Tag Archives: Resources

Introducing LibGuides!

One of the biggest challenges of doing genealogy and local history research is that there are so many different places to look for records and information. We have indexes and databases to help, of course, but we have to remember … Continue reading

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We Mustache This Question: The 1884 Davenport Police Department

As we’ve mentioned before, this year marks the 175th anniversary of the Davenport Police Department.   In previous posts, we’ve shared some of the historical information and resources in our collections about and from the Department, and even cleared up … Continue reading

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The Scott County Unusual Sources Index

Back in the days of card catalogs, the Scott County Iowa Genealogical Society created a name index to a wide variety of items available in the Special Collections Center. Dubbed the Scott County Unusual Sources Index (SCUSI for short), it … Continue reading

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Feathered Hats and Juliet Caps: the Glaudel – Petrik Wedding

Eugenie M. Claudel married Francis Aloysious Petrik in Sacred Heart Cathedral at 8 o’clock on June 30, 1914. According to their Scott County marriage record, Miss Glaudel was 27 years old, and Mr. Petrik was 29. According to the wedding … Continue reading

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What’s in a Map? : Post Office Department reports of site locations, 1837-1950

Our maps have proven to be popular resources with our patrons. Whether you’re looking for visual information on your Davenport home, a glimpse of the city in 1857, your ancestral farm, the land that appears in your great-grandfather’s estate, the … Continue reading

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National History Day: A Learning Experience for All!

Every year, our Special Collections Center is pleased to assist middle and high school students who are researching projects for National History Day. These projects require primary resources and a thorough understanding of the annual theme as it relates to … Continue reading

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Chronicling America: The Bystander

It’s no secret that newspapers can be a wonderful resource for history and genealogy, but many early newspapers—ones from smaller communities or with shorter or less frequent publishing runs— have remained secrets, or at least inaccessible, to the average researcher. … Continue reading

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Save the Date! October Offerings: Intro to Electronic Subscription Databases for Genealogy

The Davenport Public Library subscribes to several electronic genealogy databases for our patrons’ research needs, including: Ancestry HeritageQuest Fold 3 Origins Genealogy Bank and Access Newspaper Archive You don’t even have to come down to our Special Collections Center to … Continue reading

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Platting the Past

Maps are fascinating glimpses into the past—but not always for the obvious reasons. Take this 1940s era plat book for example, which shows us what a modern and attractive home looked like at the time: This set of plat maps … Continue reading

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The Colorful Wedding Announcement of Miss Helen Watts

Included in our Hostetler Photograph Collections is a set of glass negatives  showing the former Miss Helen Kelsey Watts in her wedding gown, in which she married Mr. Homer Brown Payne. While researching these images, we located a wedding announcement, … Continue reading

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