St. Stephens Parish, South Carolina

United States South Carolina  Berkeley County  St. Stephen's Parish

History
St. Stephen's Parish has served Berkeley County and historic Craven County and Charleston District.

Founded

 * 1754

Boundary

 * Borders Prince Frederick, St. David's, St. James Santee, St. John's Berkeley, St. Mark's, and St. Thomas and St. Denis parishes. For a map, see: Early parishes in South Carolina. An overlay of districts is available at Carolana.com.

Research Guides

 * South Carolina Archives Summary Guide: St. Stephen's Parish, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

Cemeteries
More than 1,000 graves at the parish church cemetery are described at Find A Grave. Includes transcripts and select photographs.

Cemetery records for several private burial grounds within St. Stephen's Parish have been transcribed:


 * Gregorie, Anne King. "Inscriptions from Oldfield and Mayham Plantations St. Stephen's Parish," The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 27, No. 4 (Oct. 1926):215-218. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * Inscriptions on Tomb-Stones, Private Burying Grounds, on the Santee River in Old St. Stephen's Parish S.C.: Cantey, or Stone Plantation The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 26, No. 2 (Apr. 1925):113-121. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * "Corrections: Inscriptions on Tomb-Stones, Private Burying Grounds, on the Santee River in Old St. Stephen's Parish S.C.," The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 26, No. 3 (Jul. 1925):182. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

Parish History
For an early history of the parish, see Chapter 15, St. Stephen's Parish, pages 328-331, in:


 * Dalcho, Frederick. An Historical Account of the Protestant Episcopal Church in South Carolina from the First Settlement of the Province, to the War of the Revolution; with Notices of the Present State of the Church in Each Parish and Some Account of the Early Civil History of Carolina, Never Before Published. