I don't know whether this is a strange question or not. But would a Cook County resident leave the county to give birth?

I am unable to obtain my grandmother's birth certificate in Cook County, although I KNOW my great grandparents lived there at the tiime of birth in 1911. They also resided there for her siblings births in 1903, 1905 and 1917.

Any suggestions or ideas welcome.

Thank you!

Kris Mays

With the ease of transportation during that time frame could be anywhere in lower WI,lower MI,upper IN or anyone of the cook county collar counties Lake,Dupage,Kane,Will,etc.
That being said.
Have you tried checking Mormon Pilot website for cook county births?
http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=home
this site may also have MI births
or
cook county Clerk's online indexes?
http://www.cookcountygenealogy.com/
last resort would be to get a copy of her social security application, called an SS 5 which would give birth location.
Hope this helps
Kathy

Maybe great-grandmother went to stay with HER mother or another family member during the birth.

Maybe if you post the names and addresses you have, we could tell what possibilities would be most likely.

I have checked the Cook County website.

Great grandma's Mum was still back in Ireland, as far as we know, or possibly deceased by then.

My Mom and I will have to see about the SS#, if nothing else pans out.

Thanks for the tips!

Kris Mays

What was their address? The birth could have been in Lake county, Will county, DuPage county or even in Indiana.
Did you find them on the 1900 census or 1920 census?

They were not yet married in 1900.

In 1910, they lived at 721 East 48th Street.

In 1920, they lived at 19 West Pearson Street.

Their children were born in 1903, 1905, 1911, & 1917.

Grandpa worked as a private chauffeur for much of his life. In 1918, he was driving for a Capt. Redmond Stephens, a General Practice Attorney.

There are several members in my family who had no birth certificates...they also were born during that period of 1905 - 1917. They were delivered by midwives who never filed a record of the birth. My father, born in 1905 had to use his baptismal record when he and my Mom were getting married. As a matter of fact an aunt who was born in 1926 didn't have an official birth certificate because the midwife failed to file it.

The midwife misspelled my husband's name so bad there was no way we could have found it if my sister-in-law didn't find a record of it by mistake.

It's not unusual to not find birth certificates for the years you mention. The next best thing is a baptismal record or social security record.