The Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) at NEIU is a repository of selected governmental records for Chicago and Cook County from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. It is administered by the Illinois State Archives and is located on the Lower Level of the Ronald Williams Library.

Questions:

Illinois Regional Archives Depository
Ronald Williams Library
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625-4699
(773) 442-4506

Hours

9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday (except state holidays)

Requests for Information

IRAD at NEIU holds local government records such as:

  • birth, death, marriage records;
  • naturalization records;
  • coroner's inquest reports;
  • Chicago police homicide records.

If you would like to submit an inquiry, you may do so by mail or telephone. Email inquiries are not accepted. Please include:

  • full name of person you are researching,
  • title or type of record you are seeking,
  • approximate year expected to appear in the record,
  • name of county.

Inquiries are limited to two names, and you must wait for a response to one request before submitting another.

Online Resources

Illinois State Archives Global Database Search A tool searching all databases on the Illinois State Archives website containing name fields for the name you enter. A list of all databases containing the name you enter will be returned. Regional Depository Map and Contact Information A list of depositories showing their locations, their hours, and the counties which compose each of their regions.