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Author Archives: SCblogger
Researching the Records of England
If you were fortunate enough to attend the Scott County Iowa Genealogical Society meeting on the first of June, you learned all sorts of interesting things about early English records from Pam Langston. One thing that really surprised me is … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy
Tagged Genealogy, Pam Langston, SCIGS, Scott County Iowa Genealogical Society
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Graduates of World War II
The beginning of June this year brings two things to my mind: high school graduations and the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Thinking of those, I began to peruse our year book collection in Special Collections. The 1942, 1943, and 1944 … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Davenport, Davenport High School, Iowa, World War Two, Yearbooks
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Riverboats We Have Known: The W.J. Quinlan
After something of a delay, it’s finally looking like spring in the Quad-Cities: the weather is warmer, the boats are on the Mississippi . . . and the orange construction barrels are in full bloom. The promise of bridge delays … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged ferryboats, Local History, Mississippi River, riverboats, transporation, W. J. Quinlan
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A Veteran’s View: Harold Labonte
In 2001, our own Karen, along with several volunteers, began interviewing local residents for a World War II/Korean War Oral History Project. Our Oral History Collection now includes the war-related stories of 74 veterans, former civilian workers, and even a war bride … Continue reading
What’s in a Name?
The city of Davenport was named after Colonel George Davenport. This is fairly well known—at least to most residents of the Quad-Cities—although every once in a while, we still receive a question concerning the invention and manufacturing of long, squared-off … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Antoine LeClaire, Davenport, George Davenport, Iowa, Local History
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New Old Stuff, Old New Stuff!
New to the Special Collections Center’s Iowa vital records microfilm cabinet is Lee County. Thirty-five rolls of births, delayed births, deaths, marriages and even a few naturalizations are ready for use the next time you come in. Lee County is … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy
Tagged county records, Davenport, Genealogy, Iowa, new resources
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Happy Birthday, Davenport!!
On this day in 1836, the City of Davenport was platted and named. In order to understand the weight of history behind that simple sentence, one would have to look back at least to the treaty, signed on September 21, 1832, … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Antoine LeClaire, Black Hawk War, Davenport, Iowa, Local History, Maps
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Just Shelved: Family Histories
Because our Center can’t purchase every family history available, and because some family histories are beyond the reach of the usual library selection resources, we rely on donations—and the Scott County Genealogy Society—to keep our collection of nine-twenty-nine-point twos* thriving. … Continue reading
We’re Number One: Davenport Firsts
We felt like bragging this week, so we’ve brought out a brief list of some of the statewide or national things that happened first in Davenport. In rough chronological order: The first locomotive in Iowa was delivered in Davenport on … Continue reading
From the Archives: The Masquers
A recent addition to our Archive & Manuscript collection has brought to the forefront visions of Davenport drama and theater clubs. Davenport’s Friendly House was an early supporter of this creative outlet, first providing the venue for the “Friendly House … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged Davenport, Drama Clubs, Friendly House, Friendly House Players, Iowa, Local History, Lois Murphy, The Masquers, Theater Clubs
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