Online Illinois Death Records & Indexes

A Genealogy Guide for Finding Obituaries, Cemetery Burials & Death Records

Online Illinois Death Records Indexes and Cemetery Burials

Illinois Statewide Death Records Index, 1916-1950
Illinois Statewide Death Records Index, 1951-1971
Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947 at FamilySearch
- A version of this database is also available at Ancestry: Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 (requires payment) index only
Illinois Death Index, pre-1916 for only a few counties
- List of Counties Presently in the pre-1916 Death Index includes Cook County death index, 1871-1915
- A version of this database is also available at Ancestry: Illinois, Select Deaths Index, 1877-1916 (requires free registration) does not include all counties

Illinois Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999 (at Ancestry/requires payment) coverage varies by county
Illinois Probate Records, 1819-1988 browsable images only; coverage varies by county; at FamilySearch
1929 Illinois Roll of Honor Database contains the burial locations of 72,000 Illinois veterans
Illinois, Soldier Burial Places, 1774-1974 from FamilySearch; most of the soldiers served from 1774 to 1898
Illinois Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at FamilySearch lists of people who died June 1849 to May 1850, June 1859 to May 1860, June 1869 to May 1870, and June 1879 to May 1880
Illinois Gravestones over 95,000 entries
Illinois Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths

Illinois Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries by County

Adams County...
- Adams County: Quincy Public Library Historical Newspaper Archive, 1835-1919
- Adams County: Card Index to Deaths, 1877-1990 at FamilySearch
- Adams County: Greenmount Cemetery Burials in Quincy, Illinois
  - Adams County: Quincy, Greenmount Cemetery Records, 1875-1985 at FamilySearch
- Adams County (and nearby): Obituaries of West Central Illinois and North Eastern Missouri, ca. 1959-1981 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch
Alexander County, Illinois Death Eecords, v. 1-3, 1879-1917 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch
Alexander County - also see Southern Illinois Obituaries below
Aurora - see the Kane County section below
Bloomington - see the McLean County section below
Bond County...
- Bond County: City of Greenville Cemetery Database for Montrose and Lansing Cemeteries
- Bond County: Robinson Cemetery Database in Pocahontas, Illinois
Boone County...
- Boone County: Ida Public Library Genealogy Indexes includes Belvidere newspaper obituary index; Boone County death certificate indexes, 1877-1955; and other items
- Boone County Genealogy Research Resources includes Boone County death and probate indexes, and other items
Brown County...
- Brown County: Index to Cemetery Burials 1825-1972
- Brown County, Illinois Register of Deaths, Book 1, Dec. 1877-Oct. 1915; Indexes, 1878-1945 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch
Bureau County Online Genealogy Search Indexes birth certificates (75 years or older), marriage licenses (50 years or older), and death certificates (20 years or older). Requires free registration. You can order copies of the records for a fee.
Cass County Deaths, 1878-1915
Centralia - see Marion County below
Champaign County Genealogical Index - Local History Online Catalog indexes some obituaries, death notices and other records; from the Urbana Free Library
Chicago: see the Cook County section below
Christian County Death Records, 1878-1917; Index, 1878-1927 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch
Christian County: Oak Hill Cemetery Burials (Taylorville)
Clinton County...
- Clinton County GenWeb Genealogy Website includes Deaths, December 1877-1950: St. Dominic's Catholic Church Death Records, 1858-1927 (in Breese, Illinois), cemetery burials, marriage indexes, wills index, and other indexes
- Clinton County Veterans Memorial has names and some short bios for those who died in 20th century wars
Coles County: City of Mattoon Death Certificate Registers Index, 1899-1918
Coles County: Dodge Grove Cemetery Records (Mattoon, Illinois)
Cook County and Chicago...
- The Cook County section has moved to its own webpage...
  - Chicago and Cook County Death Indexes, Records and Obituaries
Danville - see the Vermilion County section below
Decatur - see the Macon County section below
