Tag Archives: Iowa

1925 Iowa State Census

This month as the Davenport Public Library celebrates The Big Read with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 classic The Great Gatsby we are exploring the 1925 Iowa State Census which you may search for free on Family Search. Unlike the Federal … Continue reading

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“The Lydia” – Iowa’s First Bookmobile

  In the summer of 1926, the County Library Committee of the Iowa Library Association rolled out what would become Iowa’s first bookmobile. Every county in Iowa could secure the use of this library on wheels for a week at … Continue reading

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Turkey Notes of Note!

It’s time to take out our stash of colored paper and puns and write those Turkey Notes! Luckily, the weather is conspiring to keep us all indoors this week, so you should have plenty of time to lovingly craft a special … Continue reading

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By the Light of the Moon (Law)

When Iowa entered statehood, many cities were granted Special Charters to help them with municipal administration while the Iowa State Legislature was still trying to get off the ground. The Charters regulated everything from elections to street maintenance, city clerk … Continue reading

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Turkey Fun Turkey Pun!

It’s time to start thinking about writing those Turkey Notes again! Don’t know what Turkey Notes are? Our best explanation for this Davenport tradition of sharing questionable poetry can be found here. And our best staff efforts this year can … Continue reading

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One-Way Question, Multi-Directional Answer

Weren’t Third  and Fourth streets in Davenport always one-way streets? And if not, when did they change from two-way to one-way traffic? These were the questions being asked for the last couple of weeks, ever since the Davenport City Council … Continue reading

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The Stockmen’s Savings Bank Heist: Part I

December 1921 was not looking to be a merry holiday for many people in Davenport and Scott County. The country was struggling to get out of a sharp recession that had begun in 1920. Times were tough and jobs were … Continue reading

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Cool Resource: Widows’ Pension Records

One hundred years ago, there weren’t a lot of options for widowed mothers who needed help caring for their children. In Iowa and parts of Illinois, if a judge felt that the mother could not provide for her family, the … Continue reading

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Just Shelved: Regiments and Other Interesting People

The Scott County Genealogy Society has added several new items to the Special Collections Center this month.  We’ve been trying to acquire at least one history of each Iowa Volunteer Regiment, and these three books are welcome additions to our … Continue reading

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More Tales of the Census: Special Schedules

Population was not the only information the United States government was interested in collecting during the decennial federal censuses. Non-population questions were equally important – and for we historians equally interesting! Over the years, these censuses included mortality, social statistics … Continue reading

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