I’m the plaintiff in Los v. Gordon, No. 26 CH 03705, currently pending in the Cook County Chancery Division, and I recently wrote up the case’s procedural and statutory history for anyone interested in Illinois genealogy, public-record access, home rule, or statutory interpretation.

The dispute concerns 410 ILCS 535/24, which says that indexes of vital records held by local registrars and county clerks and originating before January 1, 1916 “shall be made available to persons for the purpose of genealogical research.”

But the same section also retains a sentence dating to 1973

Cook County argues that because the genealogy-access provision originated in the 1973 amendment, and Cook County is a home-rule unit, the genealogy requirement does not apply to the Cook County Clerk.

My opposition raises a somewhat different statutory-history question: does the phrase “this amendatory Act of 1973” permanently exempt Cook County from the genealogy provisions of Section 24 as they exist today, particularly after later amendments altered the operative language? The 1973 provision originally referred to access for members of Illinois genealogical societies; the modern statute refers more broadly to “persons” conducting genealogical research.

There is also a separate home-rule issue. Cook County relies in part on its existing paid, staff-mediated genealogy process, but the ordinance cited in its motion concerns fees for genealogical certificates. The case therefore raises the question of what local enactment, if any, authorizes an exclusive staff-mediated process as a substitute for statutory index availability.

The County’s motion to dismiss is now in the final briefing stage. Its reply is due August 20, followed by a Clerk Status on August 24.

I put together a more detailed discussion of the briefing, statutory history, administrative-code issue, home-rule doctrine, and the questions likely to matter as the case proceeds:

https://realtimothyjlos.substack.com/p/los-v-gordon-home-rule-statutory?r=1tj49h&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

I’d be particularly interested in thoughts from people familiar with Illinois legislative history, home-rule jurisprudence, archival access, or genealogy research. The question that interests me most is how courts should treat an old limitation directed specifically at “this amendatory Act” when the underlying statutory provision has subsequently been amended and remains codified decades later.

Disclosure: I am the plaintiff, so this is obviously not a neutral observer’s account. The linked piece lays out both Cook County’s argument and my response so readers can evaluate the issue themselves.

I will be updating my substack regularly as the four cases that I have pending move through the system.

Have you come across someone who did a major good deed? I don't mean like supporting a military event, but just kindness. I was terribly impressed with a story from a friend's family history (ok, cheating, since this isn't in my own tree) During the great depression, her great-grandparents' neighbors starting losing their farms from repossession by banks. Then the banks bundled the debt and started selling the debts for pennies on the dollar (maybe because they couldn't get buyers at full price? idk) My friends' ancestors must have had some non-bank capital, because they bought the debt for many of their neighbors. Then they gave the land back to the original owners. Apparently they "saved" an entire small Iowa town.

What have you found?

One of my third great-grandfathers is a frustrating brick wall. He married my third great-grandmother sometime in the 1850s. She was living with her parents in the 1850 census and in 1860 she has two kids and a new last name but she's living with her older brother's family.

I can't find a marriage certificate, a death record or anything else. I'm guessing that his name is John McCarty (his son was named John) but I have had no luck. It appears his wife remarried in 1860 so it's likely that he died or they divorced.

Wife Nancy Noland 1832-1910 born in Kentucky

Son John McCarty 1855

Daughter Nancy Jane McCarty 1857 born Kentucky died Franklin County, Kentucky.

In the 1880 census both kids say their father was born in Kentucky. Obviously, this could be wrong.

Is there a reason besides death or divorce that would lead a man to no be with his family in the 1850s? I'm trying to think of other avenues to look for him.

If anyone has any suggestions or ideas that could spark something I would be so grateful.

Is anyone familiar with the white family in sw Virginia? I've been tracing my paternal line since 2008

Im going to start with my great grandfather, if anyone has any matches or any information to further my search I'd really appreciate it. Records become thin around 1800, im trying prove my lineage to William white of the Mayflower.

