Lake County, Illinois

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Revision as of 21:37, 30 January 2013

United States Illinois Lake County

	Illinois Online Records

Lake County, Illinois
Map
Location of Illinois in the U.S.
Facts
Founded:	March 1, 1839
County Seat	Waukegan
Courthouse
Photo courtesy Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Illinois State Archives
Address	Lake County Courthouse 18 North County Street Waukegan, IL 60085 847-377-2400 Lake County Website

County Organization

Lake County's civil records start the following years:

County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Lake County are kept, see the Lake County Courthouse page.

Historical Facts

Lake County is named for Lake Michigan which Lake County borders.

Boundary Changes

Prior to County Formation

• 1795-1801 - Lake part of Knox County and the Northwest Territory
• 1801-1812 - Lake part of St. Clair County
• 1812-1815 - Lake part of Madison County
• 1815-1816 - Lake part of Edwards County
• 1816-1819 - Lake part of Crawford County
• 1819-1821 - Lake part of Clark County
• 1821-1823 - Lake part of Pike County
• 1823-1825 - Lake part of Fulton County
• 1825-1831 - Lake part of Putnam County
• 1831-1836 - Lake part of Cook County
• 1836-1839 - Lake part of McHenry County

County Formation and After

• 1839 - Lake County created from McHenry County

For more information see Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties or Lake County Fact Sheet (Illinois State Archives). For interactive county boundary maps see Illinois County Boundaries, 1790-Present, Illinois Historical Counties, or Illinois County Maps and Atlases.

Record Loss

Places / Localities

Populated Places

Neighboring Counties

• Cook
• Kenosha County, Wisconsin
• McHenry

Records and Resources

Biography

• The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Lake County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Lake County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

Cemeteries

Illinois cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.

• Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried.  Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone.  May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.

• Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Lake County and links to the  information for the individuals buried there.

• Lake Co. IL USGenWeb Tombstone Project usually gives the names of the deceased in alphabetical order by last name with birth and death dates plus any remarks. 

• Illinois Cemeteries by county.

• The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in Lake County.  Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.

• ePodunk list of Lake County cemeteries gives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and web site.

BillionGraves.com provides a page for each cemetery, with yellow pushpins on a Google map to indicate where a headstone is if photographed. You can search each cemetery individually from its page, or search the site globally from the 'Search' button at the upper right. On that search page you can narrow things down as well.

Individual cemeteries in Lake County on BillionGraves:

• Knopf Cemetery, Buffalo Grove

In 1946, the Aaron Miner Chapter D.A.R. (Chicago) prepared a List of Cemeteries in Cook - Lake - Will Counties Containing Graves of the Military Dead Who Served in the Wars of the United States. Ancestry ($) digitized this publication.^[1]

Census

Church Records

Church records may give birth, death and marriage information. It is usually best to locate church records with a search at a local level such as the city, town, or village.

• USGenWeb's list of Lake County Churches provides numerous church histories.

Catholic

• Koenig, Harry Corcoran. A History of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Chicago, Illinois: The Archdiocese, 1980. This two volume set includes indexes. The archdiocese covers Cook and Lake counties. FHL book 977.31 K2h

• Koenig, Harry Corcoran. A History of the Institutions of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Chicago, Illinois: The Archdiocese, 1981. This two volume set includes indexes. The archdiocese covers Cook and Lake counties. FHL 977.3 K2ho

Court Records

Original court records are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. See Illinois Court Records for more information about using court records.

• 1857-1963 County Court Case File Index IRAD-NIU; search for Bureau County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
• 1840-1898 Lake County Circuit Court Case Files Index at Illinois State Archives

• 1840-1898 Circuit Court Case Files IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
• 1857-1963 County Court Case Files IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
• 1930-1941 Jail Registers IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)

Ethnic Research

African American

The following have information concerning African American research.

•  African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records

• Illinois State Archives pamphlet on African American Research describes what records are at the State Archives with an online method for ordering records.
• African-American Resources for Illinois

Genealogy

Federal Land Sales of residents of Lake County, Illinois have been annotated with genealogical and geographical information by Historic Millburn Community Association Incorporated. The material has been placed in an Online Historical Archives.

