The Washington Parish Pair: Lots of Fun for Kids, Adults….and Genealogists, Alike

Ask any Washington Parish native what happens during the third week in October, and you should get a nearly unanimous answer: the Washington Parish Fair! Now, for those of you who are not from the parish, images of cotton candy and ferris wheels probably come to mind when you hear this usage of the word “fair,” and these images are entirely understandable. However, while many county/parish fairs are glorified carnivals with a few side exhibits thrown together on a mickey mouse budget, the Washington Parish version is an event that energizes the entire parish community, runs on a gargantuan budget, and is operated entirely by a small army of volunteers.

The Fair attracts a crowd with diverse motivations for attending the event, and this is includes those with genealogical motives. Researchers with Washington Parish roots travel hundreds of miles to attend The Fair, oftentimes as part of one stop on a research tour. Their first stop once slogging through the notorious traffic and snagging a prized parking spot is usually the genealogy exhibit, which for many years has been held in the Old Armory building just inside the fairgrounds entrance.

Since about 1992, The Fair has sponsored a genealogy exhibit that features one pioneer Washington Parish family. That first exhibit was a big one, since its subject was the family of William Magee and Mary James, who settled on Hays Creek in the northwestern area of the parish about 1810, and whose progeny maintain a very strong presence in the area. Since 1992, members of many other noteworthy parish families, such as the Mizells, Alfords and Crains have  volunteered their money and time to put on a first rate genealogy exhibit for interested fairgoers. Obviously, this attracts a large number of actual descendants of these families, who flock to look at the old pictures and genealogical text relating to their family. However, a nearly equal number of persons visit the exhibit having no immediate connection to the family on display.

Dr. Russ Williams discusses genealogy with exhibit visitors. Kim Sanford is also seated at the table.

This includes many of the “old guard” of Washington Parish genealogists, who haul their books, files and pictures into the Old Armory and set up camp at the long table in front of the main display for the four day event. Some of these die hards, who usually show up early and leave late, include myself, along with prominent Washington Parish researchers such as Russ Williams, Fran Harry, Sylvia Smith and Bufford Crain. There are few Washington Parish genealogy questions that this group cannot answer, or at least formulate a reasonable guess. One of the favorite games of the group is to ask the average visitor “who were your grandparents?” and then proceed to place them within the Washington Parish spectrum. More than a handful of researchers come to the exhibit from out of state to pick the brains of group members or to share their research experiences. Quite often they leave with a satisfactory answer to their question or, at least, with a new research strategy to pursue.

Bevin Creel and Dr. Russ Williams at the genealogy exhibit

The other must see Fair attraction for the Washington Parish genealogist is Mile Branch Settlement. Established in the 1970’s, Mile Branch Settlement is a collection of pioneer homes and other buildings, mostly from the second half of the 19th century, that have been removed from private farms and properties throughout the parish and reassembled on the fair grounds. The old homes are named for the families from whose properties they were removed. A school, church, general store, blacksmith’s shop, grist mill, barn and other buildings ‘round out the settlement’s collection. Many visitors flock to the settlement to marvel at 19th century architecture, to sing in the old church, or to purchase old fashioned delicacies such as hoop cheese, cracklings, or cane syrup. Others are motivated to visit out of a sense of pilgrimage. Many in this category may not know exactly how they descend from a pioneer parish family, but they certainly recognize the surnames on the buildings and know whether or not they claim kin. For the more knowledgeable genealogist in the crowd, a visit to the settlement is a contextualization tool that helps to add meat to those genealogical bones or, put another way, it is a fantastic method to learn how their ancestor may have lived.

Visitors enjoy Mile Branch Settlement

So, whether you want to chat with other genealogists at the genealogy exhibit or take a step back into the 19th century, The Fair is something you want to add to your Washington Parish genealogical to-do list. We will see you in the third week of October next year!