ILLINOIS STATE ARCHIVES

Cook County Coroner's Inquest Record Index, 1872-1911

Entering Search Criteria

Enter the name of the decedent in the format: last name comma space first name space middle initial period (for example, Smith, John D.). The first name and middle initial may be omitted to accomplish a surname search. Searches are not case sensitive: you may use any combination of upper and lower case letters.

Keep in mind the following points when entering search criteria:

• Not all deaths required an inquest. Only a death by violence, casualty or any undue means required an inquest by a coroner's jury. Deaths by natural causes were recorded by the county clerk in Cook County.
• If you cannot find a person for whom you believe there was an inquest, try broadening your search by entering only a portion of the surname (e.g., John instead of Johnson) or by typing variations of the spelling of a surname (such as Johnson and Johnsen).

More information about how to obtain copies of the Cook County Coroner's Inquest Records.