Chicago Illinois Genealogy

03/01/2026

If you have Canadian ancestors and are considering applying for a Canadian Citizenship Certificate due to the changes under Bill C-3, we’re here to help! Recent updates to Canada’s citizenship laws have removed the generational limit and opened the door for many individuals to reclaim citizenship through a recent — or even more distant — Canadian ancestor.

If you’re unsure whether you qualify, we can help you research and document your lineage to support your application. Contact us today for a consultation.

10/22/2025

This entire divorce file from 1934 at the Cook County Archives was burned at the top. I wonder what happened? 

09/10/2025

We are a proud sponsor & the featured Professional Genealogists of the upcoming Naperville Irish Fest on September 19 & 20 in Naperville, Illinois. Contact us directly if you would like to schedule a time during the fest to discuss your Irish Family History Research or Dual Citizenship documentation.

The Naperville Irish Fest is more than just a weekend of entertainment. It is a true celebration of Irish music, culture, history, and community spirit. We are grateful for the chance to stand alongside the West Suburban Irish in making this festival possible helping to keep traditions alive for all to enjoy. Ticket information is available at the link below.

https://wsirish.org/IrishFest

08/14/2025

I just found out yesterday that the Cook County IL Archives (at the Daley Center) will now certify naturalizations dated before Sep 1906. These are the Superior Court or Circuit Court naturalizations that are held at this Cook County IL repository. In the past, the archivist would not certify, but he was able to get legal approval to move forward with this new process.

08/04/2025

The Cook County Clerk's office has a new process when you visit in person to order a vital record. You will now check in at the Kiosk and be assigned a number. They will call your number when the next clerk is available to take your order.

07/25/2025

Rare find at the Cook County Archives today. This is an 1891 Naturalization from the Circuit Court of Cook County that gives a date and place of birth. While the majority of these records before 1906 do not provide this detail, it just shows you it is worth pulling the record.

07/04/2025

My project this week was to review the Chicago High School Records (1879-1939) for West Division High, William McKinley High, English/Manual Training School, and Crane Technical School. These record books are located at the Chicago History Museum. Some of the pages included parents' names, father's occupation, where/when the students were born, year of study and grades.

07/03/2025

https://apnews.com/article/military-funeral-who-was-seven-missing-person-e68f7f66acff9f81439354d0fff13295

A veteran who died in Chicago without any recollection of their life has been memorialized in a funeral service with military honors.

06/17/2025

NEW! The Cook County Clerk's office has introduced a service for E-Certified Marriage Documents. Their website says you will get a Secure & Tamper Proof document instantly via email, protected with advanced encryption technology. I did a test, and it does ask for the applicants birth date, as well as the marriage date. So this would most likely only work for records when applications asked for birth dates (after 1968). Currently, it remains unclear if these documents are ok to be apostilled, but I will follow up with that shortly.
https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/vital-records/e-certified-documents

06/09/2025

Great podcast about a 1983 missing person's case in Elgin Illinois.

True Crime Podcast · Updated Biweekly · In May of 2024, Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley created the Elgin Police Department Cold Case Unit to take a fresh look at unsolved homicides and missing persons cases with the belief that dedicating re…

05/23/2025

I was at the Cook County Archives yesterday when this interview was being given by the clerk to the media about Pope Leo’s grandfather. 



CHICAGO — Pope Leo’s connection to Chicago is by now well known to the masses but long before he was born and raised in Dolton, his ancestors left the old world of Italy to begin a new life i…

05/08/2025

The parents of our new Pope, living in Dolton, Cook County, Illinois in the 1950 Census. Louis M Prevost and his wife Mildred (Martinez) are living with a foster son.

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62308/records/222290288?_phcmd=u(%27https://www.ancestry.com/search/categories/35/?name=louis+m_prevost&searchMode=advanced&spouse=mildred_martinez&successSource=Search&queryId=cea1f47a-927e-41a9-a24b-36bb536a33d1%27,%27successSource%27)