This week I would have attended the local county Fair. However, during this time of Covid-19, the local fair has been cancelled. Even though my local county fair has been cancelled, it still got me to thinking about my ancestors and their experiences with the county fair.
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| Stewart and Houston Counties Fair, ca. 1900, Houston County, TN. Archives |
I love this time of year because it means Fall is on the way and attending the fair brings back such wonderful childhood memories.
Have you ever thought about your ancestors and if they attended or better yet participated in the county fair?
Another great record source for genealogist are Fair Records!
Many of our wonderful archives have collections of records and memorabilia from the local county fair or the state fair in their records collections. These collections could be archived alone or they could be part of a larger manuscript collection.
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| Houston County Agricultural and School Fair, ca. 1930, Houston County, TN. Archives |
So, what can a genealogists find in Fair Records?
- Information that your ancestor helped organize the fair as a committee member or head of a particular event
- Information that your ancestor submitted her best canned peaches for judging and even won a blue ribbon.
- Information that your ancestor put his best cow on display and won a cash prize
- Information that your ancestor showed her handmade quilt and won "Best in Show"
And this is just to name a few items that can be found in fair records. Maybe your ancestor just attended the fair and wrote about it in their diary. Fair records at an archive can give you more background and details about that particular fair that your ancestor wrote about.
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| Houston County Agricultural and School Fair Program, ca. 1930, Houston County, TN. Archives |
The county fair was usually a major event in our ancestor's towns and lives. Seeking out these records and recording the information found in them can add to our ancestor's life story.
Knowing how our ancestor's lived and what they participated in helps us to know them better.
The next time you are researching at the archives, ask them if they have Fair Records!
Until next time......Remember.......
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