History

• [1831–1857] McHenry and Lake County Old Settlers' Association members. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.

Land and Property

Original land records are held in the office of the County Clerk . See Illinois Land and Property for more information about using land records.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed online or through the Family History Library.

Copies of original records

• 1834–1855 First land purchase maps FHL book 977.321 R2f
• 1886, 1896 Land tax judgements, sales, redemptions and forfeituresFHL film 1597908 Item 8(first of 2 films)

Online Resources

• 1800s-Present - Use the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land Patent Index to obtain original federal land transfer records including homestead, military warrants, and cash entry patents. These records help a research establish location and lead to National Archives' records which may include genealogical information. Earlier land transfer records are housed at the National Archives.
• 1800s-Present - Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales from Illinois State Archives also provides an index to federal land sales.
• 1800s-Present - Federal Land Sales of residents of Lake County, Illinois have been also been annotated with genealogical and geographical information by the Historic Millburn Community Association Incorporated. The material has been placed in an Online Historical Archives.
• 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry.com ($)
• Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
• Federal Land Sales Buyers by Name courtesy Historic Millburn Community Association, Inc.
• Lake County Federal Township Plats

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Lake County land and property may be found in the FHLC, FHLC–indexes and FHLC–maps. Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers. Copies of books found in the FHLC may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the Family History Library Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Maps

Military

Civil War

Civil War service men from Cook County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Cook County.

- 8th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company A.

- 15th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.

- 17th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company I.

- 37th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C and F.

- 39th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.

- 51st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.

- 64th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (Yates’ Sharpshooters), Company K.

- 65th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (Scotch Regiment), Company F.

- 96th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, C, D, and G.

- 144th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1864-65), Company F.

- 146th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.

- 147th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.

- 153rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company H.

Newspapers and Obituaries

Probate Records

Original estates and wills are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. See Illinois Probate Records for more information about using probate records.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through, the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Northern Illinois University (NIU) - search for Lake County records. For information on how to use IRAD see theNIU IRAD Wiki page.

Lake County Court Probates from 1840-1900 are available at Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) - Northern Illinois University Region located at Founders Memorial Library, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, or FHL film 2366882 (first of 68 films)

There are almost 4000 probate folders in the boxes. You have to have a Box Number or you will not be able to locate the probate folder. The boxes have aprox 2 years of probate in them until you hit 1882. Some of the file folders are not in numeric order. Lake County Genealogical Society Quarterly. Libertyville IL: Mar 1987. Vol. 7 Iss. 3 index #1-200. Further Persi search has failed to locate an index to these files as of Mar2010.

• 1840-1900 Probate Case Files IRAD-NIUFHL film 2366882 (first of 68 films)

• 1840-1963 Probate Case Files Index IRAD-NIU

Repositories

County Courthouse

County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Lake County are kept, see the Lake County Courthouse page.

Family History Centers

Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah (United States) and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources to assist you in the research and study of your genealogy.

You may search your address for a center near you on the FamilySearch site. The following centers serve Lake County:

Buffalo Grove Illinois Family History Center
3075 N. Buffalo Grove Rd.
Buffalo Grove, Illinois 60089
Telephone: (847) 913-5387

Crystal Lake Illinois Family History Center
480 N Walkup Ave.
Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014
Telephone: (815) 459-7475

Kenosha Wisconsin Family History Center
1444 30th Ave.
Kenosha, Wisconsin 53144
Telephone: (262) 552-7816

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)

The Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD), managed by the Illinois State Archives, houses the archival records of local Illinois counties, townships, municipalities and school districts. The seven Regional Depositories are housed on state university campuses scattered throughout Illinois.

The Northern Illinois University (IRAD-NIU) holds the records for Lake County. Learn more about finding and using their records.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository
c/o Regional History Center
Founders Memorial Library, Room 400
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
Telephone: (815) 753-1807

Public Libraries

Other Repositories

• Part of the Lake County Discover Museum, the Lake County History Archives' collection includes photos, postcards, maps, a Civil War collection, school histories, and more.