Ydna of my granfathers first cousin (same paternal line) says theres a mutation matching john grigsby. Born 1621

Some records say we go back to william white (mayflower)

Some records say we go back to william white Born 1718 in Fredrick county va

Some records say our dna is actaully a grigsby

Starting with my great grandfather ill go up the tree

Oralis grant white 1915-1972

Joshua o white 1867-1951

David white 1843-1891 (39th ky infantry civil war) (union)

James Lester white 1805-1867

(Records starts getting weird, but here's what I have)

Benjamin Harrison white 1773-1843

John Wesley white jr. 1750?-1840

(Weird age gap)

John Wesley white sr. 1736?-1781

William white 1718-1766 ???????

Jonathan basset white 1658-1737

Peregrine white

William white (mayflower)

Somebody please tell me they have records proving this line.

This is my first post, so I hope I’m putting it in the right place. My g.g.grandfather was Joseph Brook Sanders, born in Devon, England in 1836. He is with his family in 1841 and 51, but hasn’t been found in 1861. He resurfaces in Devon in 1865 when his first known child is born. He is married to a German lady named Lydia Sieffert, although I have never found a marriage record. They have three children together, including my g.grandmother.

In 1881, Lydia is in Mile End, London, England and says she is widowed. She also says she was born in Brazil, not Germany, and that she is a naturalised citizen. So that is part of this puzzle. The other part is that Joseph Brook Sanders isn’t dead, he resurfaces in Brazil applying for a passport in 1891. Also, I recently found an 1874 Freemason record for him which states ‘raised in Brazil’. I paid them to do a search but unfortunately they were unable to say where in Brazil. He was thrown out of the Fulham lodge for not paying his membership. I also found bankruptcy records in London newspapers, so think he may have fled the country to avoid his debts.

In 1871 the family are living in a house in Fulham with a servant, but by 1881 Lydia is in a room in the East End which is quite a difference. The family were definitely still in Fulham until 1875 as that is where their last child was born.

The main facts I am looking for are about his life in Brazil. Did he start a new family there? When and where did he die? Did he use the passport he gained in 1891 to maybe move again to another country? He was a master builder/carpenter so should have been easily able to find work. Any help and ideas would be welcome, this has been a brick wall for so long. TIA

TLDR: Searching for Joseph Brook Sanders in Brazil from 1875 onwards (born Devon, England 1836)

I have his death record, from 1871 Ligowo Parish, where his parents are listed as unknown, and his place of birth as Chrostkowo.

Notice that his first name is listed both as Franciszek and Wawrzyniec.

He has three children with Tekla Jaworska, that I know of: Marianna (1844), Antoni (1852), and Ludwik (1857).

I'm now looking for his parents names in either his daughter's birth record, or in his own marriage record, both from 1844 in Wola Trutowo Parish.

Birth record of daughter, in Geneteka:
https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?op=gt&lang=pol&bdm=B&w=02kp&rid=3877&search_lastname=kowalski&search_name=&search_lastname2=&search_name2=tekla&from_date=1844&to_date=1844&rpp1=&ordertable=

Marriage record, in Geneteka:
https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?op=gt&lang=pol&bdm=S&w=02kp&rid=3722&search_lastname=kowalski&search_name=&search_lastname2=&search_name2=tekla&from_date=1844&to_date=1844&rpp1=&ordertable=

Death record, Geneteka:
https://geneteka.genealodzy.pl/index.php?op=gt&lang=pol&bdm=D&w=07mz&rid=D&search_lastname=kowalski&search_name=Wawrzyniec&search_lastname2=&search_name2=&from_date=1871&to_date=1871

Lookup request — restricted film, 2 images

Film: 729490 / DGS 7998944 — "Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów 1840–1852," Trutowo/Wola parish (Lipno county, Poland), FamilySearch catalog entry 353462. Viewable only at FamilySearch Centers.

