FREE / SUBSCRIPTION
- Church Records
- City Directories
- City, Village, and County Histories
- Court
- Fraternal Organizations
- Historical Societies and Museums
- History
- Maps
- Naturalization
- Newspapers
- Schools
- Various Resources
- Vital Records
- Yearbooks
Church Records
“Illinois, Chicago, Catholic Church records,” FamilySearch.org. Browse Chicago Archdiocese parish records from 1833–1925 on FamilySearch. Some indexing. These include Lake County’s Catholic churches. FREE
The Leaves of Healing was a publication of the Christian Catholic Church in Zion, Illinois. This link leads to a table of digitized copies of some issues of the publication.
City Directories
Ancestry U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
This collection has city directories for Waukegan. You can search them from the collection search box or browse individual directories. To look at individual Waukegan directories, go to the collection, then go to “Browse this Collection” on the right side of the page. Select Illinois, and then choose Waukegan from the drop-down box for county/city. Waukegan streets were renumbered by the time of the 1922 directory; that directory contains a section showing old and new street numbers. SUBSCRIPTION
Waukegan city directory years in this collection:
1901, 1903, 1905, 1908, 1913, 1916, 1919, 1922, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1948, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960
City, Village, and County Histories
Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Lake County (Chicago, Illinois: Munsell Pub. Co., 1902), Ancestry.com SUBSCRIPTION
Historical and Statistical Sketches of Lake County, State of Illinois (Waukegan, Illinois: E. G,. Howe, 1852), Google Books FREE
Our Town: The Story of the Growth and Development of a Typical American Town [Libertyville]. (Libertyville: Libertyville Lions Club, 1942), Internet Archive FREE
The Past and Present of Lake County, Illinois. Chicago: Wm. Le Baron & Co., 1877, Google Books FREE
Court
“Lake County Circuit Court Case Files Index, 1840—1898,” Illinois State Archives FREE
Lake County, Illinois, Clerk of the Circuit Court’s Public Access System, 19th Judicial Circuit Court of Lake County FREE
Fraternal Organizations
Grand Army of the Republic, Waukegan Post 374, 1894 flier, Internet Archive FREE
Historical Societies and Museums
Bess Bower Dunn Museum (formerly Lake County Discovery Museum) The Curt Teich Postcard Archive was transferred to the Newberry Library in Chicago.
Deerfield Area Historical Society
Ela Historical Society and Museum
Fox Lake-Grant Township Historical Society
Grayslake Historical Society and Museum
Highland Park Historical Society
Historic Millburn Community Association
Lake Bluff History Museum Includes images of postcards, photographs, and letters.
Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society The website offers transcriptions of city and telephone directories for various years from 1903–1954.
Lakes Region Historical Society Northern Lake County and Antioch
Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society
Warren Township Historical Society
Wauconda Township Historical Society
History
Lake County, Illinois History (Blog) FREE
Illinois Digital Archives, Secretary of State FREE
Illinois State Archive Website, Illinois State Archives FREE
Maps
Deerfield Township Atlas and Plat Book, 1926, [cover only at present] NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Lake County Maps and Aerial Photos, Lake County GIS/Mapping Division:
- 1840 Federal Township Plats,
- 1861, 1873, 1885, 1907 atlases,
- 1939, 1946, 1961, 1974, 1980, 1993, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 Aerials (some infrared),
- 1960, 1972, 1993, USGS Quadrangle maps (topographic),
- others, FREE as a pdf or a download. [To see a list of images, click the Basemap Gallery Icon, which looks like four squares.]
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Library of Congress website:
- Antioch, Sep 1915
- Deerfield, May 1929
- Deerfield, May 1935
- Deerfield, May 1935-May 1941
- Grayslake, Jan 1934
- Highland Park, Apr 1900
- Highland Park, Aug 1907
- Highland Park, Oct 1912
- Highland Park, Sep 1918
- Highland Park, Dec 1924
- Lake Bluff, Nov 1928
- Lake Bluff, Jan 1937
- Lake Bluff, Jan 1937-Mar 1944
- Lake Forest, Nov 1904
- Lake Forest, Aug 1909
- Lake Forest, May 1917
- Lake Forest, Nov 1926
- Libertyville, Jul 1897
- Libertyville, Aug 1907
- Libertyville, Oct 1912
- Libertyville, Oct 1924
- Libertyville, Dec 1933
- Libertyville, Dec 1933-Jan 1948
- Waukegan, Oct 1885
- Waukegan, Aug 1890
- Waukegan, Jun 1892
- Waukegan, Jan 1894
- Waukegan, Apr 1900
- Waukegan, Jan 1906
- Waukegan, Feb 1912
- Waukegan, Apr 1917
- Waukegan, Jun 1924
- Zion, Jul 1907
- Zion, Dec 1911
- Zion, Jan 1918
U.S. Surveyor General’s Records for Illinois, Federal Township Plats of Illinois, Lake County, Illinois Digital Archives FREE
Naturalization
Lake County’s naturalization books (1856-1987) were taken by the state archives. The archives will keep the original books, but give the circuit clerk’s office images of them at an unknown point in time. It is not clear when the state will create the images of the records. So, at present, the circuit clerk’s office is unable to process any requests for naturalization records. The Lake County IL Genealogical Society’s index of naturalization records (1864-1920) and complimentary volumes are presently the only naturalization materials accessible to the public.