Lake County History Archives
Lake County History Archives
27277 N. Forest Preserve Rd.
Wauconda, IL 60084
Telephone: (847) 968-3381

• Lake County Genealogical Society Research Facility offers census records, family histories, indexed probate records, an obituary file, and more records related to Lake County and the surrounding area. Hours are limited so call before you visit.

Lake County Genealogical Society
Genealogy Room
290 Evergreen Dr.
Vernon Hills, IL
Telephone: (847) 918-3584

Social Groups Online

Societies

Lake County (Illinois) Genealogical Society
PO Box 998
Mundelein, IL 60060-4534

The LCIGS has an extensive list of genealogical resources including:

• Index to Births (1866-1915)
• Index to Cemetery transcirption books by township
  
• Index to Church records
  
• Index to Marriages, 1839-1916
• Index to Naturalizations,1854-1920
• Index to Obituaries (Index to Waukegan News-Sun, 1950s - present)
• Index to Deaths, 1877-1901
• Index to Burials, Peterson Funeral Home, 1865-1945
• Index to Probates, 1848-1963
• Probate records on microfilm, to about 1900
• Wills
  
• Index to Surnames in the LCIGS Quarterly Journal

See the LCIGS web site for more information, including the costs associated with a lookup request, and the form to request a looks-up.

Taxation

Vital Records

See Illinois Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Illinois.

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the Lake County Clerk while those recorded after 1916 are kept by the Illinois Department of Public Health with a copy to the County Clerk. Original marriage records are usually kept by the County Clerk from the establishment of the county to the present. Original divorce records are generally in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. The website of the Lake County Court Clerk explains how to order birth, marriage, civil union, death, and adoption records.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through online databases, the Family History Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Northern Illinois University (NIU) - search for Lake County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

Birth Records

Copies of Original Birth Records

• 1866-1893 Birth Records and Certificates IRAD-NIU
• 1866–1875, 1877–1905 Birth records [only 7 certificates in 1866–187] FHL film 1869889 Items 2–3 (first of 3 films)
• 1871–1905 Birth record index FHL film 1869886 Item 1
• 1877-1905 Birth Record Index IRAD-NIU
• 1922-1941 County Hospital Birth Records IRAD-NIU

Marriage Records

Online Resources

• 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 at Illinois State Archives; Index

Copies of original Marriage Records

• 1839-1915 Marriage Records IRAD-NIU FHL film 1863435 (first of 8 films)

• 1893-1905 Marriage License Applications IRAD-NIU
• 1839-1918 Marriage Record Index IRAD-NIU FHL film 1863435

Death Records

Online Resources

• 1877-1901 Death Records IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)

• 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives; Index

Copies of original Death Records

• 1862–1918, 1933 Record of burial certificates of soldiers, sailors or Marines [only 1 for 1933] FHL film 1869885 Item 3
• 1877–1901 Deaths FHL film 1869884 Item 3
• 1916-1938 Death Record Index IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
• 1922-1972 County Hospital Death Records IRAD-NIU; search for Lake County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Lake County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the Illinois, Lake – Vital Records, the Illinois, Lake – Vital Records - indexes, and the Illinois, Lake – Vital Records - newspapers topic pages of the Family History Library catalog (FHLC). Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers. Copies of books found in the FHLC may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the Family History Library Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Web Sites

• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• Family History Library Catalog
• Lake County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
  
• Lake County, Illinois Genealogy, Faces and Records Resources (N2Genealogy)

References

1. ↑ Illinois Miscellaneous Genealogical Records: From Counties, Bond, Boone, Calhoun, Cook, Crawford, Du Page, Johnson, Knox, Lake, Will, Pope: Kentucky county, Mercer: Missouri county, Ralls. Evanston, Ill.: Illinois Society, D.A.R., 1946. Digital version at Ancestry ($).