Chicago, Cook County, Illinois Marriage Certificate from 1912

[mbalesteri]

Ciao,

I'm wondering if anyone has had similar problems getting a certified copy of an old marriage license from Cook County Illinois, hopefully with a positive outcome.

I'm planning to claim my Italian citizenship through my G-GF, so I need this for my documentation (it's my Great-Grandparents). I found a record listed on Ancestry of a marriage that took place June 28, 1912 between a Manuel Balestieri and Josepha Scardina that I believe to be the right one; the timing looks right and their giving names are Emanuel Balistreri (changed to Balesteri at some point) and Giuseppa Scardina (went by Josephine and Josie). The spelling for both has been all over the place when searching online, but this looks too close not to be them.

My problems are that there is no actual document in the Ancestry listing, I cannot find it searching Cook Counties site with any of the details in the Ancestry listing, and VitalCheck just says it's not available after I enter the date. To top it off the phone just rings and rings when I try to call the Clerks office.

Also, if I cannot get this; is there any way around it? Should I order certified copies of the 1920 and 1930 Census that shows them together as head of household and wife?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Max

[chamomile]

Hello
It took me years to find my Grandparents marriage certificate and also from 1912. What a coincidence. I wrote a letter several times and finally last year found someone who got interested . The record was not online and when he found it my Grandfathers name was written incorrectly. It said “ Mr. Laucia Domenik
And was supposed to say Mr. Domenico Luciani. Then my Grandfather’s wrote his signature exactly as the clerk wrote it. Ive been trying to get Cook county for months to correct the record. Finally they agreed there was a misunderstanding between clerk and my GF (language barrier) but when I got it back just last week they only fixed it by swapping names but no correction. So if they don’t fix it I have to get court order . I too am seeking my Dual Italian Citizenship through my GF.

[mbalesteri]

Thanks for sharing chamomile. Sorry to hear it's been a tough experience though, I guess I better dig in and be prepared for one too. I don't doubt for a second the names are going to be wrong in some way on my GGP too, it's crazy how many different versions I've seen so far. I hope you get them to correct yours soon, keep us posted.

Ciao,
Max

[chamomile]

Thanks and good luck with the search. Just wondering are you on the phone with Cook county or just been at it through letters.
Keep calling and keep writing and exhaust as many versions you can think of.
Debra

[mbalesteri]

Debra, I've only been calling so far. I found the request form online to send in a check with and have them search, but wasn't sure it was worth bothering with. I read something about only doing genealogical certificates and I need a certified copy. I must be misunderstanding that though... I should probably give it a try. The first step is finding it, then I can figure out the format issue.

Thanks,
Max

[chamomile]

https://www.cookcountyclerk.com/service ... rtificates
This is where you need to request your marriage certificate and ask for the license/ application too. Send is check for 15$ Because if the year this is who will find it. Write a let with all details you know. Dates all names they may have used.
Got a call from Cook County Vital Records last week and they are going to amend my Grandparents record for sure now.
With persistence you’ll find it.
Debra

[chamomile]

You must have a certified copy. State that in your letter
Debra

[mbalesteri]

Thanks Debra! That's great news that they're going to amend you Grandparents record too!