Williamsburg County, South Carolina Genealogy

Guide to Williamsburg County, South Carolina ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
The County was named for the William of Orange. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Williamsburg County Courthouse 125 West Main St. Kingstree, SC 29556 Phone: 843-355-9321 Williamsburg County Website

County Pronunciation

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cemeteries

 * To view a cemetery list, see Williamsburg County, South Carolina Cemeteries.
 * National Cemetery Administration

Census Records

 * 1829-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index & Images


 *  1790-1840 
 * Three Rivers Historical Society. Williamsburg County [South Carolina] Census[es], 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840. Hemingsway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, 19--. 975.783 X2w 1790-1840

 1820 Manufactures  The original manufactures schedules for South Carolina are kept at the NARA, Washington, D.C. FS Library copies: 1024517 - 1024518. Published abstract:
 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. 973 X2m 1820.

 1850 
 * United States Census, 1850, Williamsburgh District. 975.783 X2u 1850

 1860 
 * Reid, Mary Ritter. Williamsburg County, South Carolina, 1860 Federal Census Transcribed from Microfilm. 1977; reprint, Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, 1985. 975.783 X2r 1860

 1870 
 * Reid, Mary Ritter. Williamsburg County, South Carolina 1870 Federal Census. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, 1977. 975.783 X2r 1870

 1880 
 * Reid, Mary Ritter and Three Rivers Historical Society. Williamsburg County, South Carolina 1880 Census. Hemingway, S.C.: n.p., 1981. 975.783 X2r 1880

 1900 
 * Williamsburg County, South Carolina 1900 Census. 975.783 X2w 1900

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes Episcopal Church Before 1785, residents of what is now Williamsburg County were served by these colonial parishes.


 * Prince Frederick Parish 1734
 * St. Mark's Parish 1757
 * St. David's Parish records since 1768
 * Wallace, James A.. History of Williamsburg Church: A Discourse Delivered on Occasion of the 120th Anniversary of the Organization of the Williamsburg Church, July 4th, 1856, Kingstree, S.C.: With Notes and an Appendix. Salisbury, N.C.: Bell &amp; James, Printers, 1856. Digital versions at Ancestry ($) and Google Books.


 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records Williamsburg County has court records from 1806 that are held in the office of the Clerk of Court. Williamsburg County was formed from the territory of the non-functioning Williamsburg County within the Georgetown District. From 1800 - 1804 Williamsburg County was briefly a part of Georgetown County The records of the Georgetown District court as well as Georgetown County are housed with the Georgetown County Clerk of Court. The South Carolina Archives and History Center has court records available on microfilm for Williamsburg County. The FamilySearch Library collection includes books and microfilm regarding court records for Williamsburg County.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:
 * United States African Americans
 * South Carolina African Americans
 * Loyd, Kathy Dodge. A List of Slave Owners of the 1850 Williamsburg County, South Carolina Slave Schedule. Kingstree, S.C.: K.D. Loyd, 2003.
 * Burrows Hall
 * China Grove
 * Faircloth - Trio
 * Garner W.C.
 * Gum Tree
 * Holly Tree
 * Long Lands - Greeleyville
 * Mouzon - Kingstree
 * Rhems - Rhems
 * Rodger Mcgill House
 * Scott Woods - Blakely
 * Shaw
 * Spring Bank
 * Thorntree - Kingstree

Genealogies
General Surname indexes to Leonardo Andrea's Files | Folders | Resources are available online, courtesy: The Andrea Files: South Carolina Genealogical Research. Learn more.
 * Jenkinson, Gordon Bubber. A History of the Homes and People of Williamsburgh District. Charleston, S.C.: The History Press, 2007.

