My name is Wini Caudell and I'm your host for Rock Island County. 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
** 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**
2nd Thursday of each month (All members are welcome at the BOD meetings) Board meetings are held in the Oak Room of Butterworth Center on the 2nd Thursday of the month . The Oak Room is most easily accessed through the doors under the canopy on the lower level. Meeting time is still 6:30.
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
 Lilly Setterdahl’s Not my time to die: Titanic and the Swedes on board, is a great history of the Titanic as reported by the press of the day the American, the Swedish, and most importantly the Swedish-American press. Her book describes the conditions in Sweden in 1912, the reasons for the emigration, and profiles each of the 123 Swedes on board. It also covers the stories of the 34 survivors. You can buy it at amazon.com
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!
Michelle Ross has volunteered to look up obituaries for people. Her list of counties and cities is HERE
Check out my Awards Page!
Updated: Mar. 4, 2012 Updates HERE
A proud member of the Rock Island Illinois Genealogical Society Please Consider Joining!!
Other Illinois Ancestors Counties
STATE-WIDE DATA
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 Sept. 12, 2011" Fern Buford Walker has a beautiful site with information about the Rock Island Bufords. It's a great site! You'll love it!! HERE . She just added some really great updates!
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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