Kershaw 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.



Kershaw County, South Carolina Record Dates
Kershaw County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
Kershaw County Courthouse 1121 Broad St. Camden, SC 29020

Clerk of Court 1121 Broad St., Room 313 Camden, SC 29020 Phone: 803-425-1500

Register of Deeds 515 Walnut Street, Room 180 Camden, SC 29020 Phone: 803-425-1500 Land records

Probate Judge 1121 Broad St., Room 225 Camden, SC 29020-3635 Phone: 803-425-1503 Probate and marriage records

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

History
The county is named after Joseph Kershaw.

Parent County
1798--Kershaw County was created in 1798 from Camden District. County seat: Camden

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.

Record Loss
Major loss of equity records resulted from the negligence of Thomas P. Evans, commissioner in equity from 1822-1829.

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: Kershaw County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

African Americans
Kershaw County, South Carolina African Americans

Cemeteries

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

Census
1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Kershaw 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 Kershaw County, SC census assignments, including links to transcribed files The USGenWeb Census Project®

1800

 * Kershaw County Historical Society. The Second Federal Census, 1800, South Carolina, Kershaw County. Kershaw, S.C.: Kershaw County Historical Society, 1970. 975.761 X2p 1800
 * 1800 Federal Census, Surname Index, Kershaw District, courtesy USGenWeb Archives.

1810

 * Kershaw County Historical Society. The Third Federal Census, 1810, South Carolina, Kershaw County. Kershaw, S.C.: Kershaw County Historical Society, 1972. 975.761 X2t 1810

1820

 * Kershaw County Historical Society. The Fourth Federal Census, 1820, South Carolina, Kershaw County. Kershaw, S.C.: Kershaw County Historical Society, 1973. 975.7 A1 no. 29

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

 * Draine, Tony. Kershaw District, South Carolina Census, 1840. Columbia, S.C.: Congaree Publicatoins, 1986. 975.761 X2d 1840
 * Phelps, Dallas LeRoy. 1840 Census of Kershaw County, South Carolina. Camden, S.C.: D.L. Phelps, 2001. 975.761 X2p 1840

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, Kershaw District on pages 142-143.

1850

 * South Carolina Genealogical Society. Catawba-Wateree Chapter. 1850 Kershaw County, South Carolina Census Expanded with Genealogy. Camden, S.C.: South Carolina Genealogical Society. Catawba-Wateree Chapter, 1997. 975.761 X2k 1850
 * 1850 Federal Census Index, Kershaw County, courtesy USGenWeb Archives.

1870 Mortality Schedule

 * Phelps, Dallas LeRoy. 1870 Kershaw County Mortality Census. 975.761 X2p 1870

Church
Quaker


 * Carroll, Kenneth L. "The Irish Quaker Community at Camden," The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 77, No. 2 (Apr., 1976), pp. 69-83. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

Court
Kershaw County has court records from 1783 that are held in the office of the Clerk of Court. Kershaw County was a part of the Camden District from 1785 - 1800 and the records of Camden District courts are housed in Kershaw County with the Clerk of Court.

The South Carolina Archives and History Center has court records available on microfilm for Kershaw County.

The Family History Library collection includes books and microfilm regarding court records for Kershaw County.

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

Genealogy
More than 25 genealogies have been published about Kershaw County families. To view a list, visit Kershaw County, South Carolina Genealogy.

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 shows where you may best expect to find land records for Kershaw County:

* Some Camden District records are included with Kershaw County records

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

 * Kirkland, Thomas J. Historic Camden. Columbia, S.C.: State Co., 1905-1926. Items 1 - 2; digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * Gardner, Miles. Further Tales of Murder and Mayhem : in Lancaster, Kershaw, and Chesterfield Counties (Spartanburg, South Carolina: Reprint Company Publishers, c2006), 296 pages. Book at  and Other Libraries.

Migration
Church

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


 * Occaneechi Path pre-historic
 * Camden-Charleston Path 1732
 * Fall Line Road about 1735
 * Great Valley Road (south fork) 1740s



