Sorted by South Carolina census & voter lists | Sort by Count |
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U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 | 171,563 |
South Carolina, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890 | 57,762 |
Index to the 1800 Census of South Carolina | 270 |
Free Blacks and Mulattos in South Carolina 1850 Census | 263 |
Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: South Carolina | 152 |
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Sorted by South Carolina birth, marriage & death | Sort by Count |
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U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 | 7,632,413 |
South Carolina, U.S., Death Records, 1821-1971 | 4,004,936 |
South Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980 | 1,064,291 |
South Carolina, U.S., Births, 1915-1920 | 861,603 |
South Carolina, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1907-2000 | 762,350 |
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U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 | 2,049,383 |
U.S., Lists of Men Ordered to Report to Local Board for Military Duty, 1917–1918 | 613,480 |
U.S., Confederate Army Payrolls for Enslaved Labor, 1840-1883Free | 189,403 |
South Carolina, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890 | 57,762 |
U.S., Confederate Service Records, 1861-1865 | 57,570 |
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U.S., Applications for Seaman's Protection Certificates, 1916-1940 | 320,331 |
South Carolina, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1868-1991 | 175,497 |
South Carolina, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1906-1962 | 140,501 |
U.S., Southeast Coastwise Inward and Outward Slave Manifests, 1790-1860Free | 77,894 |
Edgefield, South Carolina, U.S., Slave Records, 1774-1866Free | 57,502 |
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South Carolina, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current | 302,458,049 |
Calendar of the Tennessee and King's Mountain papers of the Draper Collection of Manuscripts | 703 |
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U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 | 7,632,413 |
South Carolina, Clemson University (Agricultural College) Directory of Graduates, 1896-1940 | 5,503 |
South Carolina, U.S., Baptist Deaths and Marriages, 1866-1887 | 3,288 |
Old South Carolina churches | 251 |
A Compilation of the Original Lists of Protestant Immigrants to South Carolina, 1763-1773 | 163 |
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South Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980 | 1,064,291 |
South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964Free | 654,824 |
U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 | 171,563 |
South Carolina, U.S., Sheriff Department Records, 1875-1966 | 133,815 |
Edgefield, South Carolina, U.S., Slave Records, 1774-1866Free | 57,502 |
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Sorted by South Carolina dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference | Sort by Count |
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Calendar of the Tennessee and King's Mountain papers of the Draper Collection of Manuscripts | 703 |
Directory of Scots in the Carolinas, 1680-1830 | 334 |
Indexes to the County Wills of South Carolina | 249 |
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There are no maps, atlases & gazetteers collections unique to South Carolina | |
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Colonial Families of the USA, 1607-1775Free | 119,305 |
Edgefield, South Carolina, U.S., Slave Records, 1774-1866Free | 57,502 |
Eight generations of the family of Henry Fox (1768-1852) and his wife, Sarah Harrell Fox (1772-1848), of South Carolina, Tennes | 1,460 |
Cyclopedia of eminent and representative men of the Carolinas of the nineteenth century | 1,405 |
Colonial Soldiers of the South, 1732-1774 | 1,272 |
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A genealogical history
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
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 Vital Records Services: Holds records of births, marriages, and deaths. The Genealogy page provides a link to South Carolina Death Indexes.
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
- South Carolina State Archives: In addition to its on-site collections, the Archives has also indexed several collections of interest to genealogists, including transcripts of early wills from 21 counties; militia enrollment from 1869; criminal court records; and records of Confederate Veterans. Available collections are described on the Digital Collections page.
- South Carolina State Library: The site includes a link to a South Carolina Obituary Resources page.
- South Carolina Historical Society
- South Carolina Archives and History Foundation
- South Carolina Genealogical Society
- South Carolina GenWeb
- South Carolina Digital Library
- University of South Carolina – Digital Collections
- The National Archives at Atlanta: This facility maintains records from Federal agencies and courts in South Carolina, including census, military, court, naturalization, and immigration records.
Specialty and Regional Research