DeKalb County Online Genealogy Search Indexes birth certificates (75 years or older), marriage licenses (50 years or older), death certificates (20 years or older) and naturalization certificates (100 years or older). Requires free registration. You can order copies of the records for a fee.
DeKalb County Cemeteries and Genealogy Indexes
DeWitt County GenWeb Site - includes a Death Index 1878-1917 and other indexes
DeWitt County Coroner's Inquest Files Index 1924-1977
DuPage County...
- DuPage County: Obituary Index, 1972-2018 for Burr Ridge, Darien and Willowbrook, Illinois; has some gaps (PDF file); from the Indian Prairie Public Library
- DuPage County: Villa Park Argus Obituary Index, 1931-2018
- DuPage County Cemetery Records from the DuPage County Genealogical Society
- DuPage County: Bronswood Cemetery Burial Index, 1881-2010 (Oak Brook, Illinois) at Ancestry/free to search
- DuPage County: Naperville Sun Index includes obituary citations starting in 1997 up through much of 2006; from the Naperville Public Library
- DuPage County: Bloomingdale Public Library Obituary Index includes PDFs for many of the obituaries
East St. Louis - see the St. Clair County section below
Elgin - see the Kane County section below
Fulton County Pre-1916 Death Index covers 1876-1915; from the Illinois State Genealogical Society
Greene County, Vital Records Card File, ca. 1869-2007 FamilySearch digitized microfilm of a newspaper index from the White Hall Township Library; browsable images - alphabetical by surname; indexes births, marriages and deaths
Greene County Assorted Death Indexes includes deaths reported in newspapers, 1899-1964; and other items
Grundy County: Obituary and Cemetery Indexes includes an obituary and death notice index from the Coal City Courant and other sources, and an index to the cemeteries of southern Will and Grundy Counties; from the Coal City Public Library District
Grundy County Cemeteries
Hancock County Birth Certificates, Death Records, Marriage Records, Applications for Marriage Licenses, 1829-1947 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch; coverage varies by type of record
Henderson County Clerk Death Register, 1878-1902; and Index to Deaths, 1878-1900 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch
Henry County Cemetery Indexes for North Cemetery and Oakwood Cemetery (both in Geneseo, Illinois)
Iroquois County Genealogy Databases includes death, cemetery, obituary, and probate indexes, plus many others
Jackson County...
- Jackson County Death Certificates, 1908-1917 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch
- Jackson County Cemeteries and Probate Indexes
- Jackson County: St. Andrew Catholic Cemetery Burials
Jefferson County Genealogy Indexes includes cemetery burials and other items
Joliet - see the Will County section below
Kane County...
- Kane County Genealogy Online Database for Birth Certificates 75 years or older; Marriage Licenses 50 years or older; and Death Certificates 20 years or older; requires free registration; copies of the records can be ordered online for a fee.
- Aurora Public Library Genealogy Indexes includes an obituary index for the Beacon newspaper, a marriage license index, and a cemetery index
- Aurora Illinois Area Cemeteries: This website appears to have gone offline, but you may be able to access some of the burial listings from the Internet Archive/Wayback Machine here: Aurora Area Cemeteries at the Wayback Machine
- Lincoln Memorial Park Burial Records Search Aurora, Illinois
- Kane County: Elgin, Illinois Area Obituaries Index, Mid 1970s to 2011 from the Schaumburg Township District Library; click on "browse documents" for a PDF of the index
- Kane County: Elgin Genealogical Society includes a probate index, funeral home index, Civil War dead and more (for Elgin, IL)
- Kane County: Elgin Newspapers Vital Records Surname Search indexes obituaries, birth notices, and marriage announcements from July 1, 2002 to recent; also has some listings prior to 1915; from the Gail Borden Public Library District
- Kane County, Elgin, Gail Borden Public Library District, Local Newspaper Obituary Digital Index, 1922-2017 from FamilySearch
- Kane County: St. Charles Public Library Local Newspapers Index, 1986-present includes obituaries
Kankakee County...
- Kankakee County, Illinois Death Index, 1870-1992 (at Ancestry/requires payment)
- Kankakee County, Illinois Death Certificates, 1915-1951, Index, 1916-1958 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch
- Kankakee County Obituaries and Death Index obituaries are mostly after 1975; death index covers 1877-1916; from the Kankakee Valley Genealogical Society
