Berkeley County, South Carolina Genealogy

United States South Carolina  Berkeley County

Guide to Berkeley County, South Carolina ancestry, family history and genealogy court records, deeds, maps, immigration, maps, military records, newspapers, obituaries, plantations, probate records, slaves, local archives, libraries, museums, churches, cemeteries, and Civil War records.



Quick Dates
Berkeley County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
Berkeley County Courthouse 223 North Live Oak Drive Moncks Corner, SC 29461-2331 Phone: 843-761-6900

Berkeley County Probate Court 300 California Avenue Moncks Corner, SC 29461 Phone: 843-719-4519

Register of Deeds 1003 Highway 52 Moncks Corner, SC 29461-6120 Phone: 843-719-4084

Clerk of Courts 300-BCalifornia Ave. Moncks Corner, SC 29461 Phone: 843-719-4400

Hours 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday

Historical Facts
Modern Berkeley County created in 1882 is not to be confused with the two previously extinct counties of the same name.

Berkeley County was named for Lord Proprieters of South Carolina and. Berkeley County has existed as three incarnations. It was created as one of the original South Carolina counties in 1682. At the time, all formal business was conducted in Charles Town and the counties were used to locate property. The original Berkeley County was abolished in 1768 after the District Court Act was passed. A second incarnation of Berkely County was created within Charleston District with the passage of the 1785 County Court Act but never became functional and was abolished in 1798. The present day Berkeley County (with boundaries similar to the original Berkeley County) was established in 1882. Learn more about the history of Berkeley County from the South Carolina State Library or from Carolana.com.

Parent County/Boundary Changes

 * 1682 - Berkeley 1682-1765 created as one of the original Proprietary Counties of South Carolina
 * 1685 - Berkeley 1682-1768 exchanged with Colleton County and gained from Craven County.
 * 1706 - Parishes created within the borders of Berkeley 1682-1768 County included St. Johns, St. Thomas and St. Denis, Christ Church, St. Philips, St. James Goose Creek, and St. Andrews.
 * 1733 - County boundaries extended inland.
 * 1765 - St. Matthew's Parish created within Berkeley 1682-1768 County.
 * 1769 - Counties eliminated in favor of Districts. Berkeley became part of Charleston District.
 * 1785 - A new version of Berkeley 1785-1791 (covering a different area) created within Charleston District. Never became functional.
 * 1791 - Non-functioning Berkeley County abolished.
 * 1882 - Present-day Berkeley County created from Charleston County (with similar boundaries to the original Berkeley County).
 * 1893 - Charleston gained from Berkeley County.
 * 1897 - Dorchester created from Berkeley and Colleton Counties.
 * 1921 - Charleston gained from Berkeley and Dorchester Counties.

For more information as well as maps of Berkeley County through time, see the South Carolina State Archives or For animated maps illustrating South Carolina county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation South Carolina County Boundary Maps" (1682-1987) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

County Seat
The county seat of Berkeley County is Moncks Corner.

County Pronunciation
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Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities
The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names.

For further information (and links) on these populated places, please go to Populated Places, Berkeley County, South Carolina

Research Guides

 * South Carolina Archives Summary Guide: Berkeley County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

African Americans
Berkeley County, South Carolina African Americans

Cemeteries
There are more than # burial grounds in the county. To view a list, see Berkeley County, South Carolina Cemeteries.

Federal
1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Berkeley County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see South Carolina Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in online indexes, try checking printed indexes. Created by local experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than online nationwide indexes.

See South Carolina Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.

Church Records
Berkeley County Churches identifies dozens of churches in the area, courtesy: South Carolina Genealogical Society.

For documents of people who lived in this area from 1706 to 1785, look in:


 * St. Andrew's Parish since 1706
 * St. James Goose Creek Parish since 1706
 * St. John's Berkeley Parish since 1706
 * St. Thomas and St. Denis Parish since 1706

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Charleston County residents. FamilySearch has not independently verified the lineages of those tested.