FamilySearch has started putting images of Northern District Petitions for Naturalization, 1906—1994, online. These are browse only and not yet complete. FREE
Newspapers
The Antioch News, 1888-1988, Old Fulton NY Postcards. To see a list of newspapers on the site select the FAQ Help Index. If you click “Download This Index” (on the upper right) the index downloads as a spreadsheet and is easier to review. FREE
Antioch News, various issues; Internet Archive, also see Antioch News FREE
Antioch Review, 1998-2011, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Arlington Heights (Sunday) Herald, 1930, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Barrington Courier-Review, 1890–1903 (various) Barrington Area Library FREE
Barrington Courier-Review, 1996-current, obituaries Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Barrington Herald, 1977, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Buffalo Grove Herald, 1969-1975, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Community News (Zion, Ill.), 1935-1949, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Cook County Herald (Arlington Heights, Ill.), 1902, 1904-1910, 1919-1921, 1923, 1928-1930, 1934-1946, 1949, 1952-1954, 1959-1961, 1965-1966, [each year is not complete], Ancestry.com SUBSCRIPTION
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Ill.), 1995-current, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Daily Herald Suburban Chicago (Arlington Heights, Ill.), 1901-2021, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Ill.), 1986-2015, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Deerfield Review, 1997-current, obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Freeman’s Advocate (Waukegan, Ill.), 1854-1855 , Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Grayslake Review, 1997-2011, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Great Lakes Bulletin, 30 March 1918 – 1 October 1919, November-December 1935 (392 issues), Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections FREE
Great Lakes Bulletin (Great Lakes, Ill.), 1918-2016, Newspapers.com Publisher Extra SUBSCRIPTION
Great Lakes Bulletin (U.S. Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Ill.), 1918-1919, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Gurnee Review, 1997-2011, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Herald (Arlington Heights, Ill.), 1902-1910, 1919-1923, 1928-1946, 1949, 1952-1978, [each year is not complete], Ancestry.com SUBSCRIPTION
Highland Park News, 1997-current, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Highland Park Newspaper Index, 1874-2010 Online at the Highland Park Public Library’s website. FREE index, research fee for articles ordered.
Highland Park Obituary Index, 1874-2009 Online at the Highland Park Public Library’s website. FREE index, limit six free obituaries per month for items ordered.
Highland Park Press, 1912-1951, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Lake County Independent (Libertyville, Ill.), 1894-1906, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Lake County Independent (Libertyville, Ill.), 1894-1906, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Lake County Independent and Waukegan Weekly Sun (Libertyville, Ill.), 1906-1916, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Lake County Independent and Waukegan Weekly Sun (Libertyville, Ill.), 1906-1916, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Lake County Journal (Grayslake, Ill.), 2009-2021 , Newspapers.com Publisher Extra SUBSCRIPTION
Lake County News-Sun (Waukegan, Ill.), 1997-current, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
The Lake County Register, (Libertyville, Ill.), 1922-1930, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Lake County Suburban Life (Grayslake, Ill.), 2008-current, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Lake County Visiter (Little Fort, Ill.), 1847, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Lake Forester, 1997-current, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Lake Villa Review, 1997-2011, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Lake Zurich Courier, 1997-current, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
The Lake Zurich News, 1911, 1914, 1918, 1920, incomplete years, Wauconda Historical Society FREE
The Leader, (Wauconda, Ill.), 1900, four issues, Wauconda Historical Society FREE
Libertyville Independent, 1916-1929, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Libertyville Independent, 1916-1923, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Libertyville-Mundelein Shoppers News (North Chicago, Ill.), 1932, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Libertyville-Mundelein Shoppers News (Libertyville, Ill.), 1932, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Libertyville News, 1932-1941, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Libertyville Review, 1997-current, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Lincolnshire Review, 2000-current, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Little Fort Porcupine and Democratic Banner (Little Fort, Ill.), 1845-1847 , Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Mundelein Newspaper Indexes, 1999–2007, includes Grayslake Journal 2007–2008 [Ask library as this can no longer be found online] Fremont Public Library FREE
Mundelein Review, 1997-current, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
The Star, (Wauconda, Ill.), 1888, one issue, Wauconda Historical Society FREE
The Theocrat, (Zion, Ill.), 1914-1920, 1935, 1947-1949, incomplete , Library of Congress, Chronicling America FREE
