Mississippi State University Libraries invites the community to the third annual E.O. Templeton Jr. History and Genealogy Fair on Saturday, June 4 in the Mitchell Memorial Library, 395 Hardy Road.
"This is where people will be able to learn about researching and methods into their own genealogy," said Jennifer McGillan, one of the coordinators for the event.
The event is free and registration will be held the day of the event, which lasts from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lunch will be available for individuals who pre-register at www.lib.msstate.edu/geneology/index.php. Lunch will be catered by Sweet Peppers Deli for $8. Payment will be due at the conference by cash or check.
"We will gratefully receive everyone who attends," McGillan said.
The event will feature workshops by McGillan on working with unreliable narrators and family stories with Betty Templeton.
"We'll be deconstructing family stories," McGillan said. "Even if you take a story you've heard a lot and now you can take that information and try to prove some parts of the story. We'll teach you on what kind of records and resources you can use."
McGillan will use a story from her family's history as an example.
"My grandfather always told a story about how he narrowly missed being on the R.M.S. Titanic," McGillan said. "It was a very dramatic story. We'd always say 'Grandpa, how do you remember that, you were born in 1908?' Later at his wake, one of his cousins was telling the story and we both asked him to start over. It was revealed to us that he changed parts of the story that would have made him look bad, and the fact that he was eight years older than he said he was."
Other workshops include Chuck Yarborough from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science on the annual "Tales from the Crypt" program.
"Students from MSMS do research on people buried in Friendship Cemetery in Columbus," McGillan said. "Then, they do reenactments from their subject's lives."
Hellen Polk of the Mississippi State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution will present on navigating military records; DeeDee Baldwin, MSU Libraries with a program on Online Research; Shirley Hanshaw, MSU English professor on tracing her African American roots.
Visitors will be allowed to access the library's resources such as the genealogical book section.
McGillan said that if anyone from local historical and genealogical societies would like to participate in the event at no cost, contact McGillan at 662-325-3071.
For more information, including a full itinerary visit library.msstate.edu/geneology