Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina Genealogy

United States South Carolina   Richland County Columbia



History

 * Columbia was the first planned city in the United States and the second capital of South Carolina. See Historic Columbia Foundation: Local History.
 * "State Senator John Lewis Gervais of Ninety Six introduced a bill that was approved by the legislature on March 22, 1786 to create a new state capital."
 * Columbia South Carolina Historic Homes, Houses (SCIWAY)

Community Areas
Arsenal Hall • Ashley Hall • Ashley Place • Brandon Hall • Brandon Acres/Cedar Terrace •Congaree Vista • Cottontown /Bellevue Historic District • Earlewood • East Lake •Eau Claire • Elmwood Park • Five Points • Forest Acres • Forest Hills • Granby Mill VIllage • Gregg Park • Heathwood • Heritage Woods • Hollywood-Rose Hill • Kilbourne Park • King's Grant • Lake Carolina • Laurel Hill • Long Creek Plantation • Magnolia Hall • Martin Luther King (Valley Park) • Melrose Heights • Old Shandon • Olympia Mill Villiage • Robert Mills Historic Neighborhood • Rosewood • Sherwood Forest • Shandon • The Summit • Spring Valley • University Hill • Wales Garden • Historic Waverly • Villages at Longtown • Wheeler Hill • WIldeWood • Winchester • Winslow • Woodcreek Farms • The Woodlands • Yorkshire

Archives

 * City of Columbia Municipal Records at the archives
 * SCArchCat is an online catalog of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History that contains Columbia municipal records such as school records, year books, block plats, treasury receipts, asylum patient and physician records (Columbia), hospital records.

Libraries
To learn more about resources on site and upcoming events see this Wiki article under construction: Walker Local and Family History Center.

Walker Local and Family History Center 1431 Assembly St. Columbia, SC 29201 Telephone: (803)799-9084 Richland Library: Website Regular Hours: Mon-Thu: 9:00am - 9:00pm Fri-Sat: 9:00am - 6:00pm Sun: 2:00pm - 6:00pm The expert librarians in the Walker Local History Room, located in the Main Library, offer personal concierge service for customers interested in genealogy, history or city records. See Genealogy Resources.

Museums
U.S. Army Basic Combat Training Museum is an official Army museum located on Fort Jackson just outside of Columbia, SC. The museum's 7,500+ square feet of exhibit space are dedicated to telling the story of how training in the U.S. Army has developed since 1917 when Fort Jackson, then known as Camp Jackson, first opened.

Building 4442, Jackson Blvd Ft Jackson, SC 29207 803-751-7419 Website and Research

McKissick Museum College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Carolina 816 Bull Street Columbia, SC 29208 (803) 777-7251 Website

SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum 301 Gervais St. Columbia, South Carolina 29201 (803) 737-8095 Website and Research

Cemeteries

 * Elmwood Cemetery Records
 * Internment Records of Elmwood Cemetery
 * The Penitentiary Cemetery (Chicora)
 * List of Cemeteries in Columbia and Richland County by Vernon E. Kirkpatrick (SCIWAY)
 * Cemeteries on Fort Jackson (Military Reservation)

Directories
Columbia City Directories (Richland Library and University of South Carolina Libraries): Search Columbia City Directories from 1859 for residents and businesses.

Newspapers
The Library Obituary Index contains obituary and death notice information from the Columbia, SC newspapers. Richland Library maintains an index of obituaries and death notices from the local newspapers listed here.

Societies and Organizations
Columbia Chapter South Carolina Genealogical Society Chapter meetings are held on the second Sunday of each month at 3:00 p.m. at the South Carolina State Museum 301 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC. No meeting is held in July. Website

Historic Columbia Foundation 1601 Richland Street Columbia, South Carolina 29201 803-252-7742 Website and Blog The mission of the Historic Columbia Foundation is to nurture, support and protect the historical and cultural heritage of Columbia and its environs through programs of advocacy, education and preservation.

African American
Black America Series: Columbia, South Carolina by Vennie Deas Moore
 * South Carolina's capital city enjoys a strong African-American presence, one that has had considerable influence on the growth and development of Columbia's commerce and culture since the city's creation in the late 1700s. The challenges of the antebellum South, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights era, and even the present have shaped a vibrant and dynamic black community, which supplies a wealth of leaders for the city, state, and nation.