Marion 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.


 * Not to be confused with the Marion County that has existed 1785 to 1791.

County Courthouse
Marion County Courthouse Marion, South Carolina 29571

Probate Judge 201 Court Street Marion, South Carolina 29571 Phone: 843-423-8244 Probate and marriage records

Clerk of Court 100 West Court Street Marion, South Carolina 29571 Phone: 843-423-8240 Court and land records

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

History


The county is named after "The Swamp Fox" Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion(c1732-1795).

Parent County
1798--Marion County was created in 1798 in the overarching Georgetown District. Marion County/District was created in 1798 by renaming Liberty County. Marion was known as a district from 1800 to 1868. In 1868 the legislature designated Judicial Districts as Counties.

County seat: Marion

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

 * 1890 Lost census

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

African Americans
United States African Americans South Carolina African Americans

Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:


 * China Grove
 * Davis
 * Dogg Bluff
 * Ella's Grove
 * Oak Grove
 * Pauls - Pamplico
 * Woodlawn

Cemeteries

 * To view a cemetery list, see Marion 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 Marion 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 Marion County, SC census assignments, including links to transcribed files The USGenWeb Census Project®

1800

 * Grant, Marty. 1800 Census of Marion District, Liberty County, South Carolina: Liberty County, South Carolina. Marion, S.C.: Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society, 2002. 975.786 X2g 1800

1810

 * Dickerson, Jo Church. 1810 Census Marion District, South Carolina. Marion, S.C.: Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society, 2002. 975.786 X2d 1810

1820

 * Silva, Lois Turner. 1820 Census of the United States, State of South Carolina, District of Marion: National Archives Microfilm Publication, Microcopy 33, Roll 121, S.C., Vol. 4. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, (1994?). 975.786 X2s 1820

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.

1830

 * Grant, Marvin A. 1830 Census - Marion District, South Carolina: A Full Transcription of the 1830 Census of Marion District South Carolina Encompassing All of Present Day Marion County and Dillon County and a Portion of Florence County. Kinston, N.C.: M.A. Grant, 2004. 975.78 X2g 1830
 * Ward, Carolyn Prater. 1830 Census of the United States, District of Marion [South Carolina]. 975.786 X2w 1830

1840

 * Ward, Carolyn Prater. 1840 Census of the United States, State of South Carolina, District of Marion. 1990. 975.786 X2w 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, Marion District on page 143.

1850

 * Ward, Carolyn Prater. 1850 Census of Marion County, South Carolina. 1978. 975.786 X2c 1850

1860

 * Johnson, Claudia T. Marion County, South Carolina 1860 Census. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, 1987. 975.786 X2j 1860

1870

 * Dickerson, Jo Church and Helen B. Moody. 1870 Census: Marion County, South Carolina. Marion, SC: The Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society, 2010.

1880

 * Marsh, Steve and Mary Bingham Marsh. 1880 Marion County, S.C. Census. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, 1986. 975.786 X2m 1880

Church

 * Stanley, Victor Bland. Marion Churches and Churchmen, 1735-1935: A Narrative of the Church of England and Its Successor, the Episcopal Church. Charleston, S.C.: Southern Print. &amp; Pub. Co., 1938. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Episcopal Church
Before 1785, residents of what is now Marion County were served by these colonial parishes.


 * Prince Frederick Winyaw Parish. 1734
 * St. Marks Parish 1757

Court
Marion County has court records from 1800 that are held in the office of the Clerk of Court. Marion County was a part of the Georgetown District from 1785 - 1800. The records of the Georgetown District court are housed with the Georgetown County Clerk of Court.

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

The Family History Library collection includes books and microfilm regarding court records for Marion 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 Marion, South Carolina at World Connect, produces more than 15,000 results.

Surname indexes to Leonardo Andrea's Files | Folders | Resources are available online, courtesy: The Andrea Files: South Carolina Genealogical Research. Learn more.

Message Boards


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

Bibliography


 * Bingham - Marsh, Mary Bingham. Bingham or Bigham - Ancestry and De[s]cendants of James Bingham or Bigham Sr. of Marion District, S.C. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, 1995.
 * Harrelson - Holcomb, Brent H. Lineage &amp; Descendants of John Wesley Harrelson, Marion County, South Carolina, 1756-1984. 1984.
 * Keeffe - Hanna, Muriel K. Keeffe/Keefe/Keith family of Florence and Marion Counties, South Carolina. Summerton, S.C.: M.K. Hanna,2004.
 * Lane - Sirmon, Marilyn Lane and William Arnold Sirmon. The Ancestry and Known Descendants of Joseph Lane (1770 - 1850) of Marion County, South Carolina and Simpson County, Mississippi. 1986.
 * Lewis - Crump, Vivian Hayes. The Lewis Family of Monroe Co. and Marion Co., South Carolina. 1968. ; digital version at.
 * Lewis - Lewis, J.D. My Neck of the Woods: The Lewis Families of Southeastern North Carolina and Northeastern South Carolina. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002. book 929.273 L585Ljd, CD-ROM no. 1036

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 Marion County:

* Many colonial deeds for Marion County are recorded in deed records after 1800.

