Vital Records in Chicago Newspapers

While the Chicago Fire of 1871 ravaged the city, it also destroyed much of Chicago’s vital records. From 1971 to 1980 in an attempt to partially rectify this loss, the Chicago Genealogy Society scoured Chicago Newspapers looking for any articles that provided vital record information. CGS published a seven-volume composite index of articles from 1833-1848, and continues to index articles from 1849 onward.

The index is available online for your genealogical research.  

The seven-volumes can be found in our members only section.  The items found in the 1849 and later index are available at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield, IL

Index A - K  Vital Records from Chicago Newspapers 1833 to 1848 

Index L - Z  Vital Records from Chicago Newspapers 1833 to 1848