Genealogy
More than 25 genealogies have been published about Berkeley County families. To view a list, visit Berkeley County, South Carolina Genealogy.

Historic Residences

 * Lees, William B. "The Historical Development of Limerick Plantation, a Tidewater Rice Plantation in Berkeley County, South Carolina, 1683-1945," The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 82, No. 1 (Jan., 1981), pp. 44-62. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

History

 * Bridges, Anne B. St. James Santee Plantation Parish [South Carolina]: History &amp; Records, 1685-1925 ( Spartanburg, South Carolina: The Reprint Co., c1997 ), 541 pages. Civil War pages 195-227. Includes church records for St. James Santee, 1758-1788 (Church of England); previously unpublished records, 1846-1921 (assumed to be Episcopalian). Also includes cemetery records for the church and lists of French and Swiss refugees and inhabitants. The old parish existed in today's Charleston and Berkeley counties. Book found at ▲
 * Dubose, Samuel, and Frederick A. Porcher. A Contribution to the History of the Huguenots of South Carolina, Consisting of Pamphlets ([S.l.]: T. Gaillard Thomas, c1972), 48 pages. Historical sketches of the Huguenot families which settled in the alluvial regions within fifty miles of Charleston. FHL book at ▲ . Digital copies at Google Books and Internet Archives.
 * Easterby, James H. Wadboo Barony: Its Fate as Told in Colleton Family Papers, 1773-1793 (Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, c1952), 684 pages. The barony was located in today's Berkeley County, South Carolina. Book at FHL ▲.
 * Orvin, Maxwell Clayton. Monck's Corner, Berkeley County, South Carolina. Charleston, S.C.?: unknown, 1950. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Stockton, Robert P. Historic Resources of Berkeley County, South Carolina (Moncks Corner, South Carolina: Berkeley County Historical Society, South Carolina, c1990 ), 71 pages. This work is based on the Berkeley County Architectural and Historical Inventory completed before Hurricane Hugo. Includes descriptions and photos of historical sites. Book found at ▲.

Land
Because of South Carolina’s history as an agricultural state many residents owned land. For more information about types of land records see South Carolina Land and Property.

Tracing records through South Carolina county and district changes can be difficult. In general, for earliest records begin by searching the Charleston District, then your ancestor’s residential district, then neighboring districts, then the residential county, then neighboring counties. Not all districts and counties kept records. The following chart shows where you may best expect to find land records for Berkeley County:


 * Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868 For information about the State Land Grants, see State Land Grants


 * Chapman, Charles S. A Working Plan for Forest Lands in Berkeley County, South Carolina. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1905. Digital version at Google Books.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Berkeley County for European settlers included:


 * Old South Carolina State Road 1747

Revolutionary War

 * "Pee Dee supplies for the siege of Charleston, 1780," Darlington Flag, Fall 2006, Volume 18, Issue 4. Old Darlington District Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Hartsville, SC.
 * "Battle of the Great Cane Brake on the Reedy River, 1775," Greenville County Historical Society Proceedings and Papers, 2005, Volume 12. Greenville County Historical Society: Greenville, SC.
 * "Elizabeth Jackson, Waxham women aid Revolutionary soldiers, Charleston, 1781," Chester District Genealogical Society Bulletin, March 2003, Volume 27, Issue 1. Chester County Genealogical Society: Richburg, SC..
 * "Rebel prisoners from Charleston, 1780," Ancient City Genealogist, February 2002, Volume 13, Issue 1. St. Augustine Genealogical Society: St. Augustine, Florida.
 * "Nathanael Greene's troops attack British, 1781," St. Lucie River Whig, Summer 2000, Volume 8, Issue 3. St. Lucie River Chapter: Lucie, Florida.
 * "Dorchester its mystery fort," Americana, April 1933, Volume 27, Issue 2. American Historical Society: Somerville, New Jersey.

