How to Find Historical Information About Your Chicago Home

Early Chicago immigrant homes tell stories about the residents' struggles and joys.

Chicago, and Cook County, have a rich history, and family historians can learn many intriguing facts about the people who lived there. Many researchers do not consider the discoveries that could be made by also researching the houses in which these families lived. Is the home considered a historic Chicago property? Did an ancestor build or buy the home? Who was involved with the recorded deeds? Are there any newsworthy stories about the house? Researching historical information on a Chicago or Cook County home can lead researchers down new paths that might tell interesting stories.

Things You'll Need

• Address of home
• Style of home

Instructions

Chicago Historic Resource Survey Properties

1. Date the Chicago home. Look at the style of the home and neighborhood to narrow down when the house was built. Certain styles were prominent in different eras. Then consult the Chicago Historic Resources Survey, a book available in all Chicago public libraries. If the house is listed, the survey will show details about it. If it is not listed, find the building permit.

2. Locate the building permit by conducting research at the University of Illinois-Chicago's library in the Documents and Maps Department. Search by house address to find the ledger book that contains the permit. Search the ledger book to find the building permit.

3. Search for construction information on the home using the permit. Records can be searched at the Chicago History Museum. Possible record sources are fire insurance maps, construction reports, newspaper articles and architectural works. Many details about the house can be discovered through these avenues.

Non-Historic Property Records Online

1. Obtain a legal description of the property to obtain house records. Search the Cook County Assessor's website to obtain property information. A property identification number, called a PIN, is required to obtain a legal description of the property to conduct further research. Search by address, neighborhood, or religious properties. The easiest way to search is to "search by address" and enter the address. Click "search" to view results. The search will provide the PIN, usually along with a photograph of the home, land values, and property information. The PIN is required to proceed in the search, so be sure to note it.

2. Visit the Cook County Recorder's Office website to find a legal description of the property. Use the "Property Identification Number (PIN) Search" option. Enter the PIN for the property and hit "search." The results show recorded documents from 1985 to the present. Click the first document number to display the record. The property's legal description is displayed directly under the main document information heading.

3. Obtain property records using the legal description of the property. This can be accomplished by selecting documents to order hitting the "Add to Document Container." Document options allow researchers to order a downloaded version, standard version, or certified version. Fees for the different versions vary. Add the documents to order to the document container and hit "checkout," then hit "submit order" to complete the order.

Non-Historic Property Records at the Recorder's Office

1. Go to the Title Room in the basement of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds office. Use the legal description to investigate the records. Find one of the tract index books. Using the "section-township-range" from your legal description, search the tract index book. The index is sorted by "township-range" and in that, the "section." Write down the name of the subdivision located and the subdivision book number to view.

2. Find and search through the appropriate subdivision book. Search the table of contents for the page on which the subdivision begins. Go to that page and find the block listed in the legal description for the property.

3. Look at the right-hand column for the lot description from the legal property description. View the records with that lot number. Copy the document number, the instrument, the date of instrument, the grantor, the grantee, the date instrument was recorded, and the land description.

4. Find the paging books on the far right-hand side of the title room. Find the book and page for each document. The document number is broken apart to locate the book and page. For example: document number 522033. Count in five numerals from the right and draw a slanted line. 5 / 22033. The first number is the book number. The next two numbers, 22 indicate the page number, and the last number is the line entry. This example leads to book number 5, page 22, line 33.

5. View the actual document by first going the vault room where a request form for the records should be completed. Record your name and contact information, document numbers, and the page and book for each. Microfilm will be by the clerk. View the film in the microfilm room. Order the documents there. Go back upstairs to the cashier's area to pay and pick the documents up.

Tips & Warnings

• Pay attention to the names of the grantor and the grantee for each deed recorded. Is it possible they are family members you have not discovered yet? Check on others mentioned in the deeds.

• Finding historical and non-historical property records can take some time, so prepare for a long day.

References

• Chicago Landmarks: Your_House_Has_A_History.pdf

Resources

• Cook County Assessor's Office: Property Search
• Cook County Recorder of Deeds: Search
• Chicago History Museum: Research