connilee@pulse.net writes: > The Urbana Archives in the Urbana Free Library, Champaign has Vital records > going back to before the Civil War. Give them a call and them you can mail Results for death certificates are very spotty before 1900 (approx). These records do start up around 1878 in response to a law (not sure whether local or state) but even many prominent city people are not recorded. The county kept a sort of log book (similar to the birth records and court journals of the period in format). Often, even if registered, part of the information is missing! I forget exactly when the certificates started appearing, but it's closer to 1900. Since you know the date of death searching the Champaign Co Gazette around that time would probably be helpful (even if you do find a death registry entry ... might be an obit). These are widely available; the state newspaper archive library has them, LDS FHL has them, and the Urbana library does as well.