Bibliography
 * Brockington - Wells, Laurence K. "Brockington Family Origins," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Winter 2010):39-41.
 * Buford - Buford, Marcus Bainbridge. A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allied Families. San Francisco, Calif., 1903. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * Burrows Wells, Laurence K. "Burrows of Williamsburg," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Spring 2010):63-70.
 * Cox - Thornton, Caroline E. Facts on the Life of George Edmond Gee Cox [and] Information on Rev. Samuel C. James, Williamsburg County, S.C. Typescript, 1990. Item 13
 * Gaskins Hanna, Muriel K. and Gale Stanley Grainger. Gaskins / Gaskin Family Williamsburg and Kershaw County South Carolina. n.p.: M.K. Hanna &amp; G.S. Grainger, 2002. [ https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/519629-gaskins-gaskin-family-williamsburg-and-kershaw-county-south-carolina?offset=1 FamilySearch Digital Library];.
 * James Thornton, Caroline E. Facts on the Life of George Edmond Gee Cox [and] Information on Rev. Samuel C. James, Williamsburg County, S.C. Typescript, 1990. Item 13
 * Lee - Brown, Gerald D. A Genealogy of a Lee Family: Ancestry and Descendants of David Lee, Sr.: Mainly of Old Williamsburg District - Present Day Florence County, South Carolina. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, 1995.
 * McKenzie - Brown, Gerald D. Descendants of Daniel and Rebecca McKenzie Old Williamsburg/Sumter Districts of South Carolina. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, 1995.
 * Parker - Smith, Betty Mae James. A Parker Family History: Descendants of Willoughby Parker, Williamsburg County, S.C. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, (1996).
 * Plowden - Plowden, Robert W. Record of Edward Plowden 1st Who Came to Williamsburg County, South Carolina in 1732 and His Descendants. Florence, Ala.: Plowden Clan of America, 1964. Item 13
 * Stubbs Boswell, Jimmie John Stubbs. John Stubbs (1718-1788) of Williamsburg, South Carolina, and His Descendants. Bryan, Texas: J.R. Boswell, 1990.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

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. The following chart shows where you may best expect to find land records.


 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories
The county is named after Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765).
 * Boddie, William Willis. History of Williamsburg: Something about the People of Williamsburg County, South Carolina, from the First Settlement by Europeans about 1705 until 1923. Columbia, S.C.: State Co., 1923. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Boddie, William Willis. History of Williamsburg. Columbia, SC, USA: The State Company, 1923. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
War of 1812
 * "Captain Samuel Bigham's Co., 1812," Three Rivers Chronicle, Spring 1981, Volume 1, Issue 1. Three Rivers Historical Society Hemingway, SC.
 * 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. Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Williamsburgh County [sic], p. 189. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index & Images
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)

Regiments. Civil War service men from Williamsburg County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were formed in Williamsburg County or from many of its men:
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (6 months, 1861), Company F (also known as the Wee Nee Volunteers and Williamsburg Volunteers)
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (McCreary's) (1st Provisional Army), Company F - (also known as Wee Nee Volunteers)
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Artillery, Company D
 * - 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Light Artillery (Palmetto Battalion), Company C (also known as the Wilson Light Artillery, Culpepper's Light Artillery and Culpeper Battery) and Company E (also known as the Yeadon Light Artillery)
 * - 3rd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company K
 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Rutledge's), Company E, Company F, and Company I
 * -6th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Byrd's), Company B and Company C
 * - 6th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Aiken's Partisan Rangers) (1st Partisan Rangers), Company I
 * - 7th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Ward's), Company A Roster and Company E Roster
 * - 10th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company A, Company D, Company E, Company H, and Company I
 * - 14th Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry, Company A
 * - 15th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company G
 * - 25th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Eutaw Regiment), Company K (also known as Ripley Guards)

Other Resources
 * Smith, Danny H. The Call to Arms. (S.l.: s.n., 19--), 225 pages. "This information came from many sources including basic information from Boddie's "History of Williamsburg", Confederate pension records, from cemetery records...from newspapers, old church records and from searching cemeteries..." Book found at.
 * Three Rivers Historical Society.Williamsburg County Confederate enlistment records, 1862-1864. (S.l.: s.n., 19--). 117 pages. Includes: (1) persons reporting for enrollment; (2) persons exempted from conscription; (3) conscripts detailed; (4) conscripts examined and accepted; (5) persons enrolled &amp; rejected by the surgeon; (6) overseers exempted; (7) per- sons exempted by the Secretary of War; (8) deserters ar- rested and forwarded; (9) conscripts examined by board &amp; recommended for light duty. Book found at and [3prk3ok Other Libraries.]
 * Three Rivers Historical Society. Williamsburg County record of Confederate pensioners, 1905-1911. ( [Hemingway, SC] (414 N. Main St., Hemingway 29554): Three Rivers Historical Society, 2000). 49 pages. Photocopies of original records. Book found at and Other Libraries.

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry ($)

Historic The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Williamsburg 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.
 * The County Record (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975.
 * The Hemingway Journal (Hemingway, S.C.) 1940-194?.
 * The Kingstree Star (Kingstree, Williamsburg District, S.C.) 1856-1884.
 * The News (Kingstree, S.C.) 1973-current.
 * The Tri-County Tribune (Hemingway, S.C.) 1949-1959.
 * The Weekly Mail (Kingstree, S.C.) 1901-1907.
 * The Weekly Observer (Hemingway, S.C.) 1973-current.
 * The Williamsburg Republican (Kingstree, S.C.) 1873-187?.
 * Williamsburg Herald (Kingstree, S.C.) 1881-1884.

