The Illinois State Archives has seven Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD) to manage archives and records of local governments. One of these is the Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) Regional Depository.

The IRAD facility at Northeastern Illinois University is located on the Lower Level of Ronald L. Williams Library on the main campus in Chicago. Hours: Mon.-Fri.,9 a.m.-4 p.m. (except state holidays). Holdings can be searched on the IRAD Search system but need to be viewed onsite at the appropriate regional depository.

Search the Name Index to Illinois Local Governments

• basic info on name, form of government, county, date established, date incorporated, certified, previous names

Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900  “The IRAD holdings include marriage records for over seventy of the 102 counties in Illinois. …Illinois marriages were not required to be performed in the county of the bride’s or groom’s residence. If your search does not find a marriage in the county you expected it to occur, try selecting STATEWIDE in the location option box.”

Search the IRAD Inventories (list of possible inventories below)

Depositories house local government records that have been deemed significant enough to archive including:

• county board proceedings files and meeting minutes
• records of births, deaths and marriages
• land deeds, mortgage and tax sale records
• assessors’ and collectors’ tax books
• poll books and voter registers
• naturalization records, including declarations of intent
• probate records, including wills and will records, case files, administrators’ and executors’ records, guardianship records, and inventory and appraisement records
• civil and criminal court case files, chancery court case files (including divorces), docket books and court proceedings, and insanity proceedings and records
• coroner’s inquest records and inquest files
• miscellaneous county records, including almshouse/county home records and jail registers
• school records, including school trustees’ minutes, pupil registers and school land sale records
• township records, including township meeting minutes and highway commissioners’ minutes
• municipal records, including city council proceedings files and meeting minutes, ordinance records, and city election records.

Chicago City Council Proceedings Files, 1833–1871

Chicago Police Department Homicide Record, 1870–1930

Cook County Coroner’s Inquest Record Index, 1872–1911

• The inquests included in this index cover the period from December 1872 to November 1911. The volumes for the period from October 1879 to July 1880 (668 inquests) and from May 1888 to October 1888 (720 inquests) are missing.
• The Cook County Office of the Medical Examiner does not have any inquest records prior to December 1872. Records after November 1911 are in the custody of the Office of the Medical Examiner.

Cook County and City of Chicago are the only areas in the NEIU region boundaries.