War of 1812

 * List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. ; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Berkeley County, p. 182. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War
Berkeley County did not exist during the Civil War. Present day Berkeley County was created 31 January 1882 from Charleston County. During the Civil War, men from the area of Berkeley County mostly would have served in various regiments recruited in Charleston County. Counties were called districts during the Civil War.


 * Bridges, Anne B. St. James Santee Plantation Parish [South Carolina]: History &amp; Records, 1685-1925 ( Spartanburg, South Carolina: The Reprint Co., c1997 ), 541 pages. Civil War pages 195-227. Includes church records for St. James Santee, 1758-1788 (Church of England); previously unpublished records, 1846-1921 (assumed to be Episcopalian). Also includes cemetery records for the church and lists of French &amp; Swiss refugees &amp; inhabitants. The old parish existed in today's Charleston &amp; Berkeley counties. ▲.
 * Jervey, Susan Revenel and Revenel, Charlotte St. Julien. Diaries of '65: journals kept by Miss Susan Ravenal Jervey of Northampton Plantation and Miss Charlotte St. Julien Ravenel of Pooshee Plantation. (Johns Island, South Carolina: Philip L. Bradley, 1994). Title of original: Two diaries: from middle St. John's Berkeley, South Carolina, February-May, 1865.

Newspapers
Historic

The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Berkeley County, South Carolina on their Chronicling America website. For publication details, including dates of publication, frequency, preceding and succeeding titles, and to find out which libraries have holdings, click on the newspaper title.


 * South Carolina Temperance Advocate and Register of Agriculture and General Literature (Columbia, S.C.) 1841-1854.
 * The Berkeley County Gazette (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) 1882-189?.
 * The Berkeley Democrat (Monck's Corners, S.C.) 1913-1990.
 * The Berkeley Independent (Moncks Corner, S.C.) 1987-current.
 * The Echo and Press&amp; (Monck's Corner, S.C.) 1899-1917.
 * The Goose Creek Gazette (Goose Creek, S.C.) 1979-current.

Current

Periodicals
See: Periodicals for description.

Probate
Probate is the “court procedure by which a will is proved to be valid or invalid” and encompasses “all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, guardianships, etc.” Various types of records are created throughout the probate process. These may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. For further information see probate records in South Carolina.


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of Christ Church Parish, St. John's Parish, and Berkeley County proved in London, see place-name index. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * Abstracts of Wills of Charleston District, South Carolina and other wills recorded in the districts, 1783-1800. By Caroline T. Moore. Includes index.

Online Probate Records
 * 1670 – 1980 South Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1670-1980 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1671 – 1977 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1732 – 1964 at FamilySearch — images

Taxation
Tax-related records are kept by the offices of the county Assessor, Auditor, Sheriff, and Treasurer. Taxes were levied on real and personal property and can help establish ages, residences, relationships, and the year an individual died or left the area. They can be used as substitutes for missing or destroyed land and census records.


 * South Carolina Department of Archives and History tax lists for Berkeley County.

Published abstracts

 * [1768] Quit Rent Rolls. [Includes Berkeley County]

Vital Records
Birth, marriage, and death records were not recorded by South Carolina until the 1900s, thus leaving a lack of vital records. Substitute records, when available, are used to obtain this information. These substitute records including newspapers, court records have been added to this section, when applicable.

Birth
State-wide birth registration began in 1915. For a copy of a birth from 1915 or later, contact the South Carolina Department of Health. The Berkeley County Health Department also has copies but they provide only an abbreviated form with limited information. For more information, see the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Births and Birth Substitutes- Indexes


 * 1680-1884 - St.Thomas Parish Register, South Carolina, 1680-1884 on Ancestry.com - Fee, free at FHL and FHC; church records of birth, baptisms, marriages, and burials

Marriage
In South Carolina, marriage licenses were not required by local governments until 1 July 1911. However, in the 1700s, the Church of England parish churches were required to record all marriages - even if the couple were not members of the denomination. Not all churches recorded these marriages and some have not survived. See South Carolina Vital Records for more information.