Vernon Hills Review, 1997-current, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Wauconda Courier, 2004-2008, recent obituaries, Genealogybank SUBSCRIPTION
Wauconda Leader, 1897, 1898, 1903, 1904, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1914, 1917-1920, 1923-1935, 1937-1947, 1949-1951, 1953-1969, some years incomplete, Wauconda Historical Society FREE
The Wauconda Torpedo, 1890, one issue, Wauconda Historical Society FREE
The Village Star, Wauconda, (Wauconda, Ill.), 1997-2001, Wauconda village newsletter, Wauconda Historical Society FREE
The Waukegan Daily Gazette, 1902-1905, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Waukegan Democrat, 1898 (one issue), Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Waukegan News-Sun, 1897-1935, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
The Waukegan Weekly Gazette, 1850-1886, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
Waukegan Weekly Sun, 1897-1898, Newspapers.com SUBSCRIPTION
The Zion Banner, 22 May 1901 – 30 June 1903 (134 issues), Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections FREE
The Zion City Independent, 3 June 1910 – 22 June 1917 (342 issues), Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections FREE
The Zion City Independent, 1910-1917, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
The Zion Herald, 8 May 1907 – 29 June 1910 (145 issues), Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections FREE
The Zion Herald, 1907-1910, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections FREE
“Newspapers on Microfilm,” Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum FREE
Schools
Lake County School Histories, 1918, Illinois Digital Archives, Illinois Secretary of State FREE
Various Resources
[West] Deerfield Township Auditors Record, 1889-1974, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
[West] Deerfield Township Board Meeting, 1969-1975, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
[West] Deerfield Township Clerk’s Miscellaneous Files, 1856-1959, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
[West] Deerfield Township Clerk’s Miscellaneous Files, 1850-1976, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Deerfield Township Election Papers, 1868-1926, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Deerfield Township Highway Commissioners Record, 1889-1962, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Deerfield Township Poll Book, 1884-1903, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Deerfield Township Poll Record, 1882-1884, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
[West] Deerfield Township Road Record, 1889, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
[West] Deerfield Township Road and Bridge Account Books, 1914, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Deerfield Township Trustees’ Minutes, 1976-1977, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Deerfield Township Voter Registers, 1867-1914, NewspaperArchive.com SUBSCRIPTION
Jesse Lowe Smith Diaries, 1888-1934 Online at the Highland Park Public Library’s website. FREE
Lake County materials on Illinois Digital Archives, Illinois Digital Archives, Illinois Secretary of State FREE
Lake County information at the Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Illinois Secretary of State FREE
Lake County materials on Internet Archive FREE
Waukegan Public Library, Genealogy and Local History FREE
Vital Records
Lake County, Illinois, Clerk, Genealogical Records Search, Genealogical Records Index, search for births, marriages, and deaths before 1 January 1916. Births (starting 1871), Marriages (starting 1839), and Deaths (starting 1877). Genealogy copies of vital records (births and marriages at least 75 years old, and deaths at least 20 years old) from the Lake County Clerk are currently $4.00. Lake County, Illinois, Clerk FREE
Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950, Illinois State Archives FREE
Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900, includes Lake County, 1839-1901. Illinois State Archives FREE
Yearbooks
Keel, Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Companies 97 & 98, 1949 Internet Archive FREE
Keel, Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Company 264, 1950 Internet Archive FREE
Keel, Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Company 569, 1960 Internet Archive FREE
Keel, Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Company 56, 1961 Internet Archive FREE
Keel, Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Company 152, 1961 Internet Archive FREE
Keel, Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Company 313, 1961 Internet Archive FREE
Keel, Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Company 179, 1962 Internet Archive FREE
Keel, Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Company 326, 1962 Internet Archive FREE
Keel, Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Company 5933, 1963 Internet Archive FREE
Keel, Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Company 95, 1967 Internet Archive FREE
I want to know if there is a fee for requesting an obit from Waukegan public library. Everytime I click on their site, a security risk warning comes up. Can you answer my question? I want an obit for Richard H. Ostrander born May 20, 1902 Decatur, IL and died Sept. 5, 1936 Waukegan, IL. Thank-you.
I do not know if the library charges a fee. I suggest calling them to see, or contacting the Lake County (IL) Genealogical Society, as they have an obituary file.