The May meeting of the Historical Society will be on Monday, May 10, 1999 at the Surry Recreation Center at 7 p. m. Please join other members and friends for an exciting meeting.

Report on the March Meeting: Our March meeting was a GREAT success! 58 members and friends attended this meeting, a new high. Several new members joined the Society. Mr. Mark Wenger presented a slide show which showed other restored country stores similar to Rogers' Store. He then took a sketch board and walked us through the process he used to get to the original core of Rogers' Store. Next he used his skillful deduction to explain how it looked and was used when it was first built. We thank Mark for his great service to our Society. Mrs. Faye Savedge had displays of great interest, including a desk set owned by General Mahone who was superintendent of the construction of the railroad from Norfolk to Petersburg in mid - 1800s.

Our May program: We are very fortunate to have Col. George King, U.S.A.F., Retired of Williamsburg, Virginia, as our speaker. Many of our members and friends have tried to trace their roots and ancestors with varying success. Col. King brings a new dimension to these searches. He goes far beyond just searching through courthouse and church records. Col. King will demonstrate the power of the computer and the Internet. Welcome to the future of research! Whether you are computer literate or not, you will see an amazing demonstration of what is available. It brings all the major libraries in the world to our fingertips. While many of us will probably have to ask our children to help, it is a tool we should know about.

Recently Transcribed: In 1898 the State of Virginia requested that each county report to the state all Confederate veterans living in the county. A form was supplied that asked his age, company, rank, regiment, enlistment date and years of service. This completed form for Surry County was found in the courthouse at Surry. Tattered and torn, it was all readable. Dennis Hudgins has transcribed it in its entirety. We know of no other county's report that has been found in Virginia. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Emmerson, and all of the Clerks before you, for keeping our records safe. We hope the original can be restored. The Report in its entirety is included with this newsletter.