Georgetown County, South Carolina, Genealogy

United StatesSouth CarolinaGeorgetown County


 * From 1800 to 1868 this Georgetown County was also known by the alias of Georgetown District.
 * Not to be confused with the overarching Georgetown District 1768-1800.

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

County Courthouse
Georgetown County Courthouse 715 Prince St. P.O. Box 1270 Georgetown, SC 29442

Georgetown County Clerk of Courts 401 Cleland St., 1st Floor, Room 115 Georgetown, SC 29442 Phone: 843-545-3215 Court records

Georgetown County Probate Court 401 Cleland St., Room #140 Georgetown, SC 29442 Phone: 843-545-3274 Probate and marriage records.

Georgetown County Registrar of Deeds 129 Screven St., Room 109 Georgetown, SC 29442 Phone: 843-545-3088

Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday

Historical Facts
The county is named after King George II of Great Britain (1683-1760).

Parent County
1800: - Georgetown County was created in 1800 by renaming Winyah County.

County seat: Georgetown

County Pronunciation

 * 1) Hear it spoken

Boundary Changes
"Rotating Formation South Carolina County Boundary Maps" (1682-1987) may be viewed for free at the My South Carolina Genealogy website.

They rely on AniMap 3.0 software.

Record Loss
In 1862 during the Civil War, Georgetown's records were sent to Chesterfield courthouse for safekeeping. They were destroyed there by fire during General Sherman's Union army occupation of that city in March 1865. Deed books have suffered heavy record loss.

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.

Research Guides

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

African Americans
Georgetown County, South Carolina African Americans (includes a detailed list of plantations)


 * 271 slaves in the Estate of Wm. Mathewes of Georgetown, 1848 -- hosted for free at Fold3.com

Biography

 * Porter, A. Toomer. Led On!: Step by Step; Scenes from Clerical, Military Educational, and Plantation Life in the South, 1828-1898; an Autobiography. New York, N.Y.: The Knickerbocker Press, 1898. 1033568 Item 2; digital version at Family History Archives.

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

Census
1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Georgetown 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.

See Georgetown County, SC census assignments, including links to transcribed files [The USGenWeb Census Project®]

1790

 * Grant, Marvin A. 1790 Census Georgetown District South Carolina: A Full Transcription of the 1790 Census of the Georgetown District, South Carolina. Kinston, N.C.: M.A. Grant, 2004. 975.789 X2g 1790

1810

 * Teel, Dorothy Owens and Three Rivers Historical Society (Hemingway, S.C.). The 1810 Census of Georgetown District and the 1810 Census of Horry District, South Carolina. 199-?. 975.78 X2t 1810

1850

 * Three Rivers Historical Society. Georgetown County [South Carolina] 1850 Census. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, 1985. 975.789 X2g 1850

1860

 * Wyndham, Melissa J. The 1860 Census of Georgetown County, South Carolina. n.p.: n.p., n.d. 975.789 X2w

1880

 * Tell, Dorothy Owens. 1880 Census, Georgetown County, South Carolina. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society (South Carolina), 1985. 975.789 X2t 1880

Baptist

 * Mitchell, Thomas R. An Oration Delivered in the Baptist Church in Georgetown, S.C. on Wednesday, the 24th of June, 1818: In Commemoration of St. John the Baptist: By Appointment of the Members of Winyaw Lodge No. 69, Ancient Free Masons. Georgetown, S.C.: Winyaw Intelligence Press, 1818. Digital version at Internet Archive.

Episcopal Church
Before 1785, residents of what is now Georgetown County were served by these colonial parishes.


 * Prince George Parish 1721
 * Prince Frederick Parish 1734
 * All Saints Parish 1767

After 1785, residents of Georgetown County were also served by this parish. Click the link to see a description of the parish records held by the South Carolina Historical Society:


 * Church of the Messiah, Georgetown County, South Carolina

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Georgetown

familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1®ion=EUROPEMethodist
The following Georgetown County church records have been indexed on the International Genealogical Index:

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

Genealogy
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General
As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Georgetown, South Carolina at World Connect, produces more than 8,000 results.

