

The Chicago Daily News and the Chicago Tribune were two of the major papers in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs for decades. Both are go-to sources for obituaries, beginning in the mid-to-late 19th century. Extant issues and microfilm copies of the now defunct Daily News exist in surprising places. Wilson Library at the University of Minnesota has an impressive collection on microfilm. The Trib is online at several newspaper database sites and Ancestry.com as well as on microfilm. Ethnic and suburban newspapers (like the Daily Herald) are also good sources for obituaries.

Our ancestors lives were more than birth, marriage, and death records. In an upcoming post I'll focus on school, employment, naturalization, divorce, probate and voting records, as well as current must-visit repositories.

I'll also share information about some interesting events that occurred in Chicago and Cook County that impact genealogical research there. For example, streets were renamed, houses and business were renumbered, cemeteries were closed and former "residents" relocated, and more than one riot took place.

Do you have a favorite source for genealogical records in "that tottlin' town"? Share your suggestions in the comments section below or email me at livinginthepastlane [at] yahoo [dot] com

Success Team Update

For the past few months my Saturday morning routine has included a hot cup of coffee and a spicy genealogical chat with Jenny.

Jenny is vacationing, so (sigh) I'm on my own today. We worked hard on our lists last Saturday knowing we would have two weeks to complete them. These were my goals:

BLOG: Create one A Child Lost and one F.A.G. blog post. Catch up blog reading.

I chose my next Child Lost and put a rough draft together. I posted about my experience at Darien Cemetery here. And I've been diligently reading all the fun and interesting and educational blogs I follow. I am caught up! [on target]

LEARN: Review FGS classes and write rough draft questions. Read The Twitter Book by Tim O’ Reilly and Sarah Milstein.

Not only did I review the classes, I downloaded my syllabus and bound it for travel - yay me! I changed a class too, substituting Twitter for the 1940 census. I'll start writing the rough draft questions this weekend. I continue to read The Twitter Book in my "spare" time. It's a great read and has already changed the way I use Twitter. [on target]

ORGANIZE: Clean up the Mueller hanging file. Create checklists for each document type encountered.

Good gravy, what a mess! As you can see in the photo below, I sorted all the papers so I can work on like-items. I created a spreadsheet (are you laughing Jenny?) for the document types. [on target]

PRESERVE: Verify that all direct line ancestors appear on F.A.G. If photos exist, add them. Sponsor Daddy and Harold Mueller. Add the EASY photos from Darien Cemetery.

Hmm. I may have to pick up the pace on this task. I haven't checked for all my ancestors. [behind schedule] I sponsored my dad's memorial, but decided against sponsoring his dad's for the time being. [check] I'm about a quarter of the way through the photos from Darien Wisconsin. [behind schedule - eek]

RESEARCH: Look for Jacob’s confirmation record on the Swiss film at the FHC. Add specific genealogy searches to eBay.

Thursday evening I looked through the entire film hoping to find a birth, baptism, or confirmation record for Jacob. No luck. But, as you may recall, this was a long shot. My surname-related searches are now on eBay. [check]

That makes an un-terrific mix of "on target", "check" and "behind schedule". Maybe a B- for the week so far? I'd better quit chatting and get back to work!

Transcription Thursday ~ Pierre Victor Schmitt

I thought my second great-grandmother Elisabeth Schmitt was one of 12 children. But last week I found a 13th child born to Nicolas Schmitt and his wife Marie-Anne Gury on the microfilm "Naissances, mariages, décès 1811-1861 - FHL INTL Film #1898553" at my local Family History Center:

Pierre Victor appears first on a birth record, and one day later a death record.

This is my (hopefully accurate) transcription of the birth record:

Naissance de Pierre Victor Schmitt No 41
L’an mil huit cent quarante le deux juin a cinq heures de xx par devant moi Jean Scherer, Maire officier de la etat civil de la commune de Hellimer, canton de Grossequin département de la Moselle est comparu Nicolas Schmitt tanneur age de vingt Sept ans domicile à Hellimer, lequel nous a présenté un enfant du sexe masculin aujourd hui a dix heures du est accouchée dans sa maison a Hellimer de lui déclarant et de Marie Anne Gurie son épouse sans profession age de vingt deux ans et auquel il a declaré donné le prénom de Pierre Victor laditte a declaration et presentation faite en presence xxx Pierre George Dubach age de quarante trios ans et Jean Dubach age de xxx neuf xxx deux xxx domicile et Hellimer et tous les père et témoins signe avec nous le present acte de naissance après que lecture leur en a été faite.
[signed] George du Bois, Nicolas Schmitt, Jean du Bois, Scherer

