Death Records

This pamphlet is one of a series designed to assist the genealogical researcher in using the most pertinent of related federal, state and local government records in the possession of the Illinois State Archives and its Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) system. The subject of this brochure is the registration of deaths.

Federal Mortality Schedules (1850–1880)

Historical Background
The federal government’s Census Act of 1850 mandated the taking of a mortality census as one of six schedules. This census gathered information on persons who died in the year prior to the census taking. Census enumerators completed mortality schedules for the federal censuses of 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 and 1900. Unfortunately the 1890 and 1900 mortality schedules no longer exist.

Record Contents
The 1850–1880 Mortality Schedules (record series 951.019 through 951.022), available on microfilm in the Norton Building at Springfield, show the following information for those who died in the 12 months preceding the census taking: name, age, sex, color or race, whether married or widowed, place of birth, occupation, month and cause of death.

The 1850 and 1860 schedules additionally include an entry for the number of days ill. The 1860 census also shows whether African-Americans were free or slave. The 1870 and 1880 schedules indicate if father and mother of foreign birth. And the 1880 census further provides the length of U.S. residence, place where cause of death was contracted, and name of attending physician.

Finding Your Ancestors
Researching On Your Own
The 1860 mortality schedule is indexed for the entire state. The researcher will find entries for the deceased person interfiled in the Archives card file index for the 1860 Illinois federal population schedules. The cards refer the user to the name of the county and page number of the entry in the mortality schedule volumes. The Archives reference room contains publications which index the 1850, 1860, and 1870 schedules. For the unindexed 1880 mortality schedules, the researcher can search by township within the county where the death took place as the entries are arranged in this manner.

Mail, Telephone, and Internet Requests
In specifying a search of a particular mortality schedule, the researcher must provide the name of the deceased as well as the names of the county and, if possible, township where the death occurred. The Archives will provide an unofficial and uncertified copy of the original, if located. Send inquiries to: Reference Unit, Illinois State Archives, Norton Building, Capitol Complex, Springfield, IL 62756. Telephone (217) 782-3553. Fax: (217) 524-3930. Submit a Request Via the Internet.
 

Illinois Death Records

Historical Background
The Illinois General Assembly in 1843 passed its first legislation providing for the registration of births and deaths with county clerks. Because the law made the act of registration a voluntary process, few counties began recording births and deaths. Legislation approved in 1877 legislation again mandated this duty for county clerks. But the law again provided for no enforcement and this resulted in many counties keeping records only irregularly.

A 1915 statute provided for the first effective system of registration of births, deaths, and stillbirths. It required the State Board of Health and county clerks to record these events and provided a system of financial incentives for local registrars. In 1919 the Illinois Department of Public Health was established as the successor agency to the State Board of Health. As a result of 1989 legislation, this agency’s Division of Vital Records makes available for public inspection at the Illinois State Archives its death certificates produced more than 50 years ago. In compliance with current legislation, the Illinois Department of Public Health and county clerks make available to genealogists photocopies of death records not less than 20 years old at a specified fee (410 Illinois Compiled Statutes 535/25).

County Clerks' Death Records (1877–1951)

Record Contents
The most useful local governmental records concerning deaths include: Death Records, Death Certificates, and Death Record Indexes. (Please consult this brochure’s section, Illinois Death Certificates and Index [1916–1950], for death records maintained by the state.)

Death Records
The record, consisting of volumes, generally shows name, race, marital status, age, sex, and occupation of deceased; contributing causes and duration; place and date of burial; names and addresses of the attending physician and registrar.

Death Certificates
Certificates, consisting of loose papers, show name, age, sex, marital status, and race of deceased; places of birth, death, and burial; dates of death and burial; cause of death; date filed and signatures of attending physician and registrar.

Death Record Indexes
Death record indexes were maintained in separate volumes. They alphabetically list deceased persons and reference Death Record volume and page numbers. Often filing dates or certificate numbers are given as well and these items can be used to access Death Certificates.

Death Records in IRAD

The Illinois Regional Archives Depositories maintain death records of many Illinois counties. Click here to search a database of Local Governmental Records in the IRAD System for Death Record, Death Record Index, and Death Certificate holdings. Type the search term DEATH in the title field to return all death records in the IRAD holdings.