Revolutionary War

 * "Henry Felder Rev. War petition excerpt, 1785," Catawba-Wateree Messenger, June 2007, Volume 20, Issue 6. Catawba Wateree Genealogical Society c/o Camden Archives and Museum: Camden, SC
 * "Patriot defeat at Camden, 1780," SAR Magazine, Summer 2005, Volume 100, Issue 1. National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution: Louisville, KY. Book 973 B2sa.
 * "Battle of Camden and preservation of the field, 1780," Periodical:Journal of America's Military Past, Winter 2004, Volume 30, Issue 3. Council on America's Military Past: Ft. Myer, VA.
 * "SC Royalists, 1781, Camden," Dutch Fork Digest, June 2002, Volume 17, Issue 1. Dutch Fork Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Chapin, SC.
 * "Rugeley's Clermont, 1776-80," Update, February 2002, Issue 3. Kershaw County Historical Society: Camden, SC.
 * "Colonel Rudgely surrenders to William Washington, 1780, SC," St. Lucie River Whig, Spring 2001, Volume 9, Issue 2. St. Lucie River Chapter: St. Lucie, FL.
 * "Battle of Camden," Update, February 2001, Issue 3. Kershaw County Historical Society:Camden, SC.
 * "Capt. Martin Livingston's Royalists," Dutch Fork Digest, January 2001, Volume 16, Issue 1. Dutch Fork Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Chapin, SC.
 * "Muster, SC Royalists, 1781," Dutch Fork Digest, July 2000, Volume 15, Issue 3. Dutch Fork Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Chapin, SC.
 * "Revolutionary war pensioners, 1841," Carolinas Genealogical Society Bulletin, November 1965, Volume 2, Issue 3. Carolinas Genealogical Society: Monroe, NC. Book 975 B2c.
 * "Battle of Hobkirk Hill," American Monthly Magazine, January 1909, Volume 34, Issue 1. Daughters of the American Revolution: Washington, D.C. Book 973 B2dar.
 * "Battle of Camden losses, 1780," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, October 1873, Volume 27, Issue 4. New England Historical and Genealogical Society: Boston, MA.

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, Kershaw County, p. 186. 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 Kershaw County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies and regiments that were specifically formed of men from Kershaw County:


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Artillery, Company A (also known as Calhoun's Battery; Sumter Light Artillery, Sumter Battery, Preston's Battery, Blake's Battery and other name variations.)
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (2nd Palmetto Regiment), Company E (also known as Camden Volunteers and Camden Light Infantry) and Company G - (also known as Flat Rock Guards)
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry, Company A (also known as Boykin Mounted Rangers)
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (2nd Palmetto Regiment), DeKalb Rife Guards
 * - 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Light Artillery (Palmetto Battalion), Company E (also known as the Yeadon Light Artillery), Company G (also known as the DeSaussure Light Artillery and the DePass Light Battery), and Company K (also known as Richardson's Company)
 * - 3rd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops Junior Reserves (State Militia)
 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Rutledge's), Company A
 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina State Troops, Company C
 * - 5th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Brown's), Company D
 * - 5th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company A
 * - 7th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Nelson's) (Enfield Rifles), Company A, Company D, Company E, Company F, and Company G
 * - 7th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry, Company H and Company K
 * - 8th Regiment, South Carolina Reserves
 * - 9th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company E
 * - 15th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company D
 * - Jeter's Company, South Carolina Light Artillery
 * - South Carolina State Troop Regiments Seed Corn Units, Junior Reserves
 * - 3rd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops Junior Reserves (State Militia)

Newspapers
Camden Archives and Museum Obituary Index

Historic

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


 * Camden Commercial Courier (Camden, S.C.) 1837-1838.
 * Camden Gazette (Camden, S.C.) 1816-1818. Search online at GeneaolgyBank.com ($)
 * Camden Gazette and Mercantile Advertiser (Camden, S.C.) 1818-1822. Search online at GeneaolgyBank.com ($)
 * Camden Independent (Camden, S.C.) 1978-1981.
 * Camden Journal (Camden, S.C.) 1852-1852.
 * Camden Republican, and Lancaster Beacon (Camden, S.C.) 1832-1833.
 * Chronicle-Independent (Camden, S.C.) 1981-current.
 * Journal and Confederate (Camden, S.C.) 1865-1865.
 * Semiweekly Camden Journal (Camden, S.C.) 1851-1852
 * South Carolina Temperance Advocate and Register of Agriculture and General Literature (Columbia, S.C.) 1841-1854.
 * Southern Republic (Camden, S.C.) 1851-1851.
 * The Bethune Enterprise (Bethune, S.C.) 1900-1902.
 * The Bethune Observer (Bethune, S.C.) 1913-1923.
 * The Camden and Lancaster Beacon (Camden [S.C.]) 1831-1832.
 * The Camden Bulletin (Camden, S.C.) 19??-19??.
 * The Camden Chronicle (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981.
 * The Camden Citizen (Camden, S.C.) 1953-1955.
 * The Camden Confederate (Camden, S.C.) 1861-1865.
 * The Camden Daily Journal (Camden, S.C.) 1864-1864.
 * The Camden Journal (Camden, S.C.) 1826-1834.
 * The Camden Journal (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851.
 * The Camden Journal (Camden, S.C.) 1864-1864.
 * The Camden Journal (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891.
 * The Camden Journal and Southern Whig (Camden, S.C.) 1834-1835.
 * The Camden Morning Call (Camden, S.C.) 1887-1887.
 * The Camden News (Camden, S.C.) 1909-1913.
 * The Camden News (Camden, S.C.) 1956-1962.
 * The Camden Weekly Journal (Camden, S.C.) 1853-1861.
 * The Camden Weekly Journal (Camden, S.C.) 1865-1871.
 * The Daily Bulletin (Camden, S.C.) 1864-1864.
 * The Kershaw Gazette (Camden, Kershaw Co., S.C.) 1873-1887.
 * The People (Camden, S.C.) 1904-1911.
 * The Southern Chronicle (Camden, S.C.) 1822-1824. Search online at GenealogyBank.com ($)
 * The Southern Chronicle and Camden Aegis (Camden, S.C.) 1824-1825.
 * The Southern Chronicle and Camden Gazette (Camden, S.C.) 1822-1822.
 * The Southern Chronicle, and Camden Literary and Political Register (Camden, S.C.) 1825-1825.
 * The Tri-Weekly Journal (Camden, S.C.) 1865-1865.
 * The Wateree Messenger (Camden, S.C.) 1884-1942.
 * The Weekly Camden Journal (Camden, S.C.) 1851-1852.
 * The Weekly Journal (Camden, S.C.) 1865-1865.

