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U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820171,563
South Carolina, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-189057,762
Index to the 1800 Census of South Carolina270
Free Blacks and Mulattos in South Carolina 1850 Census263
Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: South Carolina152
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U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-19357,632,413
South Carolina, U.S., Death Records, 1821-19714,004,936
South Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1670-19801,064,291
South Carolina, U.S., Births, 1915-1920861,603
South Carolina, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1907-2000762,350
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U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-18652,049,383
U.S., Lists of Men Ordered to Report to Local Board for Military Duty, 1917–1918613,480
U.S., Confederate Army Payrolls for Enslaved Labor, 1840-1883Free189,403
South Carolina, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-189057,762
U.S., Confederate Service Records, 1861-186557,570
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U.S., Applications for Seaman's Protection Certificates, 1916-1940320,331
South Carolina, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1868-1991175,497
South Carolina, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1906-1962140,501
U.S., Southeast Coastwise Inward and Outward Slave Manifests, 1790-1860Free77,894
Edgefield, South Carolina, U.S., Slave Records, 1774-1866Free57,502
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South Carolina, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current302,458,049
Calendar of the Tennessee and King's Mountain papers of the Draper Collection of Manuscripts703
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U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-19357,632,413
South Carolina, Clemson University (Agricultural College) Directory of Graduates, 1896-19405,503
South Carolina, U.S., Baptist Deaths and Marriages, 1866-18873,288
Old South Carolina churches251
A Compilation of the Original Lists of Protestant Immigrants to South Carolina, 1763-1773163
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South Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1670-19801,064,291
South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964Free654,824
U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820171,563
South Carolina, U.S., Sheriff Department Records, 1875-1966133,815
Edgefield, South Carolina, U.S., Slave Records, 1774-1866Free57,502
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Calendar of the Tennessee and King's Mountain papers of the Draper Collection of Manuscripts703
Directory of Scots in the Carolinas, 1680-1830334
Indexes to the County Wills of South Carolina249
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Colonial Families of the USA, 1607-1775Free119,305
Edgefield, South Carolina, U.S., Slave Records, 1774-1866Free57,502
Eight generations of the family of Henry Fox (1768-1852) and his wife, Sarah Harrell Fox (1772-1848), of South Carolina, Tennes1,460
Cyclopedia of eminent and representative men of the Carolinas of the nineteenth century1,405
Colonial Soldiers of the South, 1732-17741,272
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A genealogical history

South Carolina in brief

Statehood: May 23, 1788
Capital: Columbia
Largest City: Columbia
Counties: 46
State motto: Dum Spiro Spero (While I Breath, I Hope), Animis Opibusque Parati (Prepared In Mind and Resources)
State nickname: The Palmetto State
Neighboring states: North Carolina, Georgia


Charleston, S.C. Custom House, c. 1850

Interesting facts

  • In 1497 John Cabot claimed South Carolina for King Henry VII, but it wasn’t until March 1670 that settlers finally landed in what is now called Bull’s Bay and permanent settlement began.
  • Charles Town, settled in 1680 (and renamed Charleston in 1783) was one of the first pre-planned towns in North America and was the capital of the state until 1790.
  • Following the election of Abraham Lincoln, South Carolina was the first state to secede, and first ratify the Constitution of the Confederate States of America. The first shots of the Civil War were fired as the Union ship, “Star of the West” tried to reinforce Fort Sumter.
  • In 1865, General William Tecumseh Sherman’s troops cut a swath through South Carolina leaving a path of destruction in its wake, and burning the capital city of Columbia.

Featured South Carolina collections

South Carolina, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current
U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865
South Carolina, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1907-2000
South Carolina, U.S., Sheriff Department Records, 1875-1966
South Carolina, U.S., Births, 1915-1920

Famous people

Help and advice

Resources

South Carolina Census Research

Federal censuses for South Carolina begin in 1790 and are mostly complete, although the Richland District is missing for the 1800 census. The 1850 census of York and Lexington districts indicates county of birth as well as state for each person.

Although South Carolina did not conduct any full colonial censuses, fragments of state census returns are available at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. These include the 1829 state census of Fairfield and Laurens districts, and the 1839 state census of Kershaw and Chesterfield districts.

The population returns for the 1869 state census are complete except for Clarendon, Oconee, and Spartanburg counties. The 1875 state census returns are available for Clarendon, Newberry, and Marlboro Counties, as are partial returns for Abbeville, Beaufort, Fairfield, Lancaster, and Sumter counties. The original returns are found at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.


South Carolina Vital Records

A law mandating registration of all births and deaths in South Carolina was signed into law on 1 September 1914. Actual registration began in 1915, and South Carolina achieved 90-percent compliance within a few years.

South Carolina had no law requiring marriage licenses or registration until 1911, though many earlier records were recorded on the county level.

 

South Carolina Research Resources

The organizations listed below provide information about South Carolina history and genealogy. In addition to these state-level resources, many counties and towns maintain important genealogical collections in local libraries, genealogical societies, or historical societies, so check for a local resource when researching.

 

Statewide Research Resources

 

Specialty and Regional Research