Scott County, Iowa Genealogy

United States

Iowa

Scott County

Guide to Scott County, Iowa ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Iowa Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Davenport Organized: 21 December 1837 Parent County(s): Dubuque, Cook, Muscatine Neighboring Counties Cedar • Clinton • Muscatine • Rock Island (IL) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Scott County was named for Winfield Scott and is located in southeastern part of Iowa.

County Courthouse

Scott County Courthouse
400 West 4th Street
Davenport, IA 52801
Phone: 563-326-8648
Scott County Website

Scott County, Iowa Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1880	1837	1880	1851	1838	1838	1847
* Statewide registration started for births in July 1880 and for deaths January 1891. General compliance by 1924.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

1837 Scott County was created 21 December 1837 from Dubuque, Cook, and Muscatine Counties. County seat: Davenport Iowa Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Iowa Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Iowa county boundary changes

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Bettendorf Blue Grass Buffalo Davenport Dixon Donahue	Durant Eldridge Le Claire Long Grove Maysville McCausland	New Liberty Panorama Park Princeton Riverdale Walcott
Unincorporated communities
Big Rock	Desmond Acres	Westdale
Census-designated places
Park View
Townships
Allens Grove Blue Grass Buffalo Butler Cleona	Hickory Grove Le Claire Liberty Lincoln Pleasant Valley	Princeton Rockingham (former) Sheridan Winfield

Resources

Bible Records

Listed below are resources for Bible records specific to Scott County. To find more resources, go to the Iowa Bible Records page.

Biographies

• Biographical History and Portrait Gallery of Scott County, Iowa Chicago, IL: American Biographical Publishing Co., 1895. Online at: FamilySearch Catalog, HathiTrust.
• Fifty Years in Iowa: Being the Personal Reminiscences of J.M.D. Burrows, 1838 to 1888. By J. M. D. Burrows. Davenport, IA: Glass & Co., 1888. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).
• History of Scott County, Iowa: and Biographies of Representative Citizens. Chicago, IL: Inter-State Publishing Co., 1882. Online at: Vol. I - FamilySearch Catalog, HathiTrust.

• Scott County, Iowa Biographies Project at RootsWeb — links to biographies and local histories
  

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• Iowa, State Employees at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Scott County, Iowa online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	BillionGraves Find a Grave IAGenWeb IA Tombstone Transcription Project Iowa Gravestones USGenWeb Archives WPA 1930's Graves Registration Survey Iowa, Church and Civil Deaths (cemetery records), incomplete
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find a Grave FamilySearch Places
See Iowa Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

Iowa recorded not only federal, but state censuses for several in-between years as well. For more information, see the very informative Iowa Census article.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	5,986	—
1860	25,959	333.7%
1870	38,599	48.7%
1880	41,266	6.9%
1890	43,164	4.6%
1900	51,558	19.4%
1910	60,000	16.4%
1920	73,952	23.3%
1930	77,332	4.6%
1940	84,748	9.6%
1950	100,698	18.8%
1960	119,067	18.2%
1970	142,687	19.8%
1980	160,022	12.1%
1990	150,973	−5.7%
2000	158,668	5.1%
2010	165,224	4.1%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State Census

• 1885 Iowa State Census, 1885 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1895 Iowa State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1905 Iowa State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images (individual cards, not family context)
• 1915 Iowa State Census, 1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1925 Iowa State Census, 1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Church Records

Most church records are held by individual churches. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information about these major repositories, see Iowa Church Records.

• 1845-1987 Iowa, Church and Civil Deaths, 1845-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
  
• FamilySearch Places

Lutheran

• 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Court Records

• 1836-1850 Scott County Index to Early Records, 1836-1850(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1837-1917 Scott County Index to Court Records, 1837-1917: Steamboats, Ferry Boats, Stage Coach, Telegraph(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1837-1917 Scott County Iowa Index to Court Records for the LeClaire Family, 1837-1917(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1839-1884 Scott County Iowa Index to Court Records, Davenport Family, 1839-1884(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — Index & images
• 1860-1930 Scott County Iowa index to Railroad Court Cases, 1860-1930(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1914-1954 Scott County Iowa Index to Name Change Records, 1914-1954(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• The Davenport Public Library has most of the local records on microfilm.