The Berkeley County probate court holds marriage licenses issued from 1 July 1911 to the present. Statewide registration of marriages began in July 1950 and the South Carolina Division of Vital Records has copies of licenses issued after 1 July 1950 through November 2009.

Newspapers are used as a substitute to locate marriage information. See South Carolina Newspapers.

Marriages and Marriage Substitutes - Indexes


 * 1680-1884 - St.Thomas Parish Register, South Carolina, 1680-1884 on Ancestry.com - Fee, free at FHL and FHC; church records of birth, baptisms, marriages, and burials
 * There are several online marriage indexes containing miscellaneous marriage records found in some counties of South Carolina listed on the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Death
State-wide death registration began in 1915. For a copy of the death certificates from 1915 or later, contact the South Carolina Department of Health. The Berkeley County Health Department only has copies for deaths occurring in the last 5 years. For more information, see the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Deaths and Death Substitutes - Indexes and Records


 * 1680-1884 - St.Thomas Parish Register, South Carolina, 1680-1884 on Ancestry.com - Fee, free at FHL and FHC; church records of birth, baptisms, marriages, and burials
 * 1914-1960 - State-wide South Carolina Death Indexes. There are several online death indexes covering all of South Carolina listed on the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Archives and Libraries
Berkeley County Library System The Berkley County Library System comprises six libraries of Berkeley County, South Carolina. The main branch in the system is at Moncks Corner. The Berkeley County Library System is on Facebook and it has a blog.


 * Moncks Corner Library Address: PO Box 1239 1003 Hwy. 52 Moncks Corner, SC 29461 Telephone: (843) 719-4223 Fax: (843) 719-4226 Website: http://www.bcls.sc.gov The main collection of genealogical and historical materials is housed in the South Carolina Room of the Moncks Corner library. Some of their holdings include microfilm, microfiche, or book collections such as: - Death Certificates of South Carolina 1915-1960; - Census: Mortality Schedules for South Carolina counties-1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, Census of the United States 1790-1930 (Local Districts/Berkeley County Parishes/Counties), plus the Soundex to the 1930 Census for South Carolina; - Newspapers: Berkeley Democrat 27 Sept 1928 - 3 Jan 1990 (no issues available for 1966-1968), Berkeley Independent 21 Oct 1987 - 25 Sept 2002 (Note: Hard copies of the Berkeley Independent (past - present) are available in our General Ref. area- W.P.A. Tombstone Inscriptions, South Carolina Historical Society-- 1930s W.P.A. Inventories of Church Archives (Berkeley County) - Histories about Moncks Corner//Berkeley County and other areas in South Carolina - Genealogical Magazines - Some family histories - Cemetery Inscriptions Books (Local)
 * Daniel Island Library 2301 Daniel Island Drive Daniel Island, South Carolina 29492
 * Sangaree Library 595 Sangaree Parkway Summerville, South Carolina 29483
 * Goose Creek Library 325 Old Moncks Corner Road Goose Creek, SC 29445
 * Hanahan Library 1274 Yeamans Hall Road Hanahan, South Carolina 29406
 * Saint Stephen Library 1104 S. Main Street Saint Stephen, South Carolina 29479

Berkeley is located near Charleston City and County which has additional libraries with rich genealogical and historical resources.


 * Berkeley Museum 950 Stony Landing Road Moncks Corner, South Carolina 29461-2944 (843) 899-5101

Family History Centers

 * Moncks Corner South Carolina Family History Center

319 West Main St Moncks Corner, Berkeley, South Carolina, United States Phone: 843-761-8671 Hours: W-Th 6pm-9pm; Sat 10am-2pm

Websites

 * Berkeley County, SC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * Berkeley County, SCGenWeb
 * Berkeley County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Berkeley County, South Carolina, courtesy: Carolana.com. Includes history.