If my translation is correct, the birth record says:

Birth of Pierre Victor Schmitt No. 41
The year 1840 on June 2nd at five hours xx, before me Jean Scherer, Mayor officer of the civil status of the town of Hellimer, Canton Grossequin department of Moselle has appeared Nicolas Schmitt tanner age of twenty seven years of Hellimer, which gave us a male child today, Mary Anne Gurie, his wife age of twenty two years gave birth in her home in Hellimer and which he claimed gave the first name of Pierre Victor xx the statement and presentation xxx made in the presence of Pierre George Dubach age of forty three years old and Jean Dubach age of nine xxx xxx xxx home. Both the father and all witnesses signed this birth certificate with us after the reading was done.
[signed] George du Bois, Nicolas Schmitt, Jean du Bois, Scherer

This is my (slightly incomplete) transcription of the death record:

Deces de Pierre Victor Schmitt age d un jour No 42
L ‘an mil huit cent quarante de trois juin de un heure de XX par devant moi Jean Scherer Maire Officier de l’etat Civil de la commune de Hellimer canton de Grostenquin départment de la Moselle de est comparu Nicolas Schmitt tanneur age de vingt Sept ans et Jean Dubach xxx age de trente neuf ans tous deux domicilié d Hellimer lesquels nous est declare que aujourd'hui décédé Pierre Victor Schmitt age d un jour fils de presxx declarant et de Marie Anne Gurie son épouse sans profession age de vingt deux ans est décédé au domicile xxx xxx ses père est xxx a Hellimer avil staib et lui déclarant ont signe avec nous le présent acte après que lecture leur en a été faite.
[signed] Nicolas Schmitt, Jean Dubach, Scherer

and my attempt at translation:

Death of Pierre Victor Schmitt age of one day No. 42
In the year one thousand eight hundred and forty one hours of June 3 XX before me by John Scherer Mayor Officer of Civil Status of the town of Canton Hellimer Grostenquin department of the Moselle is appearing Nicolas Schmitt tanner age of twenty seven years and Jean Dubach xxx age of thirty nine years both domiciled Hellimer of which we are now deceased said that Pierre Victor Schmitt age of one day declaring presxx son of Anne and Mary his wife housewife Gurie age of twenty-two years died home xxx xxx xxx his father has Hellimer avil Staib and declaring him signing with us this note after reading them was made.
[signed] Nicolas Schmitt, Jean Dubach, Scherer

There are some words I simply can't make out and others I cannot translate. If you are able to do either, I hope you'll share your thoughts with me.

17 Jun 2011 Update:

A special thank you to Charles on the Rootsweb Alsace-Lorraine mailing list for the following corrections (in red):

Naissance de Pierre Victor Schmitt No 41
L’an mil huit cent quarante le deux juin a cinq heures de relevé par devant moi Jean Scherer, Maire officier de la etat civil de la commune de Hellimer, canton de Grostenquin département de la Moselle est comparu Nicolas Schmitt tanneur age de vingt Sept ans domicile à Hellimer, lequel nous a présenté un enfant du sexe masculin né ce jour d'hui a dix heures du matin est accouchée dans sa maison a Hellimer de lui déclarant et de Marie Anne Gurie son épouse sans profession age de vingt deux ans et auquel il a declaré vouloir donner les prénoms de Pierre Victor. Les d[ites] declaration et presentation faites en presence des sieurs George Dubach age de quarante trois ans et Jean Dubach age de trente neuf tous deux menuisiers, domiciles à Hellimer et tous les père et témoins signe avec nous le present acte de naissance après que lecture leur en a été faite.

and

Deces de Pierre Victor Schmitt age d un jour No 42
L ‘an mil huit cent quarante de trois juin à une heure de relevé par devant moi Jean Scherer Maire Officier de l’etat Civil de la commune de Hellimer canton de Grostenquin département de la Moselle sont comparus Nicolas Schmitt tanneur age de vingt Sept ans et Jean Dubach menuisier age de trente neuf ans tous deux domiciliés à Hellimer lesquels nous ont declare que cejourd'hui à midi Pierre Victor Schmitt age d'un jour fils de premier declarant et de Marie Anne Gurie son épouse sans profession age de vingt deux ans est décédé au domicile des dits ses père et mère a Hellimer où il était et les déclarants ont signe avec nous le présent acte après que lecture leur en a été faite.