Surname indexes to Leonardo Andrea's Files | Folders | Resources are available online, courtesy: The Andrea Files: South Carolina Genealogical Research. Learn more.


 * Fairbourn, Joann Carroll. Georgetown Families Containing Families Living in Georgetown, South Carolina, 1750-1850. Austin, Texas: J.C. Fairbourn, n.d.

Message Boards

 * Georgetown County, SC Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Georgetown County, SC Genealogy Forum (GenForum)

Immigration

 * Bridwell, Ronald E. "... That We Should Have a Port..." A History of the Port of Georgetown, South Carolina, 1732-1865. 2 vols. Georgetown, S.C.: The Georgetown Times, 1982. Volume I reviewed by Arthur P. Wade, The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 84, No. 3 (Jul., 1983), p. 182; digital version at JSTOR ($). Volume II reviewed in The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 92, No. 3 (Jul., 1991), p. 224; digital version at JSTOR ($).

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


 * Atlantic Ocean 1670
 * King's Highway about 1704
 * Secondary Coast Road late 1730s

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 show where you may best expect to find land records for Georgetown County:

Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868

This series consists of recorded copies of plats for state land grants for the Charleston and the Columbia Series with their certificates of admeasurement or certification. All personal names and geographic features on these plats are included in the repository's On-line Index to Plats for State Land Grants

The South Carolina Constitution of 1790 required the surveyor general to maintain offices in both the new capital at Columbia and in Charleston. The surveyor general began to use separate volumes for recording plats in his Columbia office in 1796. Before that, all plats were recorded in the set of volumes begun in Charleston in 1784. After 1796, most plats for land grants in the Upper Division of the state were recorded and filed in Columbia. The surveyor general chose to make the Columbia volumes a continuation of the state plat volumes begun in Charleston and gave the initial Columbia volume the number thirty-six to correspond with the number of the volume that had then been reached in the Charleston series. As a result, there are volumes numbered thirty-six through forty-three from each office, but the records in them are not duplicative.

Also included are the Plan Books containing Plats and Plans.

History

 * Bull, Henry DeSaussure. The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of South Carolina. 1935. Digital version at Internet Archive. [Address about the history of Colonial Georgetown.]
 * Rogers, George C. The History of Georgetown County, South Carolina. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1970.
 * Gregg, Alexander. History of the Old Cheraws : Containing an Account of the Aborigines of the Pedee, the First White Settlements, their Subsequent Progress, Civil Changes, the Struggle of the Revolution, and the Growth of the Country Afterward, Extending from About A.D. 1730 to 1810 with Notices of Families and Sketches of Individuals   (Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Pub. Co., 1967 ), 629 pages. Book at
 * Rogers, George C. The History of Georgetown County, South Carolina (Columbia, South Carolina : University of South Carolina Press, c1970 ), 565 pages. Book found at and Other Libraries

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. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Georgetown County, p. 185. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War 1861-1865
Civil War service men from Georgetown County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Georgetown County.


 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Artillery
 * - Company D


 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Rutledge's)
 * - Company D
 * - Company E
 * - Company F
 * - Company I


 * - 5th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Ferguson's)
 * - Company E


 * - 7th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Ward's)
 * - Company F


 * - 7th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry ,
 * - Company A
 * - Company F


 * - 7th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Ward's),
 * - Company F - Roster


 * -9th Battalion, South Carolina infantry (Smith's) (Pee Dee Legion)
 * - Company G


 * -10th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry
 * - Company A (also known as Georgetown Rifle Guards) - Roster, Roster
 * 10th Regiment South Carolina Volunteer Infantry. Internet site, accessed 12/28/2010.  Gives a  brief history of the regiment and a roster for Company A.
 * "Company A, 10th South Carolina Infantry Regiment Marker". Historical Marker Database. Internet site, accessed 12/28/2010. Gives information about the marker and shows pictures.


 * - 15th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry
 * - Company G


 * - Wm. Mcagne Company (also known as Carvers Bay Palmetto Rifle Guards)


 * Rogers, George C. The History of Georgetown County, South Carolina, (Columbia, South Carolina : University of South Carolina Press, c1970 ), 565 pages. Civil War pages 387-415. Book found at and Other Libraries

Newspapers
Historic

The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Georgetown 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.