- Kankakee County: Kankakee Area Obituaries Index
Kendall County Genealogy Indexes includes cemetery burials; Kendall County Clerk Death Register, 1877-1903; and other items
Knox County...
- Knox County: Galesburg Public Library Birth, Obituary, and Wedding Index, 2006-recent from the Register Mail newspaper
- Knox County Cemeteries
- Knox County: Linwood and East Linwood Cemetery Database in Galesburg, Illinois
Lake County...
- Lake County: Highland Park Obituary Index, 1874-2009
- Lake County: Barrington Courier-Review Indexes and Barrington Cemetery Listings
- Lake County: Vital Records Published in Mundelein Newspapers includes obituaries
- Cook Memorial Public Library Obituary Index, 1894-1999 indexes obituaries from the Libertyville Review, Lake County Independent, Waukegan Weekly Sun, Libertyville Independent Register, and other newspapers; coverage varies by newspaper
- Lake County Genealogical Records Index Indexes birth, marriage and death records prior to January 1, 1916. Death records begin in 1877; births in 1871; and marriage licenses in 1839.
- Lake County: Mount Olivet Cemetery Burials Zion, Illinois
LaSalle County Genealogy Guild Record Search includes indexes for some obituaries, probate records and others
LaSalle County: Local Newspaper Indexes includes indexes for some deaths and obituaries; from the Peru Public Library
Lee County Death Index, 1877-1999 also has a cemetery burials index and other items; from the Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society
Livingston County Probate Case Files Index, 1837-1958
Logan County Cemetery Surname Index from the Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society
Logan County Cemeteries
Macon County...
- Macon County: Decatur Public Library Herald and Review Obituary Database for the Decatur Daily Review from 1878-1931, the Evening Review from 1931-1980, and the Herald and Review from 1980 to present.
- Macon County: Decatur Public Library Collections, 1879-2007 from FamilySearch includes obituary indexes, 1879-2007; also includes WWI soldiers cards
- Macon County Clerk Death Records, 1877-1918; Index, 1877-1922 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch
- Macon County Death Index, December 1877-1915 is included in the Illinois State Archives Pre-1916 death index listed above
Macoupin County Coroner's Inquest Files Index, 1835-1928
Macoupin County: Gillespie City Cemetery Plot Locator PDF from the Gillespie Public Library
Macoupin County GenWeb Site - includes cemeteries and more
Madison County...
- Madison County Genealogical Resources - Includes Cemetery Burials (from the Edwardsville Public Library and the Illinois Digital Archives) includes: Cemeteries and Tombstone Inscriptions of Madison County, Illinois (several volumes) and other items
  - FamilySearch has a guide for the above archive that lists which cemetery is in each volume: Madison County, Illinois Cemeteries - Links to Digital Transcriptions
- Collinsville Herald Assorted Obituaries date range not given; from the Mississippi Valley Library District
- Madison County: Glen Carbon Village Cemetery Records
- Madison County: Highland City Cemetery Burials
- Madison County: Cemetery Census, St. James Cemetery, Edwardsville, Illinois scanned book from FamilySearch
- Madison County Probate Case Files Index, 1813-1903
- Madison County Illinois Circuit Clerk - Digitized Probate Documents includes Probate Books, 1800-1976; and Probate Indexes
Marion County...
- Marion County: Elmwood Cemetery Transcriptions, 1853-2009 from FamilySearch in Centralia, Illinois
- Marion County: Elmwood Cemetery Grave Listing in Centralia, Illinois; PDF document
- Marion County: Patoka Cemetery Inscriptions and Genealogical Information PDF
McDonough County Probate Case Files Index 1833-1925
McHenry County...
- McHenry County Assorted Genealogy Indexes includes death notices from assorted newspapers about 1856-1989
- McHenry County Historical Society Obituaries Index
- McHenry Plaindealer Obituary Indexes for August 1875 through April 1890 (ongoing project); and 1949-1984 (1950 is missing); from the McHenry Public Library District
- McHenry County: Algonquin Area Obituary Index, 2005-2016
- McHenry County: Woodstock Public Library Local History Index indexes some obituaries in the Woodstock Sentinel and other items
McLean County...
- McLean County Probate Record Index, 1834-1934
- McLean County Will Record Index, 1838-1940
- McLean County: Central Illinois Obituaries, 1850-1880 from Bloomington, Illinois Newspapers (downloadable e-books)
