Residents within Pearl River County have access to Ancestry.com through the local Hilda Hoffman Memorial Archive.

Don Wicks, a board member of the Archive, said the facility purchased a library membership to the popular ancestry research website about two years ago, but so far participation and use of the resource has been scant.

To boost the use of the membership and also try to raise money to help cover the more than $630 membership fee, residents in Pearl River County can try the site for free during an introductory period. Each time a resident would like to use it after that is only $5 per use. Alternately residents can pay $25 for a year’s worth of access.

The Archive also offers a number of paper-based records focusing on local history and ancestry for those residents who have a long-standing family history in the county.

Wicks said that even if some records exist about a long-time Pearl River County family at the Archive, the popular website can expand on that research.

Considering a private membership to Ancestry.com can cost about $200 for the U.S. Discovery subscription, Wicks said conducting that research at the Archive can be a significant savings.

The Archive is located at 301 Williams Ave. and can be reached by calling 601-799-5671. The Archive is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.