This section of the website operated by the Office of Maria Pappas, Cook County
Treasurer, allows visitors to scan probate case files by year, by the names of the
estates, and, where available, the names of listed heirs. The list includes the
dollar amounts on deposit with the Treasurer’s Office under court order in each
probate file. PLEASE NOTE that potential heirs must work through the Courts to seek
an order to release funds. The Treasurer’s Office functions only as the keeper of
funds under court order and cannot
determine the legal validity of claims or issue payments without a court order.
This database will be updated monthly. The listing will grow as data becomes available
for files that currently lack names of the deceased who left behind potential inheritances.
Use the search field below to search for either estate names or case file numbers.
Enter your search text:
Important Instructions
If you believe you may have a claim on any funds, you must do the following:
- Write down the name and case number of the proceeding in which you believe you may be an heir.
- Obtain a copy of the court order that ordered that funds be held with the County Treasurer. This court order may be obtained at the Probate Division of the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Room 1202 of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago.
- Find in the court file which persons are serving as the executors or administrators of the estate, their addresses and phone numbers.
- Put together any proof that may show you are among the heirs who should receive a portion of the funds held in that estate.
- For assistance in obtaining a court order for the release of funds:
- Call or write to the executor or administrator.
- Contact your own attorney for assistance in obtaining such an order.
- Contact a bar association’s attorney-referral center for assistance.
- After you obtain a court order indicating that funds should be paid to you, go to the Cook County Treasurer’s Office and present a certified copy of the court order so that the payment may be processed.
In Cook County, case numbers represent the calendar year, the division of the Courts that presides over the case, and the sequential filing of the case during that year (thus, "55P9999" would represent a 1955 probate case that was the 9,999th probate case filed in that calendar year.)
DISCLAIMER:
With respect to information available from this server, neither the State of Illinois,
Cook County, nor any agency thereof, nor any employees, officers or vendors, makes
any warranty, expressed or implied, including warranties of merchantability and
fitness for a particular purpose or assumes any legal liability or responsibility
for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, product or process
disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights.
It is the responsibility of any potential claimant to perform due diligence to investigate
the accuracy of the records held by the Circuit Court of Cook County and the identities
of the decedents whose estates are the subjects of the Probate Court files maintained
therein.
The Treasurer's Office offers no expressed or implied warranty that the Courts,
acting within the constraints of Illinois Revised Statutes and established case
law, will be able to release any portions of the monies listed now or at any time
in the future. PLEASE NOTE that because probate law provides for governmental use
of certain funds not claimed within a decade of the date of death, it is advisable
to consult an attorney to determine whether it will be feasible to pursue a claim
on the funds listed herein. Also note that certain funds in older probate cases
were received and deposited in recent years.
It is important that you read and understand the DISCLAIMER above.