Bamberg County, South Carolina Genealogy

Guide to Bamberg 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 General Francis Marion Bamberg. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Bamberg County Courthouse P.O. Box 140 1234 North Street Bamberg, SC 29003 Telephone: 803-245-5191 Bamberg 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 list, see Bamberg County, South Carolina Cemeteries.
 * National Cemetery Administration

Census Records

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

1790 (parent county)
 * Jarrell, Lawrence E. Early Orangeburgh, South Carolina Census: Complete Transcription of the Federal Census Records for the Orangeburgh District, South Carolina; 1790 Orangeburgh Census (Current Counties of Barnwell, Bamberg, Calhoun, Lexington, Orangeburg and [cont. with note below]. High Point, N.C.: Alligator Creek Genealogy Publications, 1998.

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

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:
 * United States African Americans
 * South Carolina African Americans
 * Vandervelde, Isabel. Other Free People in Early Barnwell District. Newberry, S.C.: Art Studio Press, 2001.
 * Broxton Bridge - Ehrhardt
 * Halfmoon
 * Little Swamp - historically in Colleton County but has been annexed into Bamberg County
 * Mountain Home - Govan - also called Hartzog
 * Woodlands - Midway

Genealogies
General As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Bamberg, South Carolina at World Connect, results in more than 2,000 entries. Surname indexes to Leonardo Andrea's Files | Folders | Resources are available online, courtesy: The Andrea Files: South Carolina Genealogical Research. Learn more.
 * Brabham, M.M. and W.C. Kirkland. A Family Sketch and Else; or, Buford's Bridge and Its People. Columbia, S.C.: The State Co., 1923.
 * Bamberg County, SC Genealogy Forum (GenForum)

Bibliography

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records The following chart shows where you may best expect to find land records. 
 * Orangeburg District records destroyed by fire
 * Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868 For information about the State Land Grants, see State Land Grants

Local Histories
Bamberg County was named for members of the Bamberg Family, who founded the county seat (also named Bamberg). Bamberg is primarily agricultural and its towns are built along the South Carolina Railroad. Learn more about the history of Bamberg County from the South Carolina State Library or from Carolana.com.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Bamberg County Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps at the University of South Carolina Digital Collection
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Bamberg County for European settlers included:
 * Fort Moore-Charleston Trail about 1716

Military Records
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 Bamberg County was created between 1897 and 1920 after the Civil War from the counties of Barnwell and Colleton. During the Civil War, men from the area of Bamberg County mostly would have served in various regiments recruited in those counties. Counties were called districts during the Civil War.

Civil War Battles The following Civil War Battles were fought in Bamberg County:
 * February 3, 1865 = Rivers’ Bridge also known as Salkehatchie River, Hickory Hill, Owens’ Crossroads, Lawtonville, Duck Creek
 * One battle was fought in the area of present day Bamberg County, on February 3, 1865 at Rivers' Bridge. This was also known as the battle of Owens' Crossroads. For additional information,see Battles in South Carolina.
 * Map showing Civil War battles in South Carolina

Newspapers

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

Historic The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Bamberg 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.
 * Bamberg County Times (Bamberg, S.C.) 1888-1944.
 * The Advertizer (Bamberg, S.C.) 1967-1972.
 * The Advertizer-Herald (Bamberg, S.C.) 1972-current.
 * The Bamberg Herald (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972.
 * The Edisto News (Denmark, S.C.) 1921-1944.
 * The Edisto News (Bamberg, S.C.) 1959-1969.
 * The Ehrhardt Echo (Ehrhardt, S.C.) 1934-19??.

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

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1670-1980 South Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1670-1980 at Ancestry.com — index & images, ($)
 * 1671-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images Only
 * 1732-1964 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images Only
 * 1782-1866 South Carolina, Will Transcripts 1782-1866 at Findmypast — index, ($) — $, 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

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
Marriages - Indexes
 * There are several online marriage indexes containing miscellaneous marriage records found insome counties of South Carolina listed on the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Death
Deaths - Indexes and Records
 * 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

 * Aiken South Carolina Family History Center
 * Evans Georgia Family History Center


 * Augusta Genealogical Society, Adamson Library - an affiliate library
 * Augusta-Richmond County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Bamberg County Public Library Address: 3156 Railroad Avenue Bamberg, SC 29003 Phone: (803) 245-3022 Hours of Operation: Monday to Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m., Sunday Closed  The Bramberg County Library is part of the ABBE Regional Library System listed below. You can subscribe to an email newsletter and select to receive information from the Barnwell branch among other places and subjects. To subscribe Click Here. Other Bamberg County LibrariesWebsite Denmark Branch Library  Click the Link to learn more about this branch, its location, hours, and services. Website
 * ABBE Regional Library System A.B.B.E. Regional Library System (The Aiken-Bamberg-Barnwell-Edgefield Regional Library System) is headquaterred in Aiken county and serves the four South Carolina counties named in its title. It has 14 brances and a bookmobile. One of those branches is the Barnwell County Library.

Websites

 * Bamberg County, SCGenWeb
 * Bamberg County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * – 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: Bamberg County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.