You might not think to look at ferry records from 100 years ago for links to long-lost relatives, but ferry lists are an underused resource you'll learn about at the free Family History Fair presented by the State Archives and State Library of North Carolina Oct. 25 at the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, 109 E. Jones Street, in Raleigh.

The Family History Fair opens at 9 a.m. and presentations begin at 10 a.m. The annual history fair celebrates links to our heritage and this year offers presentations on specific records that are important sources of information for family researchers and genealogists. Door prizes will be offered as part of the day’s events.

"Grants in North Carolina Before 1776" is the topic of Dr. A. B. Pruitt, who examines royal and proprietary land grants in North and South Carolina. For the past 25 years Pruitt has produced books based on land records in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Stewart Dunaway presents "Road, Bridge and Ferry Records: A New Path in Genealogy Research." Road, bridge and ferry records in State Archives provide an amazingly detailed resource for family research. For example, county ferry records will identify land owners who may not be identified any other way. These records list areas of river crossings and indicate old roads and train routes. Dunaway has completed four books on the Revolutionary War and transcribes road and bridge records in the State Archives, recently completing 42,000 documents that are published in more than 120 volumes.

Collections Management Branch Head Jennifer Blomberg and Archives Conservator Emily Rainwater will be available to answer questions and provide resources for preserving, protecting and caring for family papers and photographs.

Ancestry.com will offer door prizes, including a gift card for a one-year World Explorer subscription to Ancestry.com, a certificate for a one-year subscription to www.fold3.com, a certificate to a one-year subscription to www.newspapers.com and a copy of Family Tree Maker.

Among the more than 25 vendors are the Triangle Jewish Genealogical Society, Wake County Genealogical Society, Olivia Raney Local History Library and the North Carolina Genealogical Society. Other vendors include Interwoven Heritage Services, Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society, N.C. Triangle Chapter, and several independent historians, researchers and archivists.

The Family History Fair is sponsored by the State Archives, the State Library of North Carolina and the Friends of the Archives. The State Archives and State Library are agencies within the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

About the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources:

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's cultural resources to build the social, cultural and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan W. Kluttz, NCDCR's mission is to enrich lives and communities by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history and libraries in North Carolina that will spark creativity, stimulate learning, preserve the state's history and promote the creative economy. NCDCR was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.

Through arts efforts led by the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Symphony and the N.C. Museum of Art, NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and spurring the economic stimulus engine for our state's communities. NCDCR's Divisions of State Archives, Historical Resources, State Historic Sites and State History Museums preserve, document and interpret North Carolina's rich cultural heritage to offer experiences of learning and reflection. NCDCR's State Library of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in our state to develop and to offer access to educational resources through traditional and online collections including genealogy and resources for people who are blind and have physical disabilities.

NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation's first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council and the State Archives. NCDCR champions our state's creative industry that accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.