Illinois Birth Records

Enter a first and/or last name to search Illinois birth records. This website was created to provide genealogists with access to the Illinois birth records from a single place. Additional information on how to obtain Illinois birth certificates is available below.

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Illinois birth records

Birth records contain information about a person's birth, including the date of birth, place of birth, sometimes the names of the mother and father, and even the physician who attended the birth. Birth certificates issued by state and local governments will often include the place of residence, and the mother's maiden name.

This webpage gives you access to all of the online databases containing Illinois birth records, Illinois birth ceritificates, Illinois birth notices, Illinois birth indexes, and other related Illinois genealogy records.

Birth records have long been used to help with genealogy research. They are considered to be "primary source" records, because the information is recorded by an eye witness, at the time the birth takes place. The Internet has allowed people to store birth records into various online archives. This has brought access to online birth records much more easier for genealogy researchers.

Newspapers frequently publish notices of births, and in addition to birth certificates, are a popular source of research by genealogists. Newspapers typically do not announce the names of the newborn, but list the sex of the child, the names of the parents, the place and date of birth.

On this page you will find the most comprehensive databases containing birth records of Illinois. We also suggest searching for "Illinois birth records" using Google.com, which will yield all such databases.

Search the Illinois Birth Records Database

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How to Obtain Illinois Birth Certificates

Birth and death records in Illinois were kept on a statewide basis from January 1, 1916. Some records are found in the individual counties as early as 1871, and occasionally earlier. Marriage records continue to be kept on a county level for most areas, though the state has kept an index to these records since 1962. For births and deaths prior to 1916, and marriage records prior to 1962, write to the clerk in the county of question. For birth and death records after 1916, and marriages after 1962, write:

Illinois State Vital Records
Office Division of Vital Records
605 West Jefferson Street
Springfield, IL 62702-5097

For prior records, contact the clerk of the county in question.

Other Illinois Birth Records Websites

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