Category Archives: Genealogy

Crowdsourcing Transcription and Indexing Projects to Work on While Sheltering in Place

If you need a break from Netflix, reading, crafting, disinfecting, and sterilizing during the COVID-19 quarantine, there are many volunteer indexing and transcription opportunities available online. Indexing and transcribing can be a rewarding pastime for genealogists and local historians. If … Continue reading

Posted in Genealogy, Local History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mayflower Families – John Howland

2020 marks the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony. Commemorative publications, programs, and tours are planned in the US, the UK, and the Netherlands by various organizations, including the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, the New England Historic … Continue reading

Posted in Genealogy | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mayflower Families – George Soule

2020 marks the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony. Commemorative publications, programs, and tours are planned in the US, the UK, and the Netherlands by various organizations, including the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, … Continue reading

Posted in Genealogy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 , , , , | 2 Comments

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

Posted in Genealogy, Local History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Posted in Genealogy, Local History | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Posted in Genealogy | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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 , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Genealogy, Library, Local History | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment