Williamsburg County, South Carolina Genealogy

Guide to  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.

South Carolina Online Genealogy 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, South Carolina 29556

Clerk of Court 125 West Main St. Kingstree, SC 29556 Phone: 843-355-9321 ext. 552 Court and land records

Probate Court 125 West Main St. Kingstree, SC 29556 Phone: 843-355-9321 ext. 558 Probate and marriage records.

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

Historical Facts
Williamsburg County was created in 1785 within Georgetown District from the westernmost quarter part of the overarching Georgetown District. See the 1785 South Carolina map.

Williamsburg County was not surveyed or properly laid out at this time. Its boundaries were ambiguous. Its county government never became functional. Most records were kept at the parish level, or at the Georgetown District level; none were kept at the county level. There was no county seat. There were no political connotations to the county's existence. In this case the term "county" had no meaning other than to describe an approximate geographical area. It was a county in name only.

Williamsburg County was abolished in 1798. However, in 1804 it was revived with similar boundaries.

For documents of people who lived in this area 1785-1804, look in:


 * Prince Frederick Parish records since 1734
 * St. Mark's Parish records since 1757
 * St. David's Parish records since 1768
 * papers filed in the district seat at Georgetown, South Carolina
 * papers filed in the early capital at Charleston, South Carolina

Starting in 1804 also look for records in the county seat at Kingstree, South Carolina.

The county is named after Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765).

Parent County
1785-1798--Williamsburg County was created in 1785 from part of Georgetown District. This original county was aboltished in 1798 after failing to function. 1804-present--Williamsburg County was re-created with the same boundaries. County seat:  Kingstree

County Pronunciation

 * 1) Hear it spoken

Boundary Changes
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.

Variant Spellings

 * Williamsburgh

Record Loss

 * 1890 Lost census

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:

Neighboring Counties
Berkeley | Clarendon | Florence | Georgetown | Marion

Research Guides

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

African Americans

 * 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.

Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:


 * 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

Cemeteries

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

Census

 * 1829-1920 - at FamilySearch — index and images

1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Williamsburg 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 Williamsburg County, SC census assignments, including links to transcribed files The USGenWeb Census Project®

 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. FHL copies: 1024517 - 1024518.

Published abstract:


 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. 973 X2m 1820; digital version at Lineages. Includes this county.

 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 Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington, D.C.: Blair and Rives, 1841. 973 X2pc 1840;  2321; digital version at Google Books. See South Carolina, Williamsburg District on page 142.

 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

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

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 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
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 Family History Library collection includes books and microfilm regarding court records for Williamsburg County.

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
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 Williamsburg, South Carolina at World Connect, produces more than 7,000 results.

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.

Message Boards


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

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
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 Williamsburg 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.

Local Histories

 * 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 ($).
 * Boddie, William Willis. History of Williamsburg. Columbia, SC, USA: The State Company, 1923. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

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; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Williamsburgh County [sic], p. 189. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 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 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
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.

Current


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

Other Records
Voter Records
 * 1882-1895 - at FamilySearch — Index and images

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:


 * Three Rivers Chronicle

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.

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 Family History 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

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
 * 1782-1866 - South Carolina, Will Transcripts 1782-1866 at findmypast — $, index

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 Williamsburg County.

Published abstracts

 * 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.

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 Williamsburg 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.


 * 1766-1900 - at FamilySearch — images

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 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 and Records


 * 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
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 Williamsburg 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


 * 1791-1891- Marriage, Death, and Estate Notices from Georgetown, South Carolina Newspapers, 1791-1861  WorldCat - abstracts, covers Williamsburg County
 * 1816-1990 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1915-1965 - at FamilySearch — index and 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.

Archives, Libraries, and Museums
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 - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
Three Rivers Historical Society P.O. Box 811 Hemingway SC 29554 source: Society Hill

Family History Centers

 * Family History Centers in South Carolina

Websites

 * Williamsburg County, SC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * Williamsburg County, SCGenWeb
 * Williamsburg County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * South Carolina Pioneers South Carolina Pioneers