118 Year Old Mississippian Dies

LINK - She wasn't recognized for her age because it couldn't be documented, but Roberta Weston was among the world's oldest persons at the time of her death. The Brooksville native had lived in Chicago for several years.

History Detectives Visits Vicksburg

LINK - The PBS Show "History Detectives" will air an episode about Vicksburg this evening at 8 p.m. Central on Mississippi Public Television. Check local listing times if you live elsewhere. It's possible the episode will be shown again.

Katrina DVD

There's a new educational DVD available about Hurricane Katrina.

Barefootin'

Mississippi's first female black mayor, Unita Blackwell, has written a memoir. She served as mayor of Mayersville in the Delta. It is called Barefootin': Life Lessons from the Road to Freedom.

Wood Springs Baptist Church

Wood Springs Baptist Church is Choctaw County's featured church of the week.

Native American Research

Nancianne Parkes Suber, genealogy columnist, tells about a newsletter for those researching American Indians.

Wilmer Durr

The Clarion Ledger features an interesting look at the life and times of Wilmer Durr, an 85-year-old Copiah County gospel radio show host who grew up in a sharecropping family.

Helping Gulf Coast School Libraries

I watched Weekend Today this morning. They were broadcasting live from New Orleans. One of the features showed the destruction of school libraries by Hurricane Katrina. A librarian was explaining how few donated books could actually be used by the schools because the audience level was adult. They went on to explain that school library books need to be geared toward the curriculum, the reading level of students, and be in certain bindings that stand up better to repeated use. Weekend Today and Scholastic have launched a drive to help schools affected by Katrina. One of the schools in the feature story was Waveland Elementary School in Waveland, Mississippi. To purchase books for Gulf Coast School Libraries, visit Scholastic's site.

Casualty Lists

MSGenWeb now has lists of casualties from the Korean Conflict and Vietnam War posted. The lists were compiled by Lowndes County coordinator Clare Herrick from Veterans Administration and Department of Defense resources. The Korean Conflict list is provided in two ways: by name and by county. One should note that some of the counties are actually towns, so browsing through the list to find all casualties for a county may be necessary. The Vietnam War list is provided by name or by town.

Oktibbeha to Honor Union Soldiers

LINK - Oktibbeha County plans a monument to honor those who fought for the Union.

New Era Mississippi Baptist Church

LINK - The article's lead paragraph intrigued me when it talked about members riding boats and canoes to church in Pascagoula 114 years ago. The main focus of the article is on changes wrought by Katrina. The church is located in Gautier.

Calhoun City to Celebrate 100 Years

Calhoun City will be celebrating its 100th birthday June 30-July 1. The official calendar of events is posted at Calhoun County MSGenWeb (but will disappear after the event). Just click on "Centennial."

New Blog with Mississippi Research

LINK - Dennis Partridge, the new county coordinator for Lawrence County, has begun a blog as he works on his site. His first post is about deciphering census handwriting.

Reburying the Dead

LINK - 11 caskets have been reinterred at the Quave Cemetery in D'Iberville. They were disturbed by Hurricane Katrina.

Remembering Guy Pickle

LINK - Amory's beloved funeral director Guy Pickle died late last week. Chris Wilson of the Amory Advertiser has put together a great tribute to him which is available at the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's web site. He was 96, and you could still find him at the funeral home even in the twilight of his life consoling the families of those who grieved for their loved ones.