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

 * Moody, Mary C. Every Name Index to W. W. Sellers: A History of Marion County, South Carolina. (Arlington, Texas : Blackstone Pub., 1985), 184 pages. To make the original volume more valuable, an every name index has been compiled. This index contains over 14,500 names. In this compilation, the actual spelling of the name was retained; therefore, the name of a person may be found under more than one spelling, abbreviated or listed with a title. Book at and Other Libraries.
 * Sellers, William W. A History of Marion County, South Carolina : From its Earliest Times to the Present, 1901. (Greenville, South Carolina : Southern Historical Press, c1996), 647 pages. Names and organizations of Confederate military organizations from the county, pages 572-646. Book at and microform copies at Other Libraries.

General

 * "Military Pay Rolls, 1814," Pee Dee Queue, February 1987, Volume 11, Issue 2. Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Marion, SC.
 * "Veterans Burials," Pee Dee Queue, February 1987, Volume 11, Issue 2. Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Marion, SC.
 * Marion County Military, USGenWeb project.

Revolutionary War

 * "Levi Odom-Henry Brasswell-Phebe Rowell-Mary McIsack pension petition, 1838," Pee Dee Queue, September 2006, Volume 30, Issue 5. Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Marion, SC.
 * "John and Rebecca Bird Booth Rev. War pension file, 1833," Pee Dee Queue, September 2005, Volume 29, Issue 5. Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Marion, SC.
 * "T. Norwood Indent Note, 1792," Darlington Flag, Spring 2001, Volume 13, Issue 2. Old Darlington District Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Hartsville, SC.

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, Marion County, p. 186-187. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.
 * "Pee Dee Militia Companies, Roster," Pee Dee Queue, January 2000, Volume 24, Issue 1. Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Marion, SC.
 * "Soldiers Receiving Pensions or Grants," Pee Dee Queue, January 2000, Volume 24, Issue 1. Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Marion, SC.
 * "Company of Inf., Pee Dee," Pee Dee Queue, September 1999, Volume 23, Issue 5. Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Marion, SC.
 * "Militia Companies," Pee Dee Queue, July 1999, Volume 23, Issue 4. Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Marion, SC.
 * "Pension or Land Grants,"Pee Dee Queue, January 2000, Volume 24, Issue 1. Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Marion, SC.
 * "Capt. Bethea's Co.," Pee Dee Queue, May 1999, Volume 23, Issue 3. Pee Dee Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Marion, SC.
 * "Peter Caulder, Free Black Soldier," Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Spring 1999, volume 58, Issue 1. Arkansas Historical Association Hist. Dept., University of AR: Fayettville, AR.

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)
 * "Marion County, SC in the War Between the States". SCGenWeb-Marion County Internet site. This site contains links to histories of Military units, timelines and other information about Marion County's involvement in the Civil War.

Regiments. Civil War service men from Marion County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed of men from Marion County.


 * - 1st Battalion, South Carolina Sharpshooters, Company B - (also known as the Sumter Guards) and Company C - (also known as the Charleston Sharpshooters and Palmetto Guards)
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Hagood's), 2nd Company I
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (McCreary's) (1st Provisional Army), Company E -(also known as Marion Volunteers Rifles)
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Rifles (Orr's), Company H (also known as Pee Dee Guards)
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Artillery, Company D
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops Junior Reserves (State Militia), Company B and Company L
 * - 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)
 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Rutledge's), Company E and Company F
 * -6th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Byrd's), Company A
 * - 6th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Aiken's Partisan Rangers) (1st Partisan Rangers), Company H and Company I
 * - 7th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry, Company F and Company K
 * - 7th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Ward's), Company D Roster and Company E
 * - 8th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company H, Company I, and Company L
 * - 10th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company D, Company F, Company I, and Company L
 * -20th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Reorganized Company L
 * -23rd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Hatch's Coast Rangers), Company E and Company H

Other Resources
 * Brunson, Joseph Woods. Pee Dee Light Artillery of Maxcy Gregg's (Later Samuel McGowan's) Brigade, First South Carolina Volunteers (infantry) C. S. A., a Historical Sketch and Roster, (University, Alabama : Confederate Pub., c1983), 60 pages. Includes rosters of the three Pee Dee infantry companies (from Darlington, Horry and Marion counties) which were supported by the Pee Dee artillery. The battery was officially Company D of the 1st South Carolina regiment. Book found at and Other Libraries.
 * Sellers, William W. A History of Marion County, South Carolina : From its Earliest Times to the Present, 1901. (Greenville, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, c1996), 647 pages. Names and organizations of Confederate military organizations from the county, pages 572-646. Book at and microfilm copies at Other Libraries.