- McLean County: Some Old Gravestone Inscriptions in Bloomington and Randolph Townships (downloadable e-book)
- McLean County Genealogical Society - Elmer E. Garst's Little Black Book containing the names, births, and deaths of residents of Stanford, Illinois
Menard County Deaths, 1877-1910
Menard County Cemetery Records
Montgomery County...
- Montgomery County Death Index, 1877-1950
- Montgomery County Genealogical Society - Genealogy Research Databases includes death records index, 1878-1950; obituaries index, 1980-1981 and 1984-2020; cemetery burials index and more
Morgan County Cemeteries
Morgan County: City of Jacksonville Cemeteries includes burial listings for Diamond Grove Cemetery and Jacksonville East Cemetery
Naperville - see DuPage County above
Ogle County (and nearby): Polo Area Cemetery Records of Ogle, Lee, Carroll and Whiteside Counties
Ogle County: Byron Obituary Listing, 1874-1969 and 1976-2000
Peoria County...
- Peoria County Birth, Marriage and Death Records Before 1916 includes scanned copies of the registers; for death records, coverage starts 12-28-1877; births start with 1878; marriages start at 3-22-1825
- Peoria County, Illinois, Deaths, 1878-1915 at Ancestry/requires payment; includes digitized images of the death registers
- Peoria County: Springdale Cemetery Grave Finder in Peoria, Illinois
- Peoria County: City of Chillicothe Cemetery Burial Search
- Peoria County Cemeteries - Name Indexes also includes a probate index and other items -- look under the "resources" tab
- Peoria County Probate Case Files Index, 1825-1887
Perry County...
- Perry County Cemetery Burials Includes these cemeteries: Chapman, Curlee, DeGroft, Dry, Huggins/Old Keene, John Hawkins, Nine Mile, and Swanwick Cemetery.
- Perry County Cemeteries scanned books from the Pinckneyville Public Library
Piatt County: Monticello Township Cemetery and Columb Cemetery Burials
Pike County Cemeteries
Pulaski County...
- Pulaski County Birth and Death Records, 1882-1919 scanned microfilm from FamilySearch; each volume has a handwritten index; coverage may vary by type of record
- Pulaski County - also see Southern Illinois Obituaries below
Quincy: see the Adams County section above
Randolph County Cemeteries
Richland County: City of Olney Cemetery Burials for Haven Hill, Memorial Gardens, and Maple Dale Cemeteries
Richland County: Index of Death Records 1878-1940; Death Records, 1877-1950; and Stillbirths, 1883-1904 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch
Rock Island County...
- Rock Island County Clerk's Office - Genealogy Vital Records Indexes
- Rock Island County Probate Case Files Index, 1834-1899
- Rock Island County Historical Society Obituaries Index
- Rock Island County Genealogical Society Indexes includes recent obituaries and funeral memorial cards
- Rock Island County, Index to Deaths, 1878-1921; Deaths, 1877-1891 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch
- Rock Island County, Illinois Will Abstracts, 1837-1891 scanned books from FamilySearch
Rockford - see Winnebago County below
St. Clair County...
- St. Clair County Genealogical Society: Assorted Genealogy Indexes includes Millstadt Enterprise Obituary Index, 1897-1949; Freeburg Tribune Obituary Index, 1904-1939; Belleville News Democrat Obituary Indexes, 1904-2007; Proofs of Death, 1870-1880; funeral card collection, cemetery indexes; and more
  - Vital Statistics Extracted from the Belleville Daily Advocate, 1927-1954
- St. Clair County: O'Fallon Progress Obituary and Marriage Index, Feb 1898-Dec 2007
- St. Clair County: Deaths from the Mascoutah Herald, 1912-1971
- Marissa Township Cemetery Burials includes names and lot numbers, no dates
- Walnut Hill Cemetery Burials, 1855-2016 Belleville, Illinois (also has some Belleville city directories)
Sangamon County (includes Springfield)...
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Sacramental Records, 1853-1975 at Ancestry/requires payment; includes baptism, marriage and death (burial) records; coverage varies by parish
- Sangamon County GenWeb Genealogy Website includes many cemetery listings
- Sangamon County: Oak Ridge Cemetery Interment Records, March 1858-1940 in Springfield, IL
- Sangamon County: Roselawn Memorial Park Burials in Springfield, IL
- Sangamon County: Village of Chatham Cemetery Search
- Sangamon County Probate Case Files Index 1821-1906
Schuyler County Genealogy Records includes some death records and cemeteries
Shelby County Death Records, 1878-1917 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch
Stephenson County: Cedarville Cemetery Record Index from FamilySearch
