Chicago Genealogy’s Most Well-Kept Secret; Or Chicago’s German Genealogy Gold Mine.
If you have Chicago ancestors and are familiar with Chicago area research, you may already know about some record sources and strategies that are unique to Chicago. For example, you may know that Chicago streets were renumbered in 1909 and 1911. A Street Renumbering guide can be found at the Chicago History Museum .
If your Chicago Ancestors were Catholic, you may know that many Chicago Catholic Church records are digitized at FamilySearch. You may also know that many of these record images are not indexed and may require searching for your ancestors’ records by parish.
You may know that historically, working class Chicagoans typically preferred the Chicago Daily News to the Chicago Tribune. You can access digitized versions of the Chicago Daily News at Genealogy Bank.
You may also know that tracing your Chicago family before 1871 may prove difficult given the record loss from the Great Chicago Fire.
But chances are, you have not heard of Wesley Johnston’s website titled 45,000 Images of Newberry Library Chicago German Records Microfilm.
In a previous blog post titled, “The One Thing I Do Before Starting A New Genealogy Research Project,” I emphasized how important it is to do your topic or locality research BEFORE you start digging into records. Chicago area research is no exception. But the thing is, even if you go to some of the more well-known Chicago Genealogy books or tutorials, you may not come across mention of Johnston’s site. When I realized this, I wanted to do my part to spread the word.
Even though Johnston digitized and made these records available back in 2012 and 2013, many Chicago researchers – even those who are considered subject matter experts – are not yet aware this amazing resource exists!
I remember many years ago when visiting family in Chicago, I made the trek to the beautiful and impressive Newberry Library to look up records from First St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church where my German ancestors worshipped. It was a fun, albeit long day of making my way to the Library, scrolling through microfilm and making photocopies of parish register entries relevant to my family history. And of course, due to time limitations, I was unable to search for records of all my collateral German ancestors whose names were recorded in those microfilms.
But now, thanks to the generosity of Johnston, the Newberry Library’s Chicago German records can be accessed from the comfort of your home. These records are not just records from St. Paul’s, but also include Lutheran Church records from:
As well as cemetery records from :
***In case you are wondering, YES, Johnston did receive permission from the Newberry Library to make these digitized copies of their records available on the internet. ****
Now, even if you don’t have known German Chicago roots, you may still find that these records ARE relevant to your family history research. Here’s why I think they may be worth a look:
Germans began immigrating in large numbers to Chicago in the 1840s.[1] The early Chicago German community was comprised of many skilled craftsmen and carpenters who played a significant role in building the city.[2]
Germans have always represented one of Chicago’s largest ethnic groups and were considered the largest foreign-born group in Chicago from the 1850s until at least the turn of the 20th century. In 1900, one in four Chicagoans claimed either German birth or a parent of German birth.[3] So even if you know your family primarily descended from another ethnic group, you may still find that some Chicago ancestor in your tree who possessed German heritage.
Finally, these records are extremely relevant to Chicago research simply because many of them go back prior to the 1871 fire – a rarity indeed!
(If you are looking for more information on Pre-Chicago Fire records, Johnston has also written a book about those records which survived. You can learn more and purchase it here).
So now you know! Be sure to spread the word about this amazing website! I have a feeling it will help break brick walls for many Chicago genealogists!!
[1] Irving Cutler, Chicago, 4th ed. (USA : 2006), 65.
[2] Richard Schneirov and Thomas J Suhrbur, Union Brotherhood, Union Town: The History of the Carpenters’ Union of Chicago 1863-1987 ( USA : Chicago and Northeast Illinois District Council, United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of Amerca), 1-20.
[3] Christine Harzig, “Germans,” Encyclopedia of Chicago (http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/512.html : accessed 6 April 2023), home > entries > Germans.