The Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Department of the Davenport Public Library is pleased to present another installment in our ongoing Local History Lecture Series this coming Thursday evening, August 15th, at 6:30PM in the Large Meeting Room at the Main Street location. Local historian Gena Schantz will help us to answer the question: ”Who was George Davenport?”
Ms. Schantz has been researching Colonel George Davenport and his family for decades; adding significantly to our knowledge of both the man and his milieu. Her 1991 Master’s thesis, “The Davenport House and Family on Rock Island: A Case Study in the Transformation on the Midwestern Frontier to 1858″ (SC 977.3393 Sch) belongs to our collection here at the Center, as do many of the sources she and others have consulted in pursuit of the early history of the Quad-Cities area. These include Franc B. Wilkie’s 1858 history Davenport, Past and Present (SC 977.769 WIL), genealogies, newspaper items, court records, and original documents written by members of the Davenport family, all assembled in this handy research guide on our website.
We also invite you to see a selection of the actual books, ephemera, archival materials, and images included on our George Davenport guide on display at the Center this month!
I have a crock with George Davenport’s name on it – a dealer in dry goods. Matamoras, Ohio. If anyone is interested in seeing it, I’ll send a picture. Looks like the date is 1887.
Sure! Please send the picture to us at specialcollections@davenportlibrary.com.