Chicago and Cook County Genealogy Articles by Michael John Neill

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Chicago Genealogy Research Articles by Michael John Neill

Join Michael on a
Trip To
Salt Lake City's Family History Library this MAY

Specific to Chicago:

Searching for a Birth Record--finding a christening record in Chicago ca. 1913.
Separating Delayed Twins--Analyzing three Chicago birth certificates
One Piece at a Time--Analyzing a 1910 Chicago Death Certificate - includes image of death certificate
More Frame Framing Using late 19th and early 20th century censuses to form a family structure in Chicago
Framing William FrameWorking with a divorce, a name change and an "evaporation" in Chicago.
Married to An Alien--a 1920 Chicago census entry with a native-born alien.
Panning for Panagiotis--finding a Chicagoan in the 1930 census when his name is totally mixed up!
The Search for Egisto Lencioni- researching a Chicago settler from Italy
Chicago Voter Registrations--including samples of the images
Hiring A Professional Series--focuses on a Chicago birth in the 1910s.

Sample Documents from the Cook County area

Chicago and Cook County Links I use:

A Look at Cook-- Census Enumeration District Maps
Cook County, Illinois US GenWeb Page
Chicago Genealogy's list of Cook County sites - excellent!
Quick Lookups of Cook County Records - lookups in Cook County, Illinois records at a very reasonable charge--I have used this service.
Chicago material at the Newberry Library
Chicago Genealogical Society
1909 street renumbering guide available on-line from the Chicago Historical Society (requires Adobe® Reader.)
Chicago Police Department Homicide Record Index
Cook County Coroner's Inquest Record Index 1872-1911
Cook County Genealogy Mailing List--an excellent list

State of Illinois

1856 Illinois Probate Manual--the Dower--- a discussion of dower rights in the early to mid 18th century
1856 Illinois Probate Manual--Summary of probate practices mid 19th century Midwest.
Using the Illinois State Death Certificate Index
Using the Illinois Marriage Index

Famous Chicago Residents in the Census

My problems

My wife's grandmother Anna Apgar was born in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, in 1913 (according to her SS-5 form) to a French-Canadian woman (Marie/Mary Desmarais/Demar) and the son of English immigrants (William Frame aka William Apgar). To confuse the matter completely, he changed his last name upon his marriage and evaporated ca. 1918. His wife married two additional times, and was divorced from her second husband. These articles discuss some work on Anna's parents and grandparents, all of whom lived on the south side of Chicago (except for 1920).

We will be adding additional articles as we locate additional information.

Abbreviated Ahnentafel for Anna Apgar:

1) Anna Apgar, born 1913 Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Married 1930 Ola Lake in the Chicagoland area. Died in 1987 in Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois (grandmother-in-law of Michael John Neill)

2) William Apgar aka William Frame, born ca. 1888 Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Married 1909 in Cook County, Illinois. Last known to have lived in the Chicago area in 1918.

3) Mary/Marie Demar/Desmarais, born 1 April 1895 in Clinton County, New York. Died in the 1960s in DuPage County, Illinois.

4) Thomas Frame, born 1838 Carlisle, Cumberland, England. Died in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois 1910.

5) Elizabeth Watson.

6) Louis Demar/Desmarais, born in Clinton County, New York. Died in the 1930s in Clinton County, New York. Resided from ca. 1905 until at least 1920 in Cook County, Illinois.

7) Louise Drollette, born and died ca. 1896 in Clinton County, New York.