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Tag Archives: African-Americans
Bethel A.M.E. turns 150!
The Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Davenport is celebrating their 150th birthday! The November 30, 1865 issue of the Davenport Daily Gazette published the first of many articles focused on the church. The note said that a group of African … Continue reading
Going Local for African-American History Month 2016
Delve into the rich history of the African-American community in Davenport with these resources available from the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center: Oral Histories An oral history of the Black population of Davenport, Iowa. Davenport, Iowa : Palmer Junior College, c1979. … Continue reading
Ida Johnson and United Neighbors, Inc. of Davenport
In celebration of the upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Special Collections would like to feature Davenporter Ida Johnson, recipient of the 2001 Iowa Commission on the Status of African-Americans’ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award exactly … Continue reading
Join Our Family Album!
It’s no secret that family photographs forge connections to the past. We may never have met Aunt Betsy or Great-Grandpa Milton, but we can see ourselves in their faces and learn something of our family circumstances through their clothes and … Continue reading
Davenporters of Note: Charles William Toney
Charles William Toney was born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin on August 23rd, 1913 to Wilber and Stella Toney. He attended Clinton High School in Clinton, Iowa, and was on the swim team. This led to his first fight for civil rights … Continue reading
The Colored School Controversy
In August of 1857, Iowans ratified their State Constitution, including Article IX, which established a popularly elected state board of education authorized to provide “for the education of all the youths of the State, through a system of common schools” … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged African-Americans, Children, Davenport (Iowa), Davenport Schools, Local History, Racism, segregation
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Alexander Clark of the First Iowa African Infantry
Who would have thought that a man from the small town of Muscatine, Iowa, would have been the first person to offer to raise African American troops to serve in the Iowa regiment during the Civil War? First, one probably … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged African-Americans, Alexander Clark, Civil War, First Regiment Iowa African Infantry
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Uncovering the past: African-American Genealogy
Are you having trouble researching your African-Americans ancestors before the 1870’s? Here are some tips for tracing hard-to- find ancestors back to the Civil War and earlier: The first suggestion is to locate your family in the 1870 Census. … Continue reading
Posted in Genealogy
Tagged African-Americans, Freedman's Bank, Freedmen's Bureau, Genealogy, Resources
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Review: Outside In : African-American History in Iowa, 1838-2000
Race is a part of all Americans’ history because we all have assumptions about it that affect how we relate within and across racial lines. For that reason, Outside In is a book for all Iowans, not just African-Americans.* Outside-In … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged African-Americans, Black History Month, Davenport, Iowa, Local History
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History’s Mysteries : General Houston (part three) — And the verdict is . . .
. . .‘Guilty in the second degree.’ (Muscatine Daily Journal , 6Sept1876, p. 4) “Gen.” Houston, the murderer, on being arraigned for sentence, made a statement alleging that Kelly pursued him with an axe before he shot him—that the first … Continue reading
Posted in Local History
Tagged African-Americans, Court Trials, General Houston, Houston Smith
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