The Glenview Area and Northbrook Historical Societies have joined together to offer Northfield Township Pioneer Certificates to descendants of pioneer Northfield Township families. Designed to collect the unique genealogical, historical and cultural records of the families who settled this part of Illinois, the Certificate Program honors Northfield Township’s earliest settlers.

Century Certificates were designed to honor the 1898 incorporation of Glenview and Northbrook’s incorporation in 1901. Century certificates will allow the Societies to collect information on Northfield Township residents who settled here 100 years ago.

The ensuing documentation will help preserve their stories and form a permanent record of the settlers and their struggles to build a life on the Illinois prairie. An future online link to the database will allow family researchers access to the stories of settlement and family histories.

Applicants need not be residents of Northfield Township. However, proof of ancestry from the settler through the applicant must be submitted for each generation.

  • To be eligible for Northfield Township Pioneer Certificate, the applicant must be directly related to a pioneer who settled in Northfield Township by 1865.
  • To be eligible for Northfield Township Century Certificate, the applicant must descend directly from an ancestor who settled in Northfield Township 100 or more years ago.
  • Applicants must fill out the Application Form and the Lineage Chart as completely as possible. If unsure of dates or information, a question mark should be placed in the space. Maiden names should be used where applicable.
  • Documentation must accompany the application. The proof can be in the form of church, courthouse, land and/or census records. Certificates from other societies can not be used as proof, as their requirements may differ from ours.
  • Please send photocopies of supporting documents making sure that the copies are clear and readable, and that the page, volume and source are clearly visible. Please DO NOT send originals of any of these documents. All applications and supporting documentation become the property of the Glenview Area and Northbrook Historical Societies.
  • Also, please consider including a narrative of how your ancestors arrived in Northfield Township, and additional information about their children and family legend.

Download the form from the link below, or send a stamped self-address envelope and a note requesting an application to the address below. After filling in the information, send the completed Application Form and Lineage Chart, documentation and a check for $10.00 for each certificate to the address below. The $10.00 charge per certificate will cover our costs.

Northbrook Historical Society
1812 Chapel Court
Northbrook, IL 60062

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