 * Carolina American, and Georgetown Gazette (Georgetown, S.C.) 1813-181?.
 * Coastal Observer (Pawleys Island, S.C.) 1982-current.
 * Comet and News (Georgetown, S.C.) 1877-1878.
 * Daily American (Georgetown, S.C.) 1973-1973.
 * Georgetown Advocate (Georgetown, S.C.) 1902-1905.
 * Georgetown American (Georgetown, S.C.) 1839-1841.
 * Georgetown Gazette (Georgetown, S.C.) 1801-1810. Search online at GenealogyBank.com ($); search 1801-1810 online at Google News - free.
 * Georgetown Gazette (Georgetown, [S.C.]) 1823-1826. Search online at GenealogyBank.com ($)
 * Georgetown Gazette, and Commercial Advertiser (Georgetown, S.C.) 1806-1812. Search online at GenealogyBank.com ($)
 * Georgetown Times-Index (Georgetown, S.C.) 1920-1921.
 * Georgetown Union (Georgetown, S.C.) 1830-18??.
 * Journal American (Georgetown, S.C.) 1973-1975.
 * The Andrews News (Andrews, S.C.) 1918-1924.
 * The Andrews News (Andrews, S.C.) 1949-1950.
 * The Andrews Star (Andrews, S.C.) 1954-1958.
 * The Carolina Field (Georgetown, S.C.) 1905-1906.
 * The Coastal Chronicle (Andrews, S.C.) 1922-1927.
 * The Georgetown Chronicle, and South-Carolina Advertiser (Georgetown, S.C.) 1797-179?.
 * The Georgetown Chronicle: and South-Carolina Weekly Advertiser (Georgetown, S.C.) 179?-1797.
 * The Georgetown Comet (Georgetown, S.C.) 1874-1877.
 * The Georgetown Daily Item (Georgetown, S.C.) 1907-1913.
 * The Georgetown Enquirer (Georgetown, S.C.) 1880-1889.
 * The Georgetown Gazette (Georgetown [S.C.]) 1798-1806. Search online at GenealogyBank.com ($)
 * The Georgetown Gazette, and Mercantile Advertiser (Georgetown, S.C.) 1815-1817.
 * The Georgetown Herald (Georgetown, S.C.) 1918-1918.
 * The Georgetown Index (Georgetown, S.C.) 1920-1920.
 * The Georgetown Planet (Georgetown, S.C.) 1873-1875. Search online at GenealogyBank.com ($)
 * The Georgetown Times  (Georgetown, S.C.) 1866-1878.
 * The Georgetown Times (Georgetown, S.C.) 1880-1920.
 * The Georgetown Times (Georgetown, S.C.) 1921-current.
 * The Grand Strand Journal American (Georgetown, S.C.) 1973-1973.
 * The Harvest (Georgetown, [S.C.]) 1827-18??.
 * The Harvest (Georgetown, S.C.) 1828-18??.
 * The Outlook (Georgetown, S.C.) 1901-1901.
 * The Pee Dee Times (Georgetown, S.C.) 1853-1861.
 * The Progressive Democrat (Georgetown, S.C.) 1913-1916.
 * The South-Carolina Independent Gazette; and Georgetown Chronicle (Georgetown, S.C.) 1791-179?. Search online at GenealogyBank.com ($)
 * The Sunday Outlook (Georgetown, S.C.) 1901-1913.
 * The Times and Comet (Georgetown, S.C.) 1878-1880.
 * The True Republican (Georgetown, S.C.) 1849-1852.
 * Winyaw Intelligencer (Georgetown, S.C.) 1817-1835. Search online at GenealogyBank.com ($)
 * Winyah Observer (Georgetown, S.C.) 1841-1852.

Eighteenth-century South Carolina newspapers contain a wealth of information about residents. The Early South Carolina Newspapers Database (ESCN Database) has created an every-name index to the three largest newspapers for the years 1732 to 1780. Using their free online Surname Database, researchers may order a list of specific newspaper references from the organization for a very reasonable rate.

