Rock Island County, Illinois

The history and people of Rock Island County go back to 1831. The name came from an island in the Mississippi River. The early settlers to this area approved formation of a county government and held their first county election on July 5, 1833. But who were those early settlers, who were the movers and shakers in that frontier region? It just might have been one of your ancestors.

There is online a Biographical History of Rock Island County in Illinois which covers the lives of 165 of those influential men. However, not just those earliest years, but through most of the rest of the 19th century these biographies give real insight about the people and their families. Plus it was not just men, some women are also profiled, such as Myrtle E. Dade. In her biography it is not just her, but her family (parents) are covered.

Some of the surnames with biographies include: Roche, Wilson, Potter, Velie, Nourse, Schoonermaker, Meese, Knox, Heagy, McCabe, Eyster, Gould, Coyne, Deere, Blanding and Ashdown just to name a few, all in a list. Each biography which you can click on, varies in length, but most have quite a bit of information, including their descendants. This is especially important for those with daughters and married names.

This site is worth checking if you had any ancestors in the area of Rock Island County, Illinois which is in the northwest corner of the state bordering the Mississippi River across from Davenport, Iowa.

To help further with any genealogical research in Rock Island County, there is the GenWeb site for this area with additional resources.

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