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Category Archives: Genealogy
Exhibit: The 1920s
For our first exhibit of the year, we are taking a look back at life in Davenport a century ago. What kinds of books were children and grown-ups checking out from the library? What were the people attending the symphony … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy, Library, Local History
Tagged 1920s, African-Americans, Bix Beiderbecke, book displays, books, displays, exhibit, Floyd Dell, Jazz, local authors, Maps, newspapers, Tri-City Symphony
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Who Was George Davenport?
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. … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy, Library, Local History
Tagged Colonel George Davenport, displays, lectures, LibGuides, Rock Island (Illinois)
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Helen Van Dale: A woman of the criminal underworld Part I
Most individuals living in the Quad Cities are familiar with the name John Looney. From his home base across the Mississippi River in Rock Island, Illinois, Looney created an illegal empire that included gambling, prostitution, protection money, and illegal alcohol … Continue reading
Davenport’s First Police Matron: Annie E. Davis
130 years ago this week, Davenport City Council hired Miss Annie E. Davis from Chicago, Illinois to be the first police matron for the city. On June 26, 1889, Miss Davis arrived in Davenport on an early morning train and … Continue reading
Timelines for Genealogy
This year’s Quad Cities Genealogical Conference will be on Saturday, April 27th from 8am-4pm at the Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center in Moline. One of the topics that will be covered by speaker Beth Foulk of Genealogy Decoded is “Solving … Continue reading
Brick Wall Strategies: Genealogy Forms & Resource Checklist
While conducting genealogical research, some family members remain elusive and difficult to find. At this month’s Genealogy Perspectives program, we watched Lisa Louise Cooke’s video “Genealogical Cold Cases: A Step By Step Process”. Here are some takeaways we found noteworthy. … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy, Library
Tagged ancestor chart, checklist, family group research, forms, Genealogy, Resources
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Fun-Size Fire Insurance Maps of Davenport
In anticipation of this coming Tuesday’s program, “Genealogical Perspectives on Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps” (6:30pm on 5/22 at our 321 Main Street location) we are featuring a recent addition to our collection of these sources that consistently prove valuable to … Continue reading
Lost but Not Forgotten: A Brief History of the H. H. Andresen Residence, 726 West 6th Street
Although a suspicious fire destroyed the historic home at 726 West 6th Street in Davenport’s Gold Coast neighborhood last Thursday morning, it will not be lost to memory: sources available here at the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center preserve the story … Continue reading
Sources for the Study of Davenporters’ Experiences in WWI
A century ago, in the spring of 1918, the first soldiers from Davenport to see foreign service in the conflict that would later become known as the First World War arrived safely in France. The Davenport Democrat and Leader and the Daily Times published … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy, Library, Local History
Tagged #throwbackthursday, Alice French, Homefront, Selective Service, World War I
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1910: “Alien” Women Arrive in Davenport
With the celebration of International Women’s Day this week and Women’s History Month, we are focusing our attention on the women who came to live in Davenport from other parts of the world in the early years of the twentieth … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy, Local History
Tagged 1910 US Census, immigrants, International Women's Day, Women, Women's History Month
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