Charleston County, South Carolina Genealogy

United States &gt; South Carolina &gt; Charleston County

Parent County
1769--Charleston County was created in 1769 from Colleton and Berkeley (old) Counties. County seat:  Charleston 

Neighboring Counties

 * Berkeley
 * Colleton
 * Dorchester
 * Georgetown

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Charleston

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Correspondence with the American Colonies 1739-1782," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1998):108-128; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):189-205. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Charleston with the following surnames: Bull, Gaiden (?), Izard, and Laurens.] Available at FHL.
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America 1777-1811," The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200; Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring 2001):53-74. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Charleston with the following surname: Davies and Geyer.] Available at FHL.

Land
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.

Newspapers
Charleston County Post and Courier Newspaper Index

Private Papers

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Correspondence with the American Colonies 1739-1782," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1998):108-128; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):189-205. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Charleston with the following surnames: Bull, Gaiden (?), Izard, and Laurens.] Available at FHL.
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America 1777-1811," The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200; Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring 2001):53-74. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Charleston with the following surname: Davies and Geyer.] Available at FHL.

Societies and Libraries

 * South Carolina Historical Society

The Society is located at 100 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC. Normal library hours are Mon-Fri, 9-4; Sat, 9-2; closed Sundays &amp; holidays. Members may use the library free of charge. There is a $5.00 daily fee for non-members.

The Society offers three types of research services for fee: (1) straightforward photocopy requests; (2) requests on historical matters related to South Carolina; and (3) inquiries related to genealogical research. Request forms and corresponding fees are on the Society's website (under Photocopy and Research Services). Keep in mind that the search is restricted to the holdings of the Society only and may not uncover the information sought. If an individual did not spend a significant amount of time in South Carolina, the Society may not have information pertaining to him or her. The average search takes six to eight weeks.

The Society is a repository for private papers and manuscripts pertaining to the state of South Carolina, with large amounts of materials on families of the Midlands and the Lowcountry. It does not have the censuses of South Carolina in its holdings and only abstracts from newspapers. An on-line library catalog is available (under Search the SCHS Catalog).


 * Charleston County Public Library

Charleston County's main library is the home of the Charleston Archive and the South Carolina Room. The SC Room houses local history and genealogy materials and resources, focusing on the history and genealogy of SC, with special emphasis on Charleston and the Lowcountry. Staff is available for assistance during normal hours of operation. The main library is located at 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC. Normal library hours are Mon-Thu, 9-9; Fri-Sat, 9-6; Sun, 2-5; closed holidays. Use of library is free of charge.

The SC Room offers limited research services. Written requests by mail, e-mail, or fax, are preferred, rather than by telephone. Surname searches are too broad for the staff to do. The staff will check up to a maximum of three names in either the Charleston County Will Books (1671-1868) or the Charleston Death Card File (1819-1926), when the patron has specified those as the sources to be checked. They will check up to a maximum of three names per request for obituaries. Obituary requests must have a date of death; newspaper will be checked for up to seven days following the date of death for an obituary. Requests are limited to two requests per patron per month.

The Charleston Archive collection includes historic manuscripts, books and visual materials representing Charleston and the surrounding Lowcountry. Much of it is available on microfilm in the South Carolina Room. Access to the original materials is by appointment only.

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog