STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi State University Libraries will host the 2025 E.O. and Betty Templeton History and Genealogy Fair on Saturday, June 7, offering family historians and history enthusiasts a chance to explore resources and research strategies.
The fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Starkville Public Library. Admission is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged (https://msstate.libwizard.com/f/genfair).
This year’s event will feature presentations from three speakers. Dr. Cassandra Hawkins will discuss methods for preserving family stories. Melissa Hering will share intriguing cases involving women found in Circuit Court records from the Lowndes County archives. Eddie Johnson will highlight resources available through the archives of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
DeeDee Baldwin, associate professor and engagement librarian with MSU Libraries, is organizing the event. She said the fair is designed to appeal to genealogists of all experience levels, as well as those with a general interest in history.
“Everyone can benefit from learning creative new ways to record and preserve your family’s stories,” Baldwin said. “Learning about different types of records is useful to every genealogist. Even if a particular set of records doesn’t apply to their own family, they might pick up search strategies they can use elsewhere.”
Baldwin said many attendees enjoy hearing about others’ discoveries and the research paths they followed.
“Most family historians love history in general and enjoy learning about other people’s discoveries and how they made them,” she said. “This is why shows like Finding Your Roots and Who Do You Think You Are? are so popular.”
For more information, visit library.msstate.edu.