Directories

• 1856-1893 Davenport, Iowa, City Directories(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1877 Owen's Gazetteer and Directory of Scott County, Iowa(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Funeral Homes

• Cunnick-Collins Life Celebration Center in Davenport
  
• Halligan McCabe DeVries Funeral Home in Davenport
  
• Heesch Funeral Home in Le Claire
  
• McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home in Bettendorf and Eldridge
  
• Runge Mortuary and Crematory Funeral in Davenport
  
• Weerts Funeral Home in Davenport
  

Genealogies

• Genealogical line of paternal descent of Waterman family of Davenport, Iowa at Ancestry ($)

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. They include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Iowa Land and Property for information about early Iowa land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, transactions were usually recorded and housed at the county courthouse.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• 1838-1932 Deed records, 1838-1932 at FamilySearch Catalog - indexes & images
• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Scott County, which may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see Iowa Local Histories.

• History of Davenport and Scott County, Iowa. By Harry E. Downer. Chicago, IL: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1910. Online at: Vol I - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. II - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vols. I & II - HathiTrust.
• Scott County, Iowa History. Iowa Writers program. Davenport, IA: Work Projects Administration, State of Iowa, 1942. Online at: Ancestry ($).
• History of War Activities of Scott County, Iowa, 1917-1918. By Ralph W Cram. Davenport, IA: Fidlar Y Chambers, 1919. Online at: Internet Archive.

Maps and Gazetteers

County and state maps, historical and more current, are valuable research tools. For online maps and collections in libraries and societies, see Iowa Maps. Historical maps may be especially useful.

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• 1860-1918 U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918, Scott County at Ancestry ($) - index.
• 1875-2007 Scott County 1875-2007 at Historic Map Works - may include names of land-owners.
• 1886-1956 Fire Insurance Maps for Scott County, Iowa at Library of Congress - various years between 1886 and 1956.
• IAGenWeb - Scott County.
• Iowa Digital Library, Scott County at Iowa University Libraries.
• Scott County Maps at FamilySearch Catalog.
• The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections, Scott County at State Library of Iowa.
• Township Map of 1875 Scott County, Iowa with enlarged views of each township (My Genealogy Hound).
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places.

Military Records

Multiple Wars

• 1835-1998 Iowa, Armed Forces Grave Registrations, ca. 1835-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index only
• 1862-1910 Iowa, Records of Persons Subject to Military Duty, 1862-1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Civil War

• 1861-1949 Iowa, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1861-1949 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Civil War service men in Scott County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed here:

- 1st Regiment, Iowa Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company G

- 2nd Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company C

- 2nd Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company E, F, G, H, I, K, L, and M

- 2nd Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B and C

- 3rd Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company E and I

- 6th Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company A, C, D, E, G, H, I and M

- 8th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B

- 13th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company E

- 14th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company A

- 16th Regiment, Iowa Infantry, Company B, E, F, and K

- 44th Regiment, Iowa Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company I and K

Naturalization and Citizenship

Please see the Iowa Naturalization and Citizenship page for state-wide information.

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1838-1930 Naturalization Records, 1838-1930; iIndexes, 1840-1930(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — Part index, images
• 1842-1930 Naturalization Index of Scott County, Iowa 1842-1930 : 1842-1930(*); Scott County Genealogical Society at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1859-1990 United States, Iowa Naturalization Records, 1859-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Iowa, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1922-1929 — The Davenport Democrat and Leader at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1854-1862, 1864-1871, 1873-1886, 1891, 1897-1898, and 1958 — Davenport Daily Gazette at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1808, 1858-1859, 1865, 1876, and 1891-1904 — Davenport Daily Leader at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1847-1854, 1857, 1874-1884, and 1886-1887 — Davenport Gazette at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1895-1903 — Davenport Daily Republican at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1817, 1854, 1867-1874, 1876-1877, 1882-1883, and 1885 — The Daily Gazette at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1808, 1889, and 1893-1904 — Davenport Weekly Leader at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1880, 1887-1892 — Davenport Morning Tribune at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1887-1894, 1902 — The Davenport Tribune at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1922-1923, 1926-1927 — Davenport Democrat And Leader at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1893-1896, 1899-1901, 1903 — The Davenport Leader at Ancestry.com ($) —Davenport, IA, USA
• 1881-1884 — Davenport Weekly Gazette at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1904-1905 — Tri-City Star at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1879-1880, 1891, 1895 — Davenport Daily Tribune at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1955 — Morning Democrat at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1852-1853 — Democratic Banner at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1883, 1922-1923, 1925-1929 — The Davenport Democrat at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1869, 1873, 1895-1896, 1898-1899, 1901, 1903-1904 — Daily Leader at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA
• 1905 — Davenport Morning Star at Ancestry.com ($) — Davenport, IA, USA