If the researcher is interested in a comprehensive listing of county records maintained in the IRAD system, the published guide A Summary Guide to Local Government Records in the Illinois Regional Archives (Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1992) can be consulted. Copies are available for use at the State Archives and at each of the seven regional depositories. The guide sells for $6.00 and may be purchased from: Illinois State Archives, Margaret Cross Norton Building, Springfield, IL. 62756. Please make checks payable to: Secretary of State.

To obtain free listings of IRAD holdings for particular counties, write Information Services/IRAD, Illinois State Archives, Margaret Cross Norton Building, Springfield, IL. 62756. Please limit requests to five counties at a time.

Illinois State Archives: In addition to the county death records held by the regional depositories, some records also are available on duplicate microfilm at the Archives in Springfield. In-person users are invited to consult an in-house listing of these holdings.

Finding Your Ancestors
Researching On Your Own
Death Records, arranged by date of recordation, are generally indexed either within the volume or in separate index volumes. Death Certificates, arranged by filing date, are best located by consulting Death Record Indexes. The Indexes often give filing dates or certificate numbers. For in-person searches of death records stored at one of the regional depositories the researcher must visit the appropriate depository. Death records not located at one of the IRAD centers or at the State Archives generally are still maintained at the respective courthouses in the counties where they originated. In these instances the appropriate county clerk’s office should be contacted.

Mail, Telephone and Internet Requests
The Illinois Regional Archives Depository system welcomes mail and telephone inquiries. Click here for the addresses and phone numbers of the regional depositories. It also includes a map that shows the counties covered by each depository. In requesting a search of a particular county’s death records, contact the appropriate regional depository. Provide the name of the deceased and the county where the death occurred as well as the approximate date of death. A photocopy of the record, if it can be located, will be provided by the appropriate regional depository.

Illinois Death Certificates and Index (1916–1950)

Record Contents
The Archives has microfilm of all death certificates filed with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) for 1916–1947. The Archives makes available for public use in the Norton Building in Springfield the record series, Death Certificates (RS 205.014), consisting of 1226 microfilm reels. The Archives’ statewide Database of Illinois Death Certificates (1916–1950) is also available on the Internet. (Please consult this brochure’s section, County Clerk’s Death Records [1877–1951], for county death records maintained by IRAD.)

Death certificates show county and city in which death took place; certificate number; address where death took place; sometimes the voting ward of that address; the deceased's full name, sex, marital status, birth date, age at death, occupation, employer, and city and state of birthplace; father’s name and birthplace; mother’s maiden name and birthplace; name of informant providing the above information; the filing date; and the name of the registrar. Also included are the date of death; indication if an inquest was held; sometimes the duration of the causal condition and the type of secondary contributory cause; the coroner's signature, address, and telephone number; the date of the coroner’s signature; sometimes the length of residence if at an institution and the place where the contributory disease was contracted if not at the place of death; the burial place and date; and the undertaker’s name and address. Also included are stillbirth certificates that are not indexed.

Finding Your Ancestors
Mail, Telephone and Internet Requests
As an extension of our Reference Room services, the Archives provides Web access to a statewide database of death certificates. Please click here to search the Database of Illinois Death Certificates (1916–1950). Researchers wishing an unofficial and uncertified copy of a death certificate may visit the Illinois State Archives Reference Room. To locate a death certificate in our Reference Room, the following information from the database will be needed: decedent’s name; date of death; names of county and, if provided, township where the death took place; and death certificate number.

Researchers who are unable to visit the Illinois State Archives Reference Room should direct requests for death certificates after 1915 to the Illinois Department of Public Health or to the county clerk’s office of the county where the death occurred. In compliance with current legislation, the Illinois Department of Public Health and county clerks shall furnish for genealogical purposes certified or uncertified photocopies of death records not less than 20 years old at a specified fee (410 Illinois Compiled Statutes 535/25).

Researching On Your Own at the Illinois state Archives
The search for a death certificate is a three-step process. The filing system has inconsistencies and errors. Please feel free to consult one of the Archives reference staff members for further instructions on accessing these records.