Illinois Archdiocese of Chicago Cemetery Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
These records begin as early as 1864 and go through 1989.

Record Description
The Archdiocese of Chicago covers parishes in Cook and Lake counties. The records are 95% in English with the remaining 5% distributed in Czech, Latin, German, and Hungarian.

Record Content


The records include the following:

The death and burial records include:


 * Name of deceased
 * Death date
 * Burial dates and places
 * Age
 * Cause of death
 * Residence

In addition, they may also list the following:


 * Birth year
 * Names of children
 * Mortuary or undertaker

How to Use the Record
To begin your search you will need to know the following:


 * The person’s name.
 * The approximate burial or death date.

Search the Collection and Use the Information
Look at the images until you locate a match to your ancestor. Carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Burial records are often brief so it can be easy confuse individuals. Compare what information is given with what you already know about your ancestor to make sure it is the correct person.

Next, look at the pieces of information given in the burial record for new information. Add any new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the birth date or year to search for birth records.
 * Use the birth date along with relative’s names to find the family in census records.
 * Use the locality and relative’s names to locate church and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral records which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname, this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the deceased who may have been buried in the same cemetery or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby cemeteries.

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Record History
Church records in the United States began in the early 1600s. They can be found in the churches, church archives, or university archives. They normally record christenings, confirmations, marriages, and deaths.

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian church in the world. Traditionally Catholic records have been kept at the parish level, so a majority of records will be found at the church where the event transpired. Older Catholic records and records of defunct Catholic parishes have often been moved to archives, historical archives or university libraries.

Why This Record Was Created
To know who were members, Churches were required to record the date a person was baptized in the Christian religion. Many churches also recorded the date of birth along with the date of baptism. Churches were also required to record the burial and marriage dates of the members of the local congregation. Only some churches performed confirmations and were required to record the names of those that were confirmed members of the church.

Record Reliability
Church records are considered a primary source. They are usually reliable because they are kept by the priest or a clerk appointed by the priest, who usually recorded an event at or very near the time it occurred.

Related Websites
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Related Wiki Articles
Illinois Catholic Records Illinois Belleville Catholic Church Records

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually. Collection Citation:

“Illinois, Archdiocese of Chicago Cemetery Records, 1864-1989,” Database. FamilySearch; (http://familysearch.org); from Archdiocese of Chicago Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Archives &amp; Records Center, Chicago. FHL microfilm, 344 rolls, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Image Citation