University of South Carolina Library Catalog
 * Historical Newspapers of South Carolina at University of South Carolina Libraries - not complete

Current
 * The News (Kingstree, S.C.) Online edition.

Other Records

 * Register of aliens, 1940 Includes all aliens and foreign-born residents of South Carolina who were required to report their information to the clerk of the county where they lived. Includes name, place of residence, date and place of birth, age, physical description, occupation, and employer.

Periodicals

 * Three Rivers Chronicle

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has microfilms or typescripts of wills, inventories, bills of sale, power of attorneys, bonds, notes, administrations, judgments, and sales records. They have placed Will Transcriptions for 1782 to 1855 online. Index searchable by name and the image is available. Estate records for Wiliamsburg County, 1800-1869, are available on microfilm, with an index that covers 1806-1882. Probate records for Williamsburg County are found in the court of ordinary, the probate court, and the court of equity. Estate records for the probate court, 1869-1916, are also available on microfilm through the FamilySearch Library. Also see Williamsburg County, South Carolina wills, 1806-1879, from the Court of Ordinary for Williamsburg District.
 * Elaine Y. Eaddy, comp. Williamsburg County Probate Records, 1806- ca. 1900 and [Not]es from Miscellaneous Sources. Hemingway, South Carolina Three Rivers Historical Society (South Carolina), (19--).
 * Williamsburg County Wills, Book A, 1802-1820 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Williamsburg County Wills, Book B, 1827-1840 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Williamsburg County Wills, Book C, 1820-1841 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Williamsburg County Wills, Book D, 1842-1854 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * 1670-1980 South Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1670-1980 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
 * 1671-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images Only
 * 1732-1964 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images Only
 * 1737-1964 South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964 at Ancestry - images ($)
 * 1782-1866 South Carolina, Will Transcripts 1782-1866 at Findmypast — index ($) — $, index

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records Published Abstracts
 *  1840 Revolutionary War Pensioners 
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington, D.C.: Blair and Rives, 1841. 973 X2pc 1840;  2321. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See South Carolina, Williamsburg District on page 142.
 * South Carolina Department of Archives and History tax lists for Williamsburg County.
 * 1811 Taxpayers, 1811, Three Rivers Chronicle, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Mar. 1992).
 * 1860, 1865 Tax Returns, 1860, 1865, Three Rivers Chronicle, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Mar. 1997).
 * 1884-1885, 1901 Dunahoe, Rebecca Hughes, Toni Cusack Matthews, and Jason Roy Cockfield. Treasurer's Tax Report, Williamsburg County, S.C. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, n.d.

Birth

 * 1766-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index & Images
 * 1915-1917 South Carolina, U.S., Births, 1915-1917 at Ancestry - index & images ($)

Marriage
Online Marriage Records and Indexes
 * 1791-1891- Marriage, Death, and Estate Notices from Georgetown, South Carolina Newspapers, 1791-1861 WorldCat - abstracts, covers Williamsburg County
 * 1897-1994 Index to Marriage Notices in Williamsburg County, South Carolina Newspapers, 1897-1994 by Three Rivers Historical Society WorldCat - index
 * 1911-1950 Williamsburg County, South Carolina Marriage Registers, 1911-1950 - index and records
 * 1911-1950 Williamsburg County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, 1911-1950; Petitions to Establish Marriages, with Affidavits, Prior to 1911 - index and records
 * 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
Online Death Records and Indexes
 * 1791-1891- Marriage, Death, and Estate Notices from Georgetown, South Carolina Newspapers, 1791-1861  WorldCat - abstracts, covers Williamsburg County
 * 1816-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1821-1969 South Carolina, U.S., Death Records, 1821-1969 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1915-1943 South Carolina, Deaths, 1915-1943 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
 * 1915-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index & Images
 * 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.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Sumter South Carolina FamilySearch Center


 * Georgetown County Historical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
Hemingway Library Address: East Andrews Street Hemingway, South Carolina 29554 Telephone: 803–558–2011 Williamsburg County Library Address: 135 Hampton Avenue Kingstree, South Carolina 29556-3423 Telephone: 803–354–9486

Societies

 * Three Rivers Historical Society 204 Hewitt St. Darlington, SC 29532 843-398-4710 Email: [mailto:dchc@darcosc.net dchc@darcosc.net] Website Facebook
 * Williamsburg Historical Museum 135 Hampton Ave. Kingstree, SC 29556 843-355-3306 Email: [mailto:history1@ftc-inet history1@ftc-i.net] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Williamsburg County, SCGenWeb
 * Williamsburg County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * South Carolina Pioneers South Carolina Pioneers
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

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