Current


 * Chronicle-Independent (Camden, S.C.) Online edition.

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:


 * Carolina Genealogist
 * Carolinas Genealogical Society Bulletin
 * Catawba-Wateree Messenger (Family History Library book 975.761 D25c .)
 * Dutch Fork Digest (Family History Library book 975.7 D25d. )
 * The South Carolina Historical Magazine
 * Sumter Black River Watchman

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. The Wills from Camden County were transcribed as Kershaw County.

A general index to estates and probate records of Kershaw County, South Carolina, exists that covers the time period 1780 to 1960. It includes the name of the estate [the decedent], the name of the executor, administrator or guardian, the numbers for each apartment and package, and a remarks column that often includes dates.

Other collections of probate records in Kershaw County include:


 * Wills, 1782-1868, Court of Ordinary, Kershaw District, South Carolina, 1782-1868. Salt Lake City, Ut.: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1951.


 * Estate record books, Court of Ordinary, Kershaw District, South Carolina, 1782-1822. Columbia, S.C.: Filmed by the South Carolina Dept. of Archives and History, 1975.


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. Includes wills of residents of Camden proved in London; see place-name index. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.
 * Wills, Book AI, 1781-1820 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Will Book D, 1803. See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Index to Will Book A (1770-1826); Will Book N (1776-1833); Unrecorded Wills (1789-1816); Will Book A (1781-1820); Will Book C; Will Book D (1803) 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

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 Kershaw County.

Published abstracts


 * 1784 - Tax List, 1784, Sumter Black River Watchman, Vol. 16, No. 5 (May 1991).
 * 1784 - Tax List, 1784, Catawba-Wateree Messenger. (March 1991).
 * 1784 - Tax List, 1784, Carolina Genealogist, No. 13 (Winter 1973).
 * 1832 - Ochenkowski, J.P. "1832 Tax List for the Town of Camden," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Winter 1980):27-28.
 * 1848-1849 - Draine, Tony. Kershaw District, South Carolina Tax List, 1848 &amp; 1849. Columbia, S.C.: Congaree Publications, 1986.
 * 1864, 1876, 1900 - County Auditor's Locations for Polling and Tax Collection, 1876, 1864, 1900, Update (Camden, S.C.), Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jun. 2004).
 * 1915 - County Auditor Book, Apr. 1915, Camden (sel.), Catawba-Wateree Messenger, Vol. 14, No. 7 (Aug. 2001).

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 Kershaw 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 Kershaw 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 and Marriage Substitutes - Indexes and Records


 * 1816-1865 - Marriage and Death Notices from Camden, South Carolina, Newspapers, 1816-1865 by Brent H. Holcomb WorldCat - index
 * 1822-1842 -Digital view at of Marriages and Death Notices Abstracted From Newspapers Published in Camden, South Carolina, 1822-1842 by Janie Revill  - index
 * 1913-1920 - Kershaw, South Carolina and Surrounding Area: Abstracts from the Kershaw Era and the Camden Chronicle, 1913-1920 by Carol P. McNaughton WorldCat - index
 * 1938-1950 - Kershaw County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, Aug. 1938-Dec. 1950
 * 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 Kershaw 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


 * 1816-1865 - Marriage and Death Notices from Camden, South Carolina, Newspapers, 1816-1865 by Brent H. Holcomb WorldCat - index
 * 1822-1842 - Digital view at of Marriages and Death Notices Abstracted From Newspapers Published in Camden, South Carolina, 1822-1842 by Janie Revill  - index
 * 1913-1920 - Kershaw, South Carolina and Surrounding Area: Abstracts from the Kershaw Era and the Camden Chronicle, 1913-1920 by Carol P. McNaughton WorldCat - index
 * 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.

Family History Centers

 * Camden South Carolina Family History Center

Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
The Old Camden District Genealogical Society 1314 Broad Street Camden SC 29020-3535 Kershaw County Historical Society 811 Fair Street, Box 501 Camden SC 29020 Facebook Page source: Society Hill

Web Sites

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