Illinois obituaries are unique in that the death records associated with them are given out in a unique way. Death records can only be given to those with a personal connection or a "property right" connection to the deceased in question. As far as issuing death certificates, there are those issued for legal purposes and those issued for the sake of genealogical research[1]. While death's were recorded starting in 1877, before 1916 they were only kept by county clerks[2]. The average Illinois obituary is around 39 characters making them among the bottom ten percent shortest obituaries in the United States.
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Obtaining death records in IllinoisObtaining death records in Illinois
Death records can only be given to those with a personal connection or a "property right" connection to the deceased in question. A " property right" according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is defined as something tangible such as car or property deed connected to the deceased.
How to find an obituaryHow to find an obituary
Generally, the date of death is the first key piece of information that could enable one to more easily find a deceased person in a newspaper. Using both State and local resources are essential; the State index and the cemetery in the local area where the person is believed to have died are good examples. The next step in finding an obituary is the date of death. Once that is determined, a search in the local library is a good next step. Here, it can be seen whether or not newspapers were in existence during that specific time period, and if it would be common for someone to look for an obituary in that newspaper. If the newspapers are not kept at the library, one can contact the local newspaper office to see if it would be possible to obtain older copies of the particular newspaper in question.
See alsoSee also
Explore more about Illinois obituariesExplore more about Illinois obituaries
- Illinois newspapers 1840-2009 in MyHeritage record collection.
- United States Obituary Index in OldNews record collection.
- Illinois Birth, Marriage & Death Records in MyHeritage record collection.
- Death Records: Vital to Your Research in MyHeritage Blog.
- Amazing Ways to Use Death Records for Family History Research at MyHeritage.
- Vital Records: How to Find Birth, Marriage & Death Records in MyHeritage Knowledge Base.
- Genealogy Tip: Virtual Cemetery in MyHeritage Blog.
- Messages from the Grave – Listening to Your Ancestor's Tombstone in Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
- Governor Ninian Wirt Edwards in Geni record collection.
References
- ↑ https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/birth-death-other-records/death-records.html#:~:text=Death%20records%20are%20not%20public,property%20deed)%20with%20the%20decedent.
- ↑ https://ilsos.gov/departments/archives/gen_research.html#:~:text=1877%2D1915%20%E2%80%93%20Most%20Illinois%20counties,Health%20jointly%20maintained%20death%20records.