All of the information on this site is free to everyone. My goal is to help you in your search of your family in Rock Island County. Hopefully you will also learn about this wonderfully historic county. Any and all contributions will be gratefully accepted and never used for profit To contact me, email me at winicaudell@yahoo.com
My heart felt thanks to you, Diana Alm, for all the wonderful data and all the hard work you've donated to this site!
** If you would like to join my mailing list contact me here and I'll sign you up!! Please let me know it's for Rock Island ***
**This site now has a search engine below**
NOVEMBER 11,2008 Annual Dinner Go to their web site for reservation form and information
The townships of Rock Island. The links are below.
"We must continue throughout our lives to do what we conceive to be good" Black Hawk
You have reached the county of Blackhawk, mighty warrior of the Sauk. The Sauk Indians lived in Saukenuk, now Rock Island, Illinois where they raised their crops, hunted, and lived peaceably until the white man disrupted their lives. Rock Island was the western-most site of Revolutionary War, and winning the Blackhawk War in 1832 was crucial to the development of the West. Rock Island was one of the major crossing sites of the Mississippi River. Most of the early settlers went to Memphis, St. Louis, Rock Island or Minneapolis to head west. Rock Island had the first railroad bridge across the river. Abraham Lincoln began his law practice here by defending the railroads against a steamboat lawsuit caused by the Effie Afton which ran into one of the bridge's pillars. Abe was also sworn into the US Army during the Blackhawk Wars in Milan, just across the Rock River from Rock Island. John Deere moved to Rock Island County from Grand Detour, Illinois in 1843 for better water transportation to bring in steel for his plows. David Sears offered him free water power from his dam for five years to entice him to come. John Deere is known world wide. Rock Island County has a wonderful Genealogical Society, (Rock Island County Illinois Genealogical Society)and also the Rock Island County Historical Society (RICHS) and a number of preservations societies and commissions. All of these organizations are very dedicated to keeping history alive here.Everyone is very friendly and helpful. Join me as I take you through some of Rock Island County's history. While it is both unique and typical at the same time, I think you will find it exciting to follow on your journey to the past in Rock Island County.
Prairie Farmers Directory of Rock Island County Prairie Farmers Breeders Directory 1939 Rock Island County Directory Old Rock Island Advertisements(1918) 1939 Rock Island Advertisements 1886 Rock Island County Directory 1870 Black Hawk township Mortality Schedule
We've started a tombstone project at Illinois Ancestors http://www.illinoisancestors.org/cemphotos/main.php This website is designed to allow researchers to add their photos automatically! If you'd like to share your photos with fellow researchers, please contact me at winicaudell@yahoo.com We'll either set up an account for you so that you can add your own photos online or if you prefer you can send me the pictures and I'll put them on for you. 
1850 and 1860 Mortality Schedules are listed on Julie McElroy's site. Link below
Lilly Setterdahl has written a new book. Read about it here
Help Wanted!! I am looking for volunteers who live in Rock Island Co. or the surrounding area who might be willing to do some transcriptions from old newspapers, obits or anything that may be available to transcribe for this web site. Also, looking for volunteer's with a digital camera to photograph the cemetery gravestones in Rock Island I'd sure appreciate the help!
Check out my Awards Page!
Updated: Nov.21, 2008 Updates HERE
A proud member of the Rock Island Illinois Genealogical Society Please Consider Joining!!
Other Illinois Ancestors Counties
STATE-WIDE DATA
Julie McElroy has a wonderful site with a lot of information *** Update-Julie has just updated her site and added more cemeteries*** There are also burials listed for many Rock Island County Cemeteries Here
If you want to see some old postcards of Rock Island visit the Rock Island Preservation Societies web site. They are a wonderful organization that advocates preservation of Rock Island's old historical buildings. They also have memberships for just $10 a year. There is also information about their tours and pictures of various homes. Go to their site and click on " Postcards from Home"
" Updated Nov. 8, 2008 " Fern Buford Walker has a beautiful site with information about the Rock Island Bufords. It's a great site! You'll love it!! HERE .
The Word of Life Ministry is housed in the Charles Buford mansion to see this beautiful place and read its history go HERE
For those of you looking for your Swedish roots, this is a great site. Elizabeth Thorsell is also the editor of Augustana Colleges Swedish American Genealogist
*A Great Site: Penny Postcards. Postcards from Towns and Counties all over the country. Click HERE
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