Seeking Schmitts

A weekly trip to the local Family History Center has become part of my routine. Old-fashioned as the microfilm may be, it is nice to play in the sandbox with other researchers during my visits.

The French records with which I'm working are wonderfully organized. Each volume starts with a cover page that shows the when (in this case 1840) and the where (Hellimer, Moselle, France) of the records to follow. After locating the year I want, I scroll ahead to the index.

Every year the Maire (mayor) alphabetically listed all the births, marriages, and deaths for the year ended. Then the books were copied by hand and the copies were forwarded to a governmental agency at the county level.

The indices tell me whether or not I need to look more closely at the individual records. The 1840 index for the town of Hellimer looks like this:

The title on the right page of the left image is Naissance or births. Births continue on the left page of the right image, followed by Marriages. The index on the far right are Décès or deaths.

I'm looking for members of my Schmitt family, specifically my 2nd and 3rd great grandparents' siblings. There is only one Schmitt on the list of births; #39 Pierre Victor, who appears near the top left of the image on the right.

There's also a Schmitt marriage (2nd from the last) and two deaths; Pierre Victor (which explains the X next to his name on the birth index) and Caroline. I write down the numbers near the names and the dates of the events, then scroll back to check the records, starting with Pierre Victor:

His birth and death entries are on the left page. I search for names in each record and see my 3rd great grandparents, Nicolas Schmitt and Marie Anne Gury. That makes Pierre Victor my second great-grandmother's brother. Next I check Caroline's death record. Her father's name is Jean Michael. Not a Schmitt I know at this time. The last Schmitt record in 1840 is the marriage record:

Marriage records tend to be fairly long and include names, ages and occupations of the bride and groom and their parents. What genealogical treasures they are! This bride's parents are François Schmitt and Elisabeth Grosse, my 4th great-grandparents.

This trip to the FHC was very productive! Transcribing and translating these newest additions to my collection ought to keep me busy until my visit.

Surname Saturday ~ Grosse, Gury, Schmitt

Fashionable women ~ 1850

I'm enamored with my paternal French line; learning to speak French while driving, reading French history books, translating birth records during my lunch hour, ordering films from the Family History Library every Tuesday evening. Some might say I've become addicted, but that's not true. I've been addicted all along.

New clues show themselves frequently, but most often they come accompanied by more questions. 

The knowns:

• My 3rd great-grandfather, Nicolas Schmitt, was born in 1813 in Hellimer, Moselle, Lorraine, France.
• His parents were Francois Schmitt and Elisabeth Grosse.
• His wife was Marie-Anne Gury, born in 1818 in Francaltroff, Hellimer, Lorraine, France.
• Nicolas had at least two siblings, younger sisters Elisabeth and Barbe.
• He traveled to America with his eldest son Jules in April 1854.
• Nicolas and his family settled in Cincinnati Ohio.
• Several children, including my 2nd great-grandmother emmigrated to Chicago where they raised their children.

The unknowns:

• When did the remaining family members arrive in America?
• What happened to Francois, the last child born in France?
• What happened to Joseph, the first child born in Ohio?
• Did Jules really die in Ohio, or did he relocate to Chicago leaving his wife and children behind?
• Was Nicolas the first, one of several, or the only Schmitt that left France?
• Where is the elusive marriage record of Nicolas and Marie-Anne?
• and so many more unknowns; far too many to list.

The next steps:

• Order microfilm for 1792-1810 birth, marriage, death records for Hellimer.
• Continue checking the mailbox for the will that will tell if the French-born Ohio-residing Emile Schmitt who married Mary Kauffman is "my" Emile.
• Translate Barbe's birth record; it includes her parents' ages.
• Search passenger lists for my 2nd great-grandmother and her siblings.
• Determine whether the brother mentioned as co-owner of John Schmitt's restaurant in Chicago is Jules.

And so, as we French say, la recherche se poursuit!