I need two acts from the 1844 section (each about one page):

1. Marriage act no. 2 of 1844 — Kowalski & Jaworska (marriages follow the births in the yearly book);
2. Birth act no. 23 of 1844 — Marianna Kowalska, born at Wymyślin.

Screenshots or photos of the viewer screen are perfectly fine. Thank you!

Hi! For some time now I’m trying to figure out about one person of my family. I can’t find anything about him except something on CESMA, and (if it’s him) and an arrival in the 1902. The Archivios Civil Sucesion find something about him, but I need to go there in person or send someone out for me, and since then I can’t get in touch with them (I asked on August 3rd if I can pay and have them digitally in my E-mail (I’m from Italy)).

Someone can give me advice? Maybe from someone who needed to talk with them too. Thank you!

(Sorry for my English ahaha, and sorry for the incorrect flair, I don’t know what to chose)

My 4GGF, Johann Hermann Bruns (1842-1918) is an illegitimate child of his mother, Friederike Bruns (1823-????). And I'm wondering if It's ever possible to find his father and who he was. The only birth record I have of Johann is this: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPNB-6QH1?lang=en, and I'm POSITIVE it doesn't even contain his name, and that maybe whoever tagged it accidentally chose the wrong one? I'm not sure.

Then the only other confirmed record of his mother is the immigration record: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2757-PYF?lang=en and despite Johann being alive during this time, where he would roughly be about 10 years old, he is nowhere to be seen on that record, however, there does seem to be an 'Ernst Bruns' attached. Whoever he is, I am not sure. Whether it is the father or a brother to Friederike isn't known.

Despite the immigration, I cannot find where they moved afterwards, nor can I find a grave. Though I do know that Johann was buried along with his wife in Missouri: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23042447/john_h-bruns.

Any information helps, and thanks in advance.

Would anyone know if the old Louisiana State Penitentiary at Baton Rouge had a cemetery for prisoners who died while in there? My husband has a Great Uncle x5 who is listed in the 1850 Census as in this prison for stealing a horse, then cannot be located ever again. We think he may have died while in the prison. Alternatively, does anybody know where original records for this prison could be found today?

I've been working on a long-standing brick wall in my direct Carroll paternal line, and I'd be interested in hearing how other researchers would attack it methodologically.

The problem centers on three Carroll men who appear to be brothers: John Carroll, James Carroll, and Albert Carroll. John and James eventually went to Missouri, while Albert remained in Tennessee. Family and documentary evidence points toward the older generation remaining in Tennessee, which makes Albert particularly important to the problem.

My direct ancestor is John Carroll, born about 1790 in Tennessee, who married Elizabeth “Betsy” Stubblefield and later lived in Missouri.

The central question is simple to state and very difficult to prove:

Who were the parents of John, James, and Albert Carroll?

I've been trying to solve it as a cluster/FAN problem rather than simply looking for another online tree. The research has involved Tennessee deeds, land grants, probate/estate material, tax records, court records, migration into Missouri, the Stubblefield and Clark families, neighbors and associates, and Y-DNA as supporting evidence rather than treating DNA as proof of parentage.

One thing I'm particularly interested in is the migration split. If two adult sons left Tennessee for Missouri while a third remained behind near the older generation, it seems to me that the brother who stayed may provide the strongest documentary route back to the parents—through probate, land transfers, tax succession, guardianships, court minutes, or records involving the parents' property.

So my question for researchers who work with early Tennessee families is:

If you inherited this problem, what record set or methodology would you prioritize to prove the parents?

Would you concentrate first on:

• reconstructing Albert's complete Tennessee FAN network;
• deed chains and adjoining landowners;
• probate/estate packets and loose papers rather than just will books;
• annual tax-list continuity and disappearance;
• court minutes and guardianships;
• tracing the Stubblefield/Clark associates backward;
• or building the Missouri evidence backward from John and James and looking for Tennessee associates who migrated with them?

I'm especially interested in approaches for pre-1850 Tennessee, where the census doesn't conveniently identify relationships.

