This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Remembering Cedar Rapids Pioneer John S. Ely Dean of Native Sons
Naomi Doebel recounts John S. Ely born 1853 in Cedar Rapids as a central link to the city's early days. The feature traces his family home on Eagle Street, Civil War memory, the Ely clan’s social ties with Weare Daniels and Greens, and experiences such as the first Cedar Rapids croquet ground, stagecoach origins, and the evolution from river port to modern city.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John S. Ely
Native Sons
Cedar Rapids
Ely
Martin
Cedar River
Pioneer Town
Bessie E. Shaver
First Avenue
Marion
Queenie
Tenth Street
Third Avenue
Eighth Street
Station
The
Cedar
John F. Ely
St. Louis
Mississippi River
Fox
Prairie Creek
Weare
Daniels
Greenes
Iowa
Linn
Fifth Avenue
Sixth and
Eighth Streets
Oak Hill Cemetery
Eagle Street
John
John S. Blair
Free School
Washington High School
Fifth Street
Dr. Ely
Second Avenue
Thirteenth Street
North Western Railroad
Stark
Tom Heyer