10th North Arkansas Ancestor Fair

Marshall, Arkansas - June 3-5, 1999

The Tenth North Arkansas Ancestor Fair is coming up June 3-5, 1999, in Leslie and Marshall, Searcy County, Arkansas. In the past we have had participants from almost all the north Arkansas counties and we hope to do so again this year.

The big Ancestor Fair, where family historians, county genealogical/historical societies, book sellers and photograph restorers offer their information and wares, will be held on Saturday, June 5, in the Leslie Public School, Leslie, Arkansas. Doors will be open to the public from 9 a.m.to 3 p.m. Admittance is free and so is table space for those who want to share their family research. This is truly a genealogical swap meet for north Arkansas families.

Thursday and Friday are dedicated to Side Shows . Every Fair needs side shows, and the Ancestor Fair has its Side Shows for those who want to learn more about what research tools are available for north Arkansas. The Side Shows cost $5 per two-hour session. This year's Side Shows focus on two major themes: cemeteries and photographs, with bits of other things thrown in. This year we have some unique topics and first-rate speakers.

On Thursday and Friday we have our Side Shows. These cost $5 per two-hour session, usually. This year's Side Shows focus on two major themes: cemeteries and photographs, with bits of other things thrown in. Thursday, the sessions will be at the Marshall Restaurant, US Hwy 65 N, Marshall. Susan Young, a popular and knowledgeable Ozark native with the Shiloh Museum in Springdale, will lay the groundwork for our cemetery topic with a discussion of cemetery history and folklore in the Ozarks. This will be followed by Wendell and Elizabeth Norton of Historic Restorations of Marshall, who will describe the proper way to care for, clean and restore tombstones and cemeteries, as well as the good and bad ways to copy tombstone inscriptions. Our legal expert, lawyer Winston Chandler of Little Rock, will describe the success he has had in Arkansas courts establishing cemetery rights and enforcing cemetery obligations.

A Thursday night dinner will be followed by a free program by Roger Logan of Harrison about the Mountain Meadows Massacre which involved many north Arkansas families.

Friday's programs at the Leslie Public School will involve Tom Dillard, from the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System. His topics will be Mountain Images: Photography in the Ozarks, where he will outline the history of photography, discuss picture terminology and talk about photo collections. The second hour in Session III will be how to read pictures, including how to date them in Picture Stories: Using Photographs as Sources.

After lunch, Tom Dillard will talk about other research tools for the Ozarks: Mountain Memories: Published Ozarks Memoirs (an overview of autobiographies written by Ozarkers) and Ozark Newspapers: Their History and Availability (these daily or weekly chronicles can add color and body to any family history). This is followed by Genealogy on the Internet for either Beginners or Intermediate level folks by Dorothy Ragland and Bill Couch, then our Mixer-Dinner from 6 p.m. at Ruben's Restaurant in Marshall.

Saturday morning from 9:30, knowledgeable and ever-popular Dorothy Tincup Mauldin will lead a session on Researching the 5 Civilized Tribes. She will also discuss the newer tribal organizations and their goals.

For more information or to register or request table space, please contact either: James J. Johnston, 2333 N. East Oaks Drive, Fayetteville, AR 72703, (501) 442-3691; e-mail: johnston@ipa.net or Vickie Phillips Pruetzel, 251 Church Street, Marshall, AR 72650, (870) 448-5983.

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Activity at the tables during Saturday's Ancestor Fair, 2008.

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