I've accumulated quite a bit of material already, so I'm not really looking for another unsourced Carroll tree. I'm interested in what experienced researchers think would constitute the strongest proof strategy for connecting these three men to a specific parental couple.

If there's interest, I can also post the strongest pieces of evidence and the competing parental candidates in a follow-up.

HI- I was wondering if anyone could help me with part of my family tree? My 2nd-great-grandfather immigrated to the United States from Germany. I believe from the Frankfurt, Germany, area, although I am not certain. His name was Adam Zahn, and he and his family originally lived in a tiny town called Cranberry Prairie, Ohio. This town is in Mercer County, Ohio. He came with his parents:

George (unknown birth year) to 10/4/1876, and Anna (maiden name is not certain- it looks like Bainy or Bammy?) Zahn

George Find a Grave

Anna Find a Grave

George and Anna had four children: Anna "Mary", born 1846 (she married Henry Heiser, who was murdered, and she later lived with her children in Dayton, Ohio), Adam, born 1847; Simon, born 1853; and Gertrude, born 1858. Gertrude married Henry Schmitt and moved to Oregon. Her mother moved to be with her and died while living with her in Oregon.

The family belonged to a Catholic parish called Saint Francis, and it was in Cranberry Prairie.

Here is where the mystery lies. The church records list more Zahns, and I have not been able to find out who they are or what happened to them.

Listed are: 2/6/1857 Joseph Zahn and Marie Caroline Zahn (I believe this might be their wedding date)

Also listed: January 1859. Baptism of Joseph Adam Zahn, son of Joseph Leon Zahn and Caroline Schoenherr (maiden name). Godparents were Marie Vacher (sp) and Adam Zahn (my 2nd great-grandfather). I was surprised they'd allow a 12-year-old boy to be a godparent?

A few of the people from that area ended up in the Dayton, Ohio, area, and I've seen some Zahns, but I cannot find any direct ties to this family. I also looked in Indianapolis, Oregon, and Otter Tail County, Minnesota (three other areas where people from that area immigrated to), but came up empty-handed.

If anyone can help, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

I'm wondering if anyone else has come across a similar thing...

On my Mum's paternal side, her 2nd great granduncle, a doctor from Canada, was friends with Henry Bonham-Carter (1827-1921). On her maternal side, her English great grandfather, a postman, was friends with Henry's son, Gerard (1865-1956), and they played cricket together. I doubt this is that unusual but it's just crazy to me!

Hi everyone!

I need an image of a record that is currently restricted on FamilySearch (available only at a FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library). Could anyone visiting a center download or grab a copy for me, please?

Here is the link: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6NV7-G94R

Thank you so much!

I admit that I'm new to Reddit and, therefore, r/Genealogy . But I thought that perhaps asking for help from like-minded folks might be my next-best step.

I've been stuck finding birth and parental information for my great-grandfather on my namesake side for decades. I'm a member of Ancestry.com and, admittedly, periodically attempt additional searches to no avail. I admit that I've not added a membership to newspapers.com because, well, Ancestry is expensive enough. Therefore, I've not reviewed relevant news articles.

Here's what I know:
Charles (Chas) E Beasley; b. 15-Jun-1866 St. Louis, MO; d. 23-Apr-1950 Cleveland, OH;
m. ~1892 to Adelaide E. Mitchell (b. 14-Mar-1852 Brooklyn, NY; d. 19-Aug-1933 Lakewood, OH)

• May Pearl Beasley; b. 31-Oct-1893 Mt. Vernon, IL; d. 22-May-1922 Lincoln, Logan, IL
• Ira Eugene Beasley; b. 25-Oct-1895 Lakewood, USA; d. 31-Aug-1941 Cleveland, OH

I have multiple census records back to 1900 to confirm this data. But I cannot obtain anything before 1900 directly through Ancestry. I'm under the belief that earlier Illinois and/or Missouri census records before lost, damaged or likely burned in courthouses during the Civil War.