Newspapers
Historic

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


 * Marion Star and Mullins Enterprise (Marion County, S.C.) 1990-current.
 * Merchant and Farmer (Marion, S.C.) 1875-1885.
 * The Crescent (Marion, S.C.) 1865-1872.
 * The Enterprise (Mullins, S.C.) 1898-1990.
 * The Marion Observer (Marion, S.C.) 1874-1875.
 * The Marion Observer (Marion, S.C.) 1904-1909.
 * The Marion Star (Marion C.H., S.C.) 1852-1869.
 * The Marion Star (Marion, S.C.) 1871-1990.
 * The Messenger (Mullins, S.C.) 1910-1916.
 * The Monitor (Marion, S.C.) 1978-1981.
 * The Pee Dee Index (Marion, S.C.) 1882-1894.
 * The Pee Dee Observer (Marion, S.C.) 1981-1988.
 * The Star and Southern Real Estate Advertiser  (Marion, S.C.) 1869-1871.

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:


 * Darlington Flag
 * Georgia Genealogical Magazine
 * Pee Dee Queue (Family History Library book 975.7 D25pe .)
 * South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research (Family History Library book 975.7 B2sc .)

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. Archival records include estate papers from 1790-1893 from the court of ordinary and probate court records, along with other corollary papers. Statewide Will Transcriptions, 1782 to 1855, database is available online with a searchable index by name. Images are available.

Early will records of the Court of Ordinary for Marion District are available on microfilm.

Also see the 3-volume set of Marion County probate records, 1800-1900:


 * Lucille Utley and Danny Smith, comp. [South Carolina], Marion County Probate Records. (Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, 1985.
 * Marion County Wills 1796-1807 (transcripts). See list of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Index to Marion County Will Book I, 1796-1853. 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.

Published abstracts

 * 1784 - 1784 Tax List, Prince Frederick's Parish, SC
 * 1786 - 1786 Tax List, Prince Frederick's Parish, SC
 * 1786 - 1786 Tax Returns from Marion County, South Carolina, Prince George Return, available online, courtesy: SCGenWeb.
 * 1787 - 1787 Tax List of Prince George Parish, available online, courtesy: Georgetown South Carolina Genealogy website.
 * 1809 - Utley, Lucille. "1809 Marion District Tax List," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Spring 1980):67-72.
 * 1811, 1814, 1824 - Holcomb, Brent H. and Silas Emmett Lucas. Some South Carolina County Records... 2 vols. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1976-1989. [Includes 1811, 1814, and 1824 tax lists for Marion District.]
 * 1811 - Tax List, 1811, Georgia Genealogical Magazine, No. 91 (Winter 1984), 93 (Summer 1984).
 * 1814, 1827 - Tax List, 1814, 1827, Georgia Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 28, Nos. 1-2 (Winter 1988).
 * 1890 - Tax Return Notice, 1890, Pee Dee Queue, Vol. 31, No. 6 (Nov. 2007). Vol. 31 Iss. 6.

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; however, delayed birth certificates exist for many county residents from the late 1800s and early 1900s because the clerk recorded all the births listed in family Bibles residents brought before him. For a copy of a birth from 1915 or later, contact the South Carolina Department of Health. The Marion 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 Marion 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


 * 1791-1861 - Marriage, Death, and Estate Notices from Georgetown, South Carolina Newspapers, 1791-1861 WorldCat - index
 * 1800-1825 - Marion County Marriage Index 1800-1825. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1800-1825 - List of Memoranda of Marriage Licenses Granted in Marion County, South Carolina, as Found in Minute Book of the Probate Court for said County Covering the Years 1800 to 1825 - abstract
 * 1800-1829 - Marriages, 1800-1829 - records
 * 1800-1829 - Memoranda of Marriage Licenses Issued by the Court of Ordinary of Marion County, South Carolina Which Appears in Part of an Old Will Book  - abstract
 * 1858-1886 - Genealogical Abstracts from Marion, South Carolina Newspapers, 1858-1886 by Gloria Calhoun WorldCat - abstract
 * 1911-1950 - Marion County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, July 1911-Dec. 1950 - records
 * 1911-1952 - Marion County, South Carolina Marriage Registers Continued by Bound Marriage Licenses, 1911-1952 - 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 Marion 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


 * 1858-1886 - Genealogical Abstracts from Marion, South Carolina Newspapers, 1858-1886 by Gloria Calhoun WorldCat - abstract
 * 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.

Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
Pee Dee Chapter SCGS Old Marion District P.O. Box 1428 Marion SC 29571-1428 Old Marion District includes Marion, Florence and Dillon Counties.

Family History Centers

 * Family History Centers in South Carolina

Websites

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