Lake County, Illinois Public Records

To begin, add a county public record or view a list of county record locations and resources for Lake county records and the state of Illinois.

One thing that most of us can never be certain about is what the land will look like after hundreds of years have passed. In the case of Lake County, this area was changed thanks to a huge glacier that retreated many, many hundreds of years ago, which formed lakes and valleys and mountains. In the case of this area, there have been many Native Americans who have likely passed through. The first record of a white person, however, going through the area is likely that of Father Allouez, who is believed to have seen the area in 1630 and to have passed away near Waukegan. Others, however, believe that the first white man was Jean Nicolet, who came down from Quebec and who found the area. It is likely, unfortunately, that no one will ever known for sure.

It is known that the first settler, Captain Daniel Wright, came from Vermont and settled in the area in 1833. Since there millions have come and gone, but you can still find Lake County public records that can trace back to them, starting at the Lake County Recorder of Deeds , on18 North County St., which is directly in Waukegan, IL.