Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871-1953
Index of birth records as recorded at Cook County, Illinois, including the city of Chicago. Contains delayed birth records. Indexed records are being published as they become available.
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Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates
What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of a name index to births for Chicago and Cook County, Illinois. It covers the years 1871 to 1940. For copies of certificates for this time period please contact Cook County Clerk.
Early records were kept in register books beginning in 1877. By the early 1900s most events were recorded on pre-printed forms. Legislation in 1819 required physicians to record births and deaths for their practices. Then the physicians transmitted the information to their medical society, which published the information in the newspapers. In 1843 a law was passed where relatives of a deceased person could appear before the clerk of the county commissioner’s court and report information regarding the death. The recording of vital records was voluntary until 1877 so few births and deaths were recorded. A fire in 1871 destroyed the Cook County Courthouse and nearly all previous records housed there. The few existing originals that were created by the county clerk may be found in the county clerk’s office or in one of the Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD).
In 1877, the State Board of Health was created to supervise registration of births and deaths. All births and deaths were to be reported to the county clerk by physicians. However, many were still not registered because the penalties for non-compliance were weak. In 1915 the state of Illinois gave the responsibility of recording births and deaths to local registrars, who reported the information to the county clerk and the State Board of Health (now known as the Illinois Department of Public Health). By 1919 it is estimated that 95% of the population was recorded in the vital records.
Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
- Child’s name
- Child's birthdate and place of birth
- Child’s gender and race
- Birth order of child
- Nationality and birthplace of father
- Nationality and birthplace of mother
- Full name and age of mother, including her maiden name
- Full name and age of father including his occupation
- Name of medical attendants and address(es)
After 1916 the following information was added:
- Birthdate
- Birthplace
- Full names of parents
- Birthplace of parents
Collection Details
Location of Original Records
Cook County Clerk, Illinois
"Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871-1953." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 22 August 2025. Citing Cook County Clerk, Cook County Courthouse, Chicago.