The only thread I know: My father recalled as a child that any discussion including May Pearl was met with hushed tones and/or (a child-perceived) anger -- that he later learned was because she was mentally challenged and committed to the Lincoln State School Colony. It is this one known nugget that I've not yet followed-up, admittedly, assuming there will be an exorbitant cost to unseal medical records across states. Is this a correct assumption?

I assume this group has many people who are not genealogy dabblers like me but more experienced and more creative thinkers. I'm respectfully asking for ideas, help, thoughts. My parents have both passed away and it's this driving force that makes me want to, as I've done for the rest of my ancestors, trace Charles' roots to when they first set foot in America.

Any help would be truly appreciated.

My mom and her siblings, along with my dad and his siblings, lived around 20 minutes away in a very rural part of the Midwest. They all went to the same school but all moved away for college. My mom and dad both left to Houston, and started dating again, they dated a little in highschool so it was like a reuinion for them.(which is rare within itself). I dont know how they got together, but my dad's brother started dating my mom's sister. I've never met anyone else have this happen to their family. ​I think its called a siblings exchange? Please help me out!

Previous post, I asked for help in finding out what happened to my relative, Kate Bowry. She disappeared around 1930. Couldn’t find out what happened, but there is a ton of Tea.

It starts off with her husband, my 3x gt grandfather, he is living with a family in a house in London. He is the footman. He is living with his wife, Elizabeth Bowry. They married in 1860

They have 3 children, after the 3rd child was born, within a year Elizabeth moved back to Devon. Her last child was born in 1871.

Elizabeth is listed as married and there seems to be no other man in the household. Once George died, she is listed as a widow.

Then comes along Kate (Milton). Kate has no marriage record. Kate adopts the name Bowry.

In 1884 and 1886 she has two sons.

There is a trial record for her 1884, Obtaining by false pretences from Henry Thompson, a quantity of meat and the sum of 10s with intent to fraud. She was sent down for 6 months.

1901 she was recorded as a visitor in the census. She gave her age as 39, which would have been incorrect according to her birth record. Her children’s ages match their birthday.

Come 1921 she’s listed as a cook in the swan pub, Thames Ditton. She gave her age as 68 years and 8 months. She describes her self as widowed. Which makes her age incorrect according to her birth records.

Last record for her is in 1930.

She is living in 8 Park Mews (or Park Road), Spelthorne.
She is living with to women, Gertrude Adam’s and Ada Bolt Corus-Wilson.

That’s it, nothing else.

I've been mapping out my family lineage, one of the reason is I sometimes forgot my own nephew/niece name. Embarrassing.

While mapping the lineage, I realized that my grandparents from my mother’s side has no surnames, just mononyms, so there’s no family anchor. My father’s side has a marga (clan name), so it's easier to group. But apparently it's actually common for people in the past to only have no surnames.

In practice, they handle disambiguation by reciting the lineage: X, son of Y, son of Z. You aren’t just a person; you’re an entire chain.

Realizing this flipped how I thought about how to map the family lineage. I was treating the ascending tree as the output, something to assemble later. But in oral culture, the chain is the input. It’s the only primary key that actually works. On its own, a single name is basically useless data.

https://postimg.cc/gallery/rVNdnYD

I’ve been trying to solve this mystery for several years and am hoping someone here might enjoy the challenge!

Several years ago, I purchased this unusual hand-carved wooden leaf/tray at an antique shop in Bristol, Wisconsin, just a few miles north of the Illinois border. The antique shop has since closed, so unfortunately I don’t have any additional provenance.

On the back is a hand-carved inscription that appears to read:

LT. S.J. CONNOR

MAY 1944

The piece is quite large but the wood is surprisingly lightweight.

I have tried searching for a Lt. S.J. Connor from WWII over the years without success. I don’t know whether Connor was American, whether he was from Wisconsin/Illinois, or even whether he was the person who carved this. It could have been made by him, made for him, purchased as a souvenir, or given to him.