Stephenson County: Lena Park Cemetery Transcriptions, 1854-1983 from FamilySearch
Tazewell County...
- Tazewell County: Pekin Times Obituary Index, 1914-recent from the Pekin Public Library
- Tazewell County Clerk Vital Records, 1827-1922 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch; includes Index to Register of Deaths, 1877-1916, and other items
Union County - see Southern Illinois Obituaries below
Urbana - See Champaign County above
Vermilion County...
- Vermilion County: Pape Mortuary Genealogical Database (over 100,000 records) has listings for Eastern Illinois and Western Indiana
- Vermilion County Clerk Register of Deaths, 1877-1903 (with index, 1877-1907); and Stillbirth Register, 1878-1917 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch; indexed
- Vermilion County Coroner's Inquest Files Index, 1908-1956
- Vermilion County Cemeteries: Photographs of Grave Markers also includes photos of grave markers from nearby counties
- Vermilion County: Danville Jewish Community Obituaries
Washington County Records includes obituaries 1998-early 21st century, cemetery listings and early probate records (pre-1910)
Wayne County Coroner's Inquest Record Index, 1888-1960
White County Death Register, 1878-1915; Index, 1878-1912 browsable digitized microfilm from FamilySearch; look for the camera icon (It may also be helpful to search the "Illinois Death Index pre-1916" listed near the top of this page for White County deaths in this time period.)
Whiteside County...
- Whiteside County: Sterling Daily Gazette Index from the Sterling Public Library includes obituaries
- Whiteside County Cemeteries scanned book at the Internet Archive; compiled by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), 1959
- Whiteside County: Fulton Newspapers Indexes indexes some deaths and obituaries; from the Schmaling Memorial Public Library
- Whiteside County: Tampico Area Historical Society Obituary and Cemetery Indexes
Will County...
- Will County: Joliet Herald-News Obituary Index, 1973-2012 (may be temporarily offline) from the Joliet Public Library
- Will County GenWeb Genealogy Indexes includes cemetery listings and obituaries
- Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, Sacramental Records, 1800-1976 at Ancestry/requires payment; includes baptism, marriage and death (burial) records; coverage varies by parish
- Will County: Compiled Records from Lockport Area Genealogical and Historical Society, 1811-1995 (at Ancestry/requires payment); includes cemetery books, church records, and other items
- Will County: Frankfort Area Obituary Index
- Will County: Plainfield Enterprise Obituary Database, 1893-present also has a Plainfield Township Cemetery Database, 1836-2000; from the Plainfield Area Public Library
Williamson County: City of Marion Cemetery Burials Search
Williamson County Illinois Historical Society Records includes a Library Resource Index (which has cemetery burials and a funeral homes index), a Coroner's List Index, 1885-1904, and other items
Winnebago County...
- Winnebago County Death Index, 1844-1981
- Winnebago County Death Index, 1844-1992 (at Ancestry/requires payment)
- Winnebago County Death Certificates, ca. 1876-1943 digitized microfilm from FamilySearch; not indexed
- Winnebago County Alphabetic Listing of Deaths, 1844-1987 (PDF)
- Winnebago County Cemeteries
- Catholic Diocese of Rockford Cemetery Burials for Mount Hope Cemetery (Elgin) and Calvary Cemetery (Winnebago)
- Winnebago County: Burials at Cedar Bluff Cemetery, Rockford, Illinois
Woodford County: Prairie District Library Obituaries, 1887-2000 at Ancestry/free to search with registration

Illinois, Mildred Hooper Obituary Collection, ca. 1959-1981 from FamilySearch; A collection of obituaries from West-Central Illinois and Northeastern Missouri
Southern Illinois Obituaries for Alexander, Pulaski and Union Counties; includes obituaries and death notices from: Cairo, Illinois Newspapers 1848-1908 (Alexander County); Pulaski County Newspapers 1857-1930 (with gaps); and the Jonesboro Gazette 1858-1939 (Union County)

Ordering Illinois Vital Records

Where to Write for Vital Records - Illinois (fees and restrictions may apply)

Also See...

Illinois Genealogy Databases at Ancestry (requires payment) includes census, military and vital records, historical newspapers and city directories
Online Illinois Naturalization Records and Indexes

© 2003-2023 Joe Beine
May not be reproduced without permission

Suggest a Site/Report a Broken Link

Main Page | Privacy and Disclaimer