Free Online Illinois Birth Records and Indexes

One of the main goals for genealogists is finding birth, baptism, and/or christening information about their ancestors.  

Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists, a great number of indexes to birth and baptism collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific birth, baptism, or christening information, and sometimes scanned images of the actual birth documents themselves. These free online collections have millions of records in them in total.

There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include birth information that is not included in the lists below. These different types can be found in 32 Ways to Find Ancestor Birth Information

If you are interested in baptism indexes that may include the birth date as well as baptism information, make sure and check out Church Records.

The lists below are specific birth, baptism, and christening indexes and record collections that are available for free online for the state.

Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.

Note: I have included links to Free Ancestry records and indexes. You do not need a subscription, but do need an Ancestry account. Without a subscription, you can view indexes. If there is an image associated with a record, in most cases you will need a subscription, but the index does include very usable information.

(Updated March 2023)

Illinois Birth Records

• Adams County Births, vols. 1-7, 1866-1903
• Adams County Delayed Birth Card Index, ca. 1868-1915
• Adams County  Index to Birth Records, [ca. 1864-1915]
• Alexander County Births
• Alexander County Birth Records, 1878-1915
• Arthur Local Registrar’s Birth Certificates Index (1868–1925)
• Barrington Births, Marriages, and Deaths
• Belleville Daily Advocate Vital Statistics 1927 – 1954
• Belleville, Catholic Parish Records, 1729-1956
• Bond County Births
• Bond County Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1817-1927
• Boone County Birth and Death Indexes
• Boone County Birth Records, 1877-1907; Indexes, 1871-ca. 1974
• Boone County, Birth Indexes
• Boone County, Birth Indexes
• Brown County Birth Register, v. 1, 1877-*1895, Index, ca. 1865-1895
• Calhoun County Birth Indexes
• Calhoun County, Birth Indexes
• Carroll County Birth Certificates Index (1877–1913)
• Carroll County, Birth Indexes
• Cass County Vital Records, 1837-1915
• Champaign County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
• Champaign County Birth Records, 1878-1901
• Chicago Heights, index to Births in the Chicago Heights Star, ca. 1908 – Sept. 1930, 1950, 1992
• Chicago, Polish Births, Marriages, and Deaths
• Christian County Birth Records, 1877-1916
• Clark County Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1819-1913
• Clay County Births
• Clay County Birth Records, 1862-1918
• Clinton County Births
• Clinton County Birth Records, 1877-1915
• Clinton County Death Records, 1877-1915; still Birth Register, 1878-1911
• Clinton County Delayed Birth Certificates, 1874-1915; Index, 1874-1941
• Coles County, Birth Indexes
• Coles County, Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1831-1929; Indexes, 1878-1929
• Cook County Birth Registers, 1871-1915
• Cook County Birth Certificates, 1871-1949
• Cook County, Birth Indexes
• Crawford County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records
• Cumberland County, Birth Indexes
• Cumberland County, Early Birth Records
• De Witt County Birth Records, 1877-1905; Index, 1877-1918
• DeKalb County – Births, Marriages and Deaths 
• DeKalb County Index to Birth Record Books
• Douglas County Births, Deaths, and Marriages
• Douglas County Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1857-1980
• Douglas County, Birth Indexes
• Edgar County Birth Records, 1877-1908
• Edgar County Delayed Births, 1857-1899
• Edwards County Births
• Edwards County Birth Index, 1877-1933; Birth Records and Delayed Births, 1877-1900
• Effingham County Birth Records, 1877-1916
• Ford County Births, Deaths, and Marriages
• Ford County, Index to Birth Records, 1870-1909; Birth Records, 1878-1909
• Franklin County Birth Index
• Franklin County Birth Records, 1861-1915
• Gallatin County Index to Births, 1878-1972; Index to Deaths, 1878-1916
• Greene County Vital Records, 1821-1981
• Greene County, Vital Records Card File, ca. 1869-2007
• Grundy County Birth Records, v. 1-2, 1877-1905
• Hancock County Birth Certificates, Death Records, Marriage Records, Applications for Marriage Licenses, 1829-1947
• Hancock County Register of Still Births, 1878-1916
• Hancock County, Nauvoo Community Project, 1839-1846
• Hardin County, Birth Indexes
• Henderson County Birth Register, 1877-1901; Index to Births, 1878-1887
• Henry County Register of Births, 1877-1901; Index to Births prior to 1916
• Illinois Births and Christenings, 1824-1940
• Illinois Register, 1695-1799
• Illinois, Birth Records 1915-1936
• Iroquois County Birth Records, 1878-1900; Delayed Birth Records, 1853-1915
• Jackson County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
• Jackson County Birth and Death Records, 1902-1941
• Jackson County Birth Records, 1852-1915
• Jasper County, Birth Indexes
