Illinois Death Records
The Illinois General Assembly in 1843 passed its first legislation providing for the
registration of births and death records 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 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 in Illinois. 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.
Photocopies of Death Records before 1916
Death records before 1916 were maintained exclusively by the county clerks.
Most county clerks did not record deaths until 1877. Copies of death records filed
before 1916 may be obtained from the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
system if IRAD holds death records for that particular county or from the county
clerk in the county where the death occurred.
Search the IRAD Local Governmental Records Database
for death records held by the IRAD system.
Click here
for the addresses of the county clerks of all 102 counties in Illinois.
Illinois State Vital Records Office:
Illinois Department of Public Health
Division of Vital Records
605 W. Jefferson St.
Springfield, IL 62702-5097
Fax Number: 217-523-2648
Interesting Links to Illinois Death Records:
|