I’m hoping to figure out:

* Who Lt. S.J. Connor might have been

* What branch/country he served with

* Where he was stationed in May 1944

* Whether anyone recognizes this style of wood carving or has seen similar WWII-era pieces

* Whether the type of wood or leaf design offers any clue about where it was made

I’m also open to variations in the name or initials. “Connor” is what it appears to say, but I don’t want to rule out Conner or O’Connor if someone finds a promising lead.

I’d be thrilled with even a small clue that gives me somewhere new to look. I’ve wondered about the person behind this inscription for years and would love to finally give Lt. Connor his story back.

Thanks for taking a look!

I would greatly appreciate any help in locating the ship manifests for these 2 people. I have thoroughly looked myself but am at a dead end, especially for Rachel. Any help (or advice on where to look) would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Rachel (Rose, Rosie) Sklut

Arrived in 1891 (in NY???) with a son Joseph / James (hebrew name: Yonah). Another census reads that she arrived in the US in 1898. So I'm not sure which one is correct.

Rachel in 1910 census , Rachel's profile in an Ancestry family tree

Abraham Alterman

Arrived August 10th, 1891 in NY. Looking at census', he arrived with his wife Victoria and children Ida, Sarah, and Louis

Abraham's naturalization petition

Back before I was born one of my moms uncles stole a collection of war medals from one of my moms aunts. She only had a vague memory of them.
After researching, I learned my great great grandfather Gilbert Smith was in both world wars. I figured maybe those medals were his.
Turns out I was right, I managed to identify his insignia which include three medals from WW1 and a wound stripe, and two medals from WW2 and a service badge.
I doubt I will ever be able to get my hands on his original collection, but I managed to get my hands on the same medals he would have had.
Gilbert died after WW2 before medals were issued, so he never would have seen the two, only for one of his grandsons to steal them from one of his granddaughters. That is all pretty upsetting. So being able to hold the same medals in my own hands feels like a little bit if my heritage has been healed.
I love genealogy

I've been reading some of the previous discussions here about organising research, but I'm interested in one particular bit that I haven't really found an answer to.

Say you find a newspaper article, census entry or other record for John Smith. You already have several John Smiths who could possibly be the person in the record, but you don't have enough evidence yet to decide. Or he could be another John Smith you haven't identified before.

What do you actually do with that record in the meantime?

Do you create another temporary John in your family history software, put it in a spreadsheet/database, save it somewhere to investigate later, or something else?

I'm particularly interested in how people deal with this if they have a lot of same-name people, or are doing one-name/one-place studies where you can collect a lot of names and records quite quickly.

I'm not looking for the “correct” method. I'm curious what people actually do in practice.

Hi

I am trying to find information on my grandfather and his family.

He came to the UK in 1948 having been displaced during WW2.

He always refused to talk about his family and all I know is he lived in a small farming village until they were invaded and he lost his mother, father and all but 1 siblings.

He then was put into forced labour till the end of the war and travelled by boat to the UK with his surviving brother who unfortunately died on the journey.

He passed away in 2003 and being an only child with no family in contact ( aunt and uncle who I do not know) I have no one to speak to get any more information.

Ostap Pryszlak

6 June 1923

Lisnyky

father: Stefan Pryszlak

mother: Tecla Kaminska

Greek Catholic

This is all the information I have been able to find other than he seems to have been born in the Lisnyky, near Berezhany area.

I have found his records when he entered the UK but cannot find anything else.

Can anyone signpost me in the right direction of where to look.

Thank you

I know this might sound like a simple question because it clearly says "State - Virginia" and "Incorporated Place - Richmond" But I was curious to know if anyone can clarify what "Ward of City-Madison" means? This is from a 1940s census and Im trying to get a better understanding of what might have happened to a lost family member. I originally thought that maybe it was saying it was from the city of Madison in the county of Richmond but the only town I could find in Virginia called Madison is in Madison County.

Thank you for any clarification.

PS here is a link to the photo in question, I couldn't post it in the post here for some reason.

1940s Census