Obituaries

• 1846-Onward Iowa, Scott County Obituaries at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1900-2024 Scott County, Iowa, U.S., Obituary Index, 1900-2024 at Ancestry — index ($)

Probate Records

In most counties in Iowa, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the county courthouse.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1758-1997 Iowa, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1758-1997 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1831-1980 Probate Records, 1831-1980; Indexes, 1834-1958(*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1860-1987 Card File Probate Index, 1860-1987(*); Clerk of the District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1898-1931 Inheritance Tax and Lien Books, 1898-1931(*); County Treasure at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1900-1925 Abstracted Names from the Davenport, Iowa Democrat and Leader Newspapers(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

Iowa tax records complement land records and can supplement the years between censuses. Iowa's unique Old Age Assistance tax gives names, addresses and birth years. There may be gaps of several years. For more information, see the wiki page Iowa Taxation.

Online Tax Indexes and Records

• 1934-1958 Iowa, Old Age Tax Assistance Records, 1934-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded by civil officials on registers, certificates, and other documents. Copies or extracts may be purchased from the Iowa Department of Public Health or the County Clerk's office. See also Iowa Vital Records.

Birth

• 1850-1939 Iowa, Delayed Birth Records, 1850-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1880-1935 Iowa, County Births, 1880-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1921-1942 Iowa, Birth Records, 1921-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1921-1947 Iowa, Birth and Stillbirth Records, 1921-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images, coverage may vary

Marriage

• 1518-1996 Iowa, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
• 1809-1992 Iowa, Marriages, 1809-1992 at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1836-1925 Scott County Marriage Certificates at The Davenport Public Library - Index
• 1836-1926 Iowa, Marriages, 1836 - 1926 at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1838-1934 Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1880-1951 Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1951 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1941-1951 Iowa, Marriage Records, 1941-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

• 1845-1987 Iowa, Church and Civil Deaths, 1845-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
  
• 1850-1990 Iowa Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and some images; Also at: MyHeritage($)
• 1856-1989 Iowa, Scott County, Oakdale Cemetery, Interment Records, 1856-1989 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1880-1992 Iowa, County Death Records, 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1888-1904 Iowa, Death Records, 1888-1904 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images, coverage may vary
• 1900-1939 Iowa Death Index, 1900-1939 at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1904-1951 Iowa, Death Records, 1904-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1920-1967 Iowa, U.S., Death Records, 1920-1967 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Divorce

• 1837-1940 Divorce Records, 1837-1940(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Scott County. For state-wide library facilities, see Iowa Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Davenport Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Muscatine Iowa FamilySearch Center
• Cook Memorial Library - an affiliate library
• Geneseo Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Scott County. For state-wide library facilities, see Iowa Archives and Libraries.

Scott County Library System
200 North Sixth Avenue
Eldridge, IA 52748
Phone: 563-285-4794
Email: information@scottcountylibrary.org
Website

Davenport Library
Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center
321 N. Main Street
Davenport, IA 52801-1490
Phone: 563-326-7902
Website

Museums

German American Heritage Center and Museum
712 W 2nd Street
Davenport, IA 52802
Phone: 563-322-8844
Email: info@gahc.org
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in Scott County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Iowa Societies.

Scott County Iowa Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 3132
Davenport, IA 52808
Email: scigscorsec@yahoo.com
Website

Websites

• Scott County at Cyndi's List - a comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online
• Scott County at Genealogy Trails - volunteer transcriptions of genealogical and historical data
• Scott County at Iowa USGenWeb - free online resources for genealogical research
• Scott County at Iowa USGenWeb Archives - free online data for genealogical research
• Scott County at Linkpendium - genealogy and family history
• State Historical Society of Iowa — select from research collection topics
• State Library of Iowa — electronic depository of documents intended for the general public produced by Iowa agencies
• The Iowa Heritage Digital Collection — digital images from a variety of Iowa cultural institutions
• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.