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Author Archives: SCblogger
Davenporters of Note: Eugene B. Ely
November is National Aviation Month, so it seems like the perfect time to honor one of Davenport’s foremost flyboys. Eugene B. Ely, son of attorney N. D. Ely,was born in Williamsburg, Iowa, on October 21st, 1886. When Eugene was nine, … Continue reading
It’s Turkey Note Time!
It’s that special time of year when the leaves turn beautiful, the weather turns ugly, and those new to our fair city turn to our Special Collections Center for information about Turkey Notes Our standard explanation is here. And once … Continue reading
The Weekly Outlook: French, Terpsichore, and Night Blooms
THE WEEKLY OUTLOOK – DEVOTED TO HOME & OUTING LIFE, LITERATURE, ART, MUSIC & THE DRAMAc (Volume 1 Number 6 – August 15, 1896) NOTABLES: The cover of today’s edition is graced with an image of local novelist Alice French. … Continue reading
A Moment to Remember: Armistice Day, 1925
The ghosts and goblins were gone and local turkeys were still being fattened up in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner. But Davenporters, and most of the world, were about to pause in their holiday preparations on to remember those who fought … Continue reading
What’s in a Name?
It’s really fun to find your ancestors in old newspaper columns, vital records and census listings. But what happens if you cannot recognize the name of the town they lived in? If it doesn’t exist now, how can you find … Continue reading
A Cemetery by Any Other Name
In July of 1900, the West Davenport Cemetery Association was looking for a new name for the cemetery. They were worried that it was too easily confused with Davenport’s City Cemetery, which was also located on the west part of … Continue reading
We’re Cooking Now!
Although it’s well known—or should be—that our Special Collections Center archives the works of local authors, it appears that few of our patrons realize that this collection policy includes cookbooks produced by local organizations, schools, and businesses. One of the … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Cookbooks, Margaret Pillion, Recipes, Trinity Cathedral
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The Weekly Outlook: Poetry and Politics
The People…are reading what? The people are reading THE WEEKLY OUTLOOK why? …Because it is a cheerful prophet, and they are weary of gloom. Because it chronicles the good rather than the bad. Because it is one of the handsomest, … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Charles August Ficke, Henry Vollmer, Poetry, The Weekly Outlook
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Many Scores to Settle
Among our collections of genealogies and local histories, death records and newspaper abstracts hides a different kind of historical resource: Musical scores. In Special Collections, we have several catalogued scores, most of which have local connections, from Davenport by Alfred … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Albert Petersen, Alfred E. Petrow, Bix Beiderbecke, Composers, Erwin Swindell, Herman Schmidt, Kent Gannett, Local History, Music, Musicians, Scores
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Hispanic Genealogy Resources
National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th – October 15th. This 30 day period covers the anniversaries of independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua (all on 15 Sep 1821), Mexico (16 Sep 1810) and Chile (18 … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy
Tagged Genealogy, Hispanic Genealogy, National Hispanic Heritage Month, Resources
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