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State of South Carolina

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The Best Way to Look for South Carolina Genealogy Research

Rich with history and diverse cultures, the State of South Carolina receives a lot of attention from genealogists. Whether someone seeks information about their Native American, African American, or historical heritage, there are going to be plenty of resources available.

Common Tactics for South Carolina Genealogy

When you are seeking details for a South Carolina genealogy project, you should know that it is possible to a large amount of your research from home. Though classic research meant heading to libraries and archives, many organizations and archives have been digitized and put on the Internet. Not all of them have done this, and this means that an effective first step in research for South Carolina genealogy is to find out which records are available online, which are not, and how to go about getting all of them.

Contemporary Approaches for South Carolina Genealogy

Public records that can be found in many locations are the most available resources on the Internet as well. You must understand how to search for them, however, and using the following categories is going to be very useful in your search for South Carolina genealogy information:

  1. State Records – this group will include probate information, birth certificates, cemetery information, death records, deeds, estate information, genealogical folders, land records, maps, marriage details, military or veterans information, newspapers, private manuscripts, state census information, surname lists and more. These are available as online and offline resources for South Carolina genealogy.
  2. Local Records – traditionally, state research requires a visit to a county clerk’s office or website. From there you will often find yourself visiting and researching in small local libraries, historical societies, local genealogical societies, and school or college libraries for South Carolina genealogy information. These are items that are usually offline and viewable by appointment or special arrangement.
  3. Vital Records – these are the birth, marriage, divorce and death records from county, state, and national archives. They include newspaper items, military records, immigration and naturalization details, cemetery or obituary information, census records, and passenger lists and records as well. These tend to be available as online or offline resources for South Carolina genealogy.

 

Convenient Tools for South Carolina Genealogy

Once you begin using sources for South Carolina genealogy work, you learn which have the most information for your needs. We believe these are some of the best tools for South Carolina genealogy:

  • Office of Vital Records, SC DHEC, 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201; Website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/south_carolina.htm . This is where anyone can order birth, death, marriage and divorce records via a written request or even online.

Additional state and local records can be found at the:

  • South Carolina State Archives, 8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223; Website: http://archives.sc.gov/genealogy/ . The genealogy resources here are immense, and include census records, county probate records, county land records, county equity court records, and state death certificates, newspapers, place name research, military information, colonial records, and much more.

The websites identified below provide very targeted and state-specific details to those in search of facts for South Carolina genealogy research.

  • The USGenWeb Project - http://sciway3.net/scgenweb/;
  • State census records at Genealogy Research Guides - http://www.researchguides.net/census/state.htm; and
  • Genealogy Today - http://www.genealogytoday.com/genealogy/states/south_carolina.html
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List of South Carolina Counties

Select a South Carolina county below to view genealogical information & records pertaining to each South Carolina county.

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South Carolina State Historical & Genealogical Societies, Archives, Museums and Libraries

Submit a website link, report broken links for South Carolina Archives Websites

South Carolina Archives

South Carolina Museums

South Carolina Libraries

  • South Carolina State Library, 1500 Senate Street, PO Box 11469; Columbia, South Carolina 29211
    Voice: (803) 734-8666, Fax: (803) 734-8676, Ref/Interlibrary Loan, Fax: (803) 734-4757

South Carolina Historical & Genealogical Societies

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