Finding Your Chicago Ancestors
In this easy-to-use reference guide, family historian Grace DuMelle provides the means to trace Chicago connections like a pro. She shows not just what to research, but how to research. Without wading through preliminaries, readers choose any of the self-contained chapters that focus on the questions beginners most want answered. Other chapters cover the nuts and bolts of the mechanics that are the key to making a family's past come alive, with highlights summarizing important points. In...
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For almost 175 years, a great metropolis on the shores of a freshwater sea has sent a siren call to immigrants internal and external, giving most Americans some kind of link to the City of Big Shoulders. Whether your people came west from New England in the early days of settlement, or north from Mississippi in the Great Migration; whether they sailed from Sweden and Sicily, or flew from Budapest and Prague; whether they settled here permanently or temporarily, this easy-to-use reference guide will help you document them. Family historian Grace DuMelle provides the means to trace your Chicago connections like a pro. She shows you not just what to research, but how to research. Without wading through lots of preliminaries, choose any of the self-contained chapters that focus on the questions beginners most want answered and jump right in! In finding your Chicago ancestors, you will not only better understand your and your family's history, but also your and your family's involvement in the history of a great American city.
AcknowledgmentsviiIntroduction: Family History: The Ultimate Reality ShowixPart IGetting Your Questions Answered1Where Do I Start?Step 1Gather Your Family's Information3Step 2Organize Your Information4Step 3Begin Research Using the Census, Vital Records, and City Directories8Three Beginner's Mistakes to Avoid132When (and Where) Was My Ancestor Born?Strategy No. 1Birth and Baptismal Records19Strategy No. 2Birth Announcements22Strategy No. 3Census22Strategy No. 4School Records24Strategy No. 5Social Security Application27Strategy No. 6Post-1906 Naturalization Records29Strategy No. 7Death Records303Who Were the Parents of My Ancestor?Strategy No. 1Birth and Baptismal Records34Strategy No. 2Delayed and Corrected Birth Certificates36Strategy No. 3Death Records40Strategy No. 4Census47Strategy No. 5Marriage Records484Who Were the Siblings of My Ancestor?Strategy No. 1Census55Strategy No. 2Death Notices and Obituaries55Strategy No. 3Proof of Heirship58Strategy No. 4Divorce Records605When (and Who) Did My Ancestor Marry?Strategy No. 1Civil Marriage Records68Strategy No. 2Church Marriage Records75Strategy No. 3Unindexed Marriage Records786Where Did My Ancestor Live?Strategy No. 1Sources for Addresses84Strategy No. 2Sources for Photographs93Strategy No. 3Fire Insurance Maps947What Occupation Did My Ancestor Have?Strategy No. 1City Directories101Strategy No. 2U.S. Census105Strategy No. 3State Census109Strategy No. 4Sources for Teachers112Strategy No. 5Sources for City Workers (Chicago)114Strategy No. 6Sources for Railroad Workers116Strategy No. 7Sources for Professionals1208When Did My Ancestor Die and Where Is My Ancestor Buried?Strategy No. 1Determine the Death Date124Strategy No. 2Determine the Place of Burial1289When Did My Ancestor Come to America?Strategy No. 1U.S. Census141Strategy No. 2Death Certificates144Strategy No. 3Late Nineteenth-Century Voter Registrations144Strategy No. 4Church Records148Strategy No. 5Naturalization Records149Strategy No. 6Passenger Lists161Part IIPractical Advice10Nuts and Bolts of the U.S. CensusTips for Finding Your Ancestor's Entry176Census Indexes177Soundex and Miracode Indexes185Find Your Ancestor by Address190Where to Find the Census19711Nuts and Bolts of Newspaper SearchingBefore You Start202Selected Chicago Newspapers and Where to Find Them203Indexes to Chicago Newspapers207Selected Suburban Cook County Newspapers209Obituary and Other Search Services20912Nuts and Bolts of Birth and Death RecordsBirth Records213Death Records22113How to Use Machines and CatalogsMicrofilm and Microfiche Machines231Library Catalogs24414What to Expect at Chicago-Area Research FacilitiesChicago Historical Society (CHS)251Chicago Public Library254Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Archives257Cook County Bureau of Vital Statistics261Family History Center (FHC)-Wilmette, Illinois265Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)268National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)-Great Lakes Region271Newberry Library275University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Richard J. Daley Library27815Top Web Sites for Chicago-Area ResearchLocal Institutional Web Sites287Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints292Free Internet Sources293Subscription Databases29516Ethnic ResourcesGeneral Resources301Resources by Ethnic Group303Cultural Organizations309Beginner's Bookshelf312Index314About the Author323
\ From the Publisher"This book is significantly different from many of the books I have reviewed over the years. Most books that are billed as a guide to genealogy research in a particular location are simply lists of where records may be located. . . . This book also contains hundreds of suggestions, finer points, and other tips of use that go far beyond simple lists. . . . Author Grace DuMelle is well qualified to write a book on Chicago genealogy. . . . An excellent resource for anyone researching in the area." —Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter\ "Reveals the wealth of documents available for those with Chicago ancestors and how to research them. With many black and white illustrations, author DuMelle covers everything from birth records to burial spots, including address, ethnic and occupational research, websites, Chicago-area research facilities, and tips on how to use microfilm and microfiche machines." —Family Chronicle\ “Though the book is aimed at the Chicago research beginner, the author promises and delivers some surprises for the more experienced researcher. Professional genealogists who work with clients who have Chicago-area or Cook County, Illinois, roots will find this book worth the space it takes on their shelves.” —Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly\ “The tone is conversational and the instructions are clear. . . . Anyone beginning Cook County research should have this book at hand, and it can serve as a touchstone for experienced researchers.” —National Genealogical Society Quarterly\ \ \