Periodicals
Tap into the minds of local experts. Editors of genealogical periodicals publish unique sources that researchers new to their area may not encounter. Periodicals at various levels (county, region, and state) may carry articles useful to research in this area. For this county, see:


 * South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research

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.

Abstracts of wills, Georgetown County, South Carolina: will books A and B [ca. 1838-1929] By Elizabeth J. Ashford ; transcribed by Dorothy O. Teel.

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 Georgetown County.

Published abstracts

 * [1786] "1786 Tax Returns," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Winter 1983):33-39.
 * [1787] 1787 Georgetown District Tax List, available online, courtesy: Georgetown South Carolina Genealogy website. (Yauhannah, Prince George Parish)
 * [1825] 1825 Georgetown District Tax List, available online, courtesy: Georgetown South Carolina Genealogy website. (Prince George Parish)
 * [1825] 1825 Georgetown District Tax List, available online, courtesy: Georgetown South Carolina Genealogy website. (All Saints Parish)
 * [1905] Andrea, Leonardo. Tax Payers (Commutation Tax) in Georgetown County for 1905. Typescript, microfilmed 1974.

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 Georgetown 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.

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 Georgetown 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 - Indexes


 * 1791-1861 - Marriage, Death, and Estate Notices from Georgetown, South Carolina Newspapers, 1791-1861 by Brent H. Holcomb  WorldCat
 * 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 Georgetown 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 - Indexes and Records


 * 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.

Libraries
The Georgetown County Public Library System has four branches which are listed below. To view their catalog is online Click Here. Their Digital Librarycontains collections of digitized photographs. They offer their patrons access to a Digital Media Library throuhj the Palmetto Library Consortium where they can download audio and e-books.

Georgetown County Library - Main Branch Address: 405 Cleland Street, Georgetown, South Carolina 29440 Telephone: (843)545-3300 Fax: (843)545-3392 Hours: Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday (Sept. - May) 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Patricia Doyle Local History Roomof the Georgetown County Public Library provides access to information regarding the history of Georgetown County and the geneology of its citizens.It has county, state, and federal censuses, cemetery and burial records, obituaries, and a variety of newspapers on microfilm. There are also vertical files on a variety of topics, enlarged photographs from their Digital Library, area high school yearbooks, and city directories.

Waccamae Neck Branch Address: 24 Commerce Lane Pawley's Island, South Carolina 29585 Telephone: (843)545-3623 Fax: (843)545-3624 Hours: Monday to Wednesday 9:00 am to 6:00 p.m., Thursday 9:00 a. m. to 7:00.pm., Friday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Andrews Branch Address: 105 North Morgan, Andrews, South Carolina 29510 Telephone: (843)545-3621 FAX: (843)545-3622 Hours: Monday 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Tuesday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Wednesday 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Thursday 10:00 a.m., to- 6:00 p.m, Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m.to 1:00 p.m.

Carcers Bay Branch Address: 13048 Choppee Road Hemingway, South Carolina 29554-3318 Telephone: (843)545-3515 FAX: (843)558-6680 Hours: Tuesday 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Wednesday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday toFriday 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Georgetown South Carolina Family History Center

Pringle Ferry Rd Georgetown, Georgetown, South Carolina, United States Phone: 834-527-2921 Attention: Does not have film circulation.

Museums
See information about the Georgetown County Museum below in connection with the Georgetown Historical Society.

Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
Georgetown County Historical Society Address: 632 Prince Street Georgetown, South Carolina 29440 The Georgetown County Historical Society operates the Georgetown County Museum and shares the same facility.

Georgetown County Museum Address: 632 Prince Street Georgetown SC 29440 Telephone: 843-545-7020 Email for both the historical society and the museum: [mailto:info@GeorgetownCountyMuseum.com info@GeorgetownCountyMuseum.com] Museum Hours: Tues to Sat. 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The museum has collections of artifacts and memorabilia of Native Americans, slavery, plantation life, and military, to name a few. They have a photo gallery. The museum has commissioned a series of oral/video histories from prominent senior citizens of Georgetown.

Web Sites

 * Georgetown County, SCGenWeb
 * Georgetown County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * www.georgetowncountySC.org
 * www.georgetowncountySC.org