Introduction: Family History: The Ultimate Reality Show
Part I: Getting Your Questions Answered
Chapter 1: Where Do I Start?
Step 1: Gather Your Family's Information
Step 2: Organize Your Information
Step 3: Begin Research Using the Census, Vital Records, and City Directories
Three Beginner's Mistakes to Avoid
Chapter 2: When (and Where) Was My Ancestor Born?
Strategy No. 1: Birth and Baptismal Records
Strategy No. 2: Birth Announcements
Strategy No. 3: Census
Strategy No. 4: School Records
Strategy No. 5: Social Security Application
Strategy No. 6: Post-1906 Naturalization Records
Strategy No. 7: Death Records
Chapter 3: Who Were the Parents of My Ancestor?
Strategy No. 1: Birth and Baptismal Records
Strategy No. 2: Delayed and Corrected Birth Certificates
Strategy No. 3: Death Records
Strategy No. 4: Census
Strategy No. 5: Marriage Records
Chapter 4: Who Were the Siblings of My Ancestor?
Strategy No. 1: Census
Strategy No. 2: Death Notices and Obituaries
Strategy No. 3: Proof of Heirship
Strategy No. 4: Divorce Records
Chapter 5: When (and Who) Did My Ancestor Marry?
Strategy No. 1: Civil Marriage Records
Strategy No. 2: Church Marriage Records
Strategy No. 3: Unindexed Marriage Records
Chapter 6: Where Did My Ancestor Live?
Strategy No. 1: Sources for Addresses
Strategy No. 2: Sources for Photographs
Strategy No. 3: Fire Insurance Maps
Chapter 7: What Occupation Did My Ancestor Have?
Strategy No. 1: City Directories
Strategy No. 2: U.S. Census
Strategy No. 3: State Census
Strategy No. 4: Sources for Teachers
Strategy No. 5: Sources for City Workers (Chicago)
Strategy No. 6: Sources for Railroad Workers
Strategy No. 7: Sources for Professionals
Chapter 8: When Did My Ancestor Die and Where is my Ancestor Buried?
Strategy No. 1: Determine the Death Date
Strategy No. 2: Determine the Place of Burial
Chapter 9: When Did My Ancestor Come to America?
Strategy No. 1: U.S. Census
Strategy No. 2: Death Certificates
Strategy No. 3: Late Nineteenth-Century Voter Registrations
Strategy No. 4: Church Records
Strategy No. 5: Naturalization Records
Strategy No. 6: Passenger Lists
Part II: Practical Advice
Chapter 10: Nuts and Bolts of the U.S. Census
Tips for Finding Your Ancestor's Entry
Census Indexes
Soundex and Miracode Indexes
Find Your Ancestor by Address
Find Your Ancestor by Address Online
Where to Find the Census
Chapter 11: Nuts and Bolts of Newspaper Searching
Before You Start
Selected Chicago Newspapers and Where to Find Them
Indexes to Chicago Newspapers
Selected Suburban Cook County Newspapers
Obituary and Other Search Services
Chapter 12: Nuts and Bolts of Birth and Death Records
Birth Records
Death Records
Chapter 13: How to Use Machines and Catalogs
Microfilm and Microfiche Machines
Library Catalogs
Chapter 14: What to Expect at Chicago-Area Research Facilities
Chicago Historical Society (CHS)
Chicago Public Library
Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Archives
Cook County Bureau of Vital Statistics
Family History Center (FHC)—Wilmette, Illinois
Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)—Great Lakes Region
Newberry Library
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Richard J. Daley Library
Chapter 15: Top Web Sites for Chicago-Area Research
Local Institutional Web Sites
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Free Internet Sources
Subscription Databases
Chapter 16: Ethnic Resources
General Resources
Resources by Ethnic Group
Cultural Organizations
Beginner's Bookshelf
Index |