• Jefferson County Birth Indexes
• Jefferson County Birth Certificates, 1877-1915
• Jefferson County Birth Records, 1867-1915
• Jefferson County Delayed Birth Records, 1870-1922
• Jefferson County, Birth Indexes
• Jersey County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
• Jersey County Vital Records, 1839-1983
• Jo Daviess County Miscellaneous Records, 1828-1942
• Jo Daviess County  Births, 1877-1905; delayed Births, ca. 1918-1986 Marriages, 1830-1922; Deaths, 1877-1930: Indexes to Births, ca. 1877-1986; Marriage Index, ca. 1878-1988; Death Certificate Index, 1916-1964
• Jodaviess County, Birth Indexes
• Johnson County Births, Deaths, and Marriages
• Johnson County Birth Record and Register, 1878-1925
• Kane County Birth Index cards [1877-1916]
• Kane County Births, Marriages and Deaths
• Kane County Birth Records and Index, 1877-1900
• Kankakee County Births, Marriages and Deaths
• Kankakee County Birth Records, 1877-1918
• Kankakee County Delayed Births, 1863-1915 (only 4 noted beyond 1900)
• Kendall County Births, Marriages and Deaths
• Kendall County Registers of Births, 1877-1918; Register of Deaths, 1877-1903, (1877-1918)
• Kendall County, Birth Indexes
• Knox County Birth and Delayed Birth Records, 1877-1900
• Lake County Births, Marriages, and Death Index
• Lawrence County Birth Records
• Lawrence County Vital Records, 1877-1934
• Lee County, Birth Indexes
• Livingston County Register of Births and Birth Certificates, 1878-1900; Birth Index, 1948-1983
• Macon County Birth Records, 1877-1917; Index, 1850-1922
• Macon County, Birth index, 1850-1900
• Macoupin County Birth Indexes
• Madison County Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1813-1916
• Marion County Births pre-1910
• Marion County Birth Certificates, 1854-1915 and Delayed Births
• Marion County Birth Records, 1878-1916
• Marshall County Births
• Marshall County, Birth Indexes
• Mason County Vital Records, 1841-1918; separate Indexes 1877-ca. 1982
• Mason County,  Birth Records, 1877-1900
• Massac County Births, 1864-1941
• Mattoon Birth Records & Certificates, 1901-1907; 1916-1937
• McDonough County Births
• McHenry County Delayed Birth Records, 1926-1966
• McHenry County Index to Register of Births and Birth Records, 1878-1902
• McLean County Birth Index
• McLean County Birth Index cards, 1860-1900
• McLean County Register of Births, 1877-1902
• Menard County Vital Records, 1839-1932
• Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
• Monroe County Birth,  Death, and Marriage Records
• Monroe County Vital Records
• Monroe County Birth Records, 1868-1915
• Montgomery County Indexes
• Morgan County Birth Indexes
• Morgan County Index to Births, 1858-1979; Birth Records, 1858-1900
• Moultrie County Births and Marriages
• Moultrie County Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1843-1927; Indexes, 1843-1981
• Ogle County Delayed Birth Index and Delayed Birth Certificates
• Peoria County, Birth Indexes
• Peoria County, Birth Record Index
• Perry County Birth Records, 1878-1916
• Perry County Miscellaneous and Delayed Birth Records, 1845-1915
• Piatt County Birth Records, 1877-1931
• Piatt County, Birth Indexes
• Piatt County, Monticello Delayed Birth Records ca. 1875-1945
• Pike County Births, 1877-1915; Marriages, 1831-1923 (an Index goes from 1827-1923); Deaths, 1877-Jan. 1902, June 1904-1915
• Pike County, Birth Indexes
• Pope County Birth Records, 1862-1915; Index, 1862-1930’s
• Pulaski County Births
• Pulaski County Birth and Death Record, 1882-1919
• Pulaski County, Birth Indexes
• Putnam County, Birth Indexes
• Randolph County Birth Records, 1870-1915
• Richland County Index to Births 1877-1916, Birth Records 1877-1972, and delayed Birth Records 1855-1972, Richland County, Illinois
• Rock Island County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
• Rock Island County Will Abstracts
• Rock Island County Births, StillBirths, and established or Delayed Births, 1875-1978
• Saline County Births
• Saline County Birth Records, 1866-1916; Index, 1866-1939
• Saline County, Birth Indexes
• Schuyler County Births
• Scott County Vital Records, 1839-1943
• Shelby County Birth Certificates, 1848-1915
• Stark County Birth Certificates, 1865-1901
• Stephenson County, Birth Indexes
• Tazewell County Vital Records, 1827-1922
• Tuscola Journal Newspapers Vital Records 1914-1916
• Union County Birth Records, 1851-1915; Index, 1878-1907
• Union County Register of Births and Deaths, 1877-1947
• United States Births and Christenings, 1867-1931
• Vermilion County Birth Registers, 1877-1919
• Warren County Index to Births, 1878-1983; Birth Records, 1877-1900
• Warren County Kirkwood area local Registrar’s Register of Births, Jan. 1916-Nov. 1922
• Warren County Still Births, 1882-1900
• Washington County, Birth Indexes
• Wayne County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
• White County Births and Delayed Births, 1865-1915
• White County Births, 1877-1916
• Whiteside County, Birth Indexes
• Whiteside County, Births, 1856-1881
• Williamson County Birth Records, 1877-1925; Index, 1877-1966
• Winnebago County Birth Certificates, ca. 1882-1896
• Winnebago County, Birth Indexes
• Winnebago County, Birth Indexes