All in the Family

I was reading through blogs I follow on Bloglines when I stumbled across a FamilySearch.org update on Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter. It indicated that the United States, Illinois Cook County Marriages, 1871–1920 had been updated with new images and index content. Occasionally I check the Illinois records to see if my family have been included there yet.

I have to admit I am a little confused about FamilySearch.org these days. I get confused between http://www.familysearch.org/, pilot.familysearch.org and labs.familysearch.org. I'm sure if I spent an hour some day I could figure it out. Regardless I knew instinctively that if I just went to the labs.familysearch.org site I could find the record group that I was looking for. I headed over to the website to take a look. I had a feeling that this time I would find just what I was looking for.

I don't really have any family from Chicago. Well almost not really. Some of my New York/New England ancestors ended up there for a generation. I've been on the hunt for my great great grandfather's death record and for my great grandparent's marriage record. I always thought it was funny that a Texas boy and a New York girl would get married in Chicago but somehow her family ended up there.


When I pulled up the Cook County records index I held my breath and typed 'Dealey'. The first record that popped up was James Q. Dealey. Pay dirt!! My great grandfather's marriage record to Clara Learned at long last. The image showed the marriage license and the confirmation of when the marriage had taken place. Better yet it was a family affair. The confirmation of their marriage was written and signed by Clara's father, clergyman William Chandler Learned. It also mentioned that they were married at Woodlawn Park. I've never heard of that. Sounds more like a cemetery to me. More research for another day.


Now off to check out FamilySearch's 1892 New York census records…..