From slavery in the 1800s to freedom in the 1950s, Black America Series: Around Surry County traces the footsteps of African Americans through their transition from house servants and field hands to land owners, farmers, and successful small business proprietors. This detailed pictorial history celebrates and honors the strong faith, courage, and determination of the Surry County area's black community.
Marriages of Surry County contains abstracts of all extant marriage bonds and licenses for the period 1779 until 1868 when bonds, as prerequisites for licenses, were discontinued. The data in this volume are arranged throughout in alphabetical order by the surname of the groom, and each entry provides the name of the bride, the date of the marriage bond, and the names of the bondsmen, clergymen, and justices of the peace. Altogether the text bears reference to approximately 16,000 persons.
Founded in 1771 from parts of Rowan County, Surry County possesses a special charm and an engaging history in the northwest corner of the Tar Heel Statea heritage famous for rolling hills, autumn festivals, and the birthplace of Mayberry, which attracts countless tourists and visitors each season to the countys 15 townships. This volume, containing over 200 black-and-white images, transports readers into the Surry County of yesteryear, a time when the countys unpaved roads echoed with a cadence of noisy wagons matched with the sounds of early automobiles. Through these historic photographs, readers will explore the landscape of a bygone era, from the 1880s through the 1930s, and travel through each of the countys townships: Franklin, Bryan, Elkin, Marsh, Dobson, Stewarts Creek, Mount Airy, Eldora, Rockford, Siloam, Shoals, Pilot, Long Hill, Westfield, and South Westfield. Surry County uncovers the personal side of the countys history by touching upon many elements of everyday life, from family gatherings, church services, various occupations, daily work on the farm, early rural schoolhouses, and people at play. These scenes serve as fitting testimony to Surry Countians sheer will and determination to carve successful and lasting communities into this beautiful setting.
Based on recorded wills and original wills at the North Carolina State Archives as well as "Loose Estate Papers" of intestates, these abstracts cover not only wills but powers of attorney, bonds, inventories, bills of sale, etc. Significantly, Surry County lay within the Granville Proprietary at its formation, and after Lord Granville's death in 1763 until 1778, the Proprietary land office did not reopen, making it very difficult--but for these will abstracts--for the present-day researcher to establish the residence of many individuals during that time period. What is more, as there are no extant marriage bonds for Surry County for the period 1771 to 1780, these will abstracts assume an importance out of all proportion to their customary value.
