Finding Your Chicago Ancestors Book

	Acknowledgments	vii
	Introduction: Family History: The Ultimate Reality Show	ix
Part I	Getting Your Questions Answered
1	Where Do I Start?
Step 1	Gather Your Family's Information	3
Step 2	Organize Your Information	4
Step 3	Begin Research Using the Census, Vital Records, and City Directories	8
	Three Beginner's Mistakes to Avoid	13
2	When (and Where) Was My Ancestor Born?
Strategy No. 1	Birth and Baptismal Records	19
Strategy No. 2	Birth Announcements	22
Strategy No. 3	Census	22
Strategy No. 4	School Records	24
Strategy No. 5	Social Security Application	27
Strategy No. 6	Post-1906 Naturalization Records	29
Strategy No. 7	Death Records	30
3	Who Were the Parents of My Ancestor?
Strategy No. 1	Birth and Baptismal Records	34
Strategy No. 2	Delayed and Corrected Birth Certificates	36
Strategy No. 3	Death Records	40
Strategy No. 4	Census	47
Strategy No. 5	Marriage Records	48
4	Who Were the Siblings of My Ancestor?
Strategy No. 1	Census	55
Strategy No. 2	Death Notices and Obituaries	55
Strategy No. 3	Proof of Heirship	58
Strategy No. 4	Divorce Records	60
5	When (and Who) Did My Ancestor Marry?
Strategy No. 1	Civil Marriage Records	68
Strategy No. 2	Church Marriage Records	75
Strategy No. 3	Unindexed Marriage Records	78
6	Where Did My Ancestor Live?
Strategy No. 1	Sources for Addresses	84
Strategy No. 2	Sources for Photographs	93
Strategy No. 3	Fire Insurance Maps	94
7	What Occupation Did My Ancestor Have?
Strategy No. 1	City Directories	101
Strategy No. 2	U.S. Census	105
Strategy No. 3	State Census	109
Strategy No. 4	Sources for Teachers	112
Strategy No. 5	Sources for City Workers (Chicago)	114
Strategy No. 6	Sources for Railroad Workers	116
Strategy No. 7	Sources for Professionals	120
8	When Did My Ancestor Die and Where Is My Ancestor Buried?
Strategy No. 1	Determine the Death Date	124
Strategy No. 2	Determine the Place of Burial	128
9	When Did My Ancestor Come to America?
Strategy No. 1	U.S. Census	141
Strategy No. 2	Death Certificates	144
Strategy No. 3	Late Nineteenth-Century Voter Registrations	144
Strategy No. 4	Church Records	148
Strategy No. 5	Naturalization Records	149
Strategy No. 6	Passenger Lists	161
Part II	Practical Advice
10	Nuts and Bolts of the U.S. Census
	Tips for Finding Your Ancestor's Entry	176
	Census Indexes	177
	Soundex and Miracode Indexes	185
	Find Your Ancestor by Address	190
	Where to Find the Census	197
11	Nuts and Bolts of Newspaper Searching
	Before You Start	202
	Selected Chicago Newspapers and Where to Find Them	203
	Indexes to Chicago Newspapers	207
	Selected Suburban Cook County Newspapers	209
	Obituary and Other Search Services	209
12	Nuts and Bolts of Birth and Death Records
	Birth Records	213
	Death Records	221
13	How to Use Machines and Catalogs
	Microfilm and Microfiche Machines	231
	Library Catalogs	244
14	What to Expect at Chicago-Area Research Facilities
	Chicago Historical Society (CHS)	251
	Chicago Public Library	254
	Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Archives	257
	Cook County Bureau of Vital Statistics	261
	Family History Center (FHC)-Wilmette, Illinois	265
	Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)	268
	National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)-Great Lakes Region	271
	Newberry Library	275
	University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Richard J. Daley Library	278
15	Top Web Sites for Chicago-Area Research
	Local Institutional Web Sites	287
	Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints	292
	Free Internet Sources	293
	Subscription Databases	295
16	Ethnic Resources
	General Resources	301
	Resources by Ethnic Group	303
	Cultural Organizations	309
	Beginner's Bookshelf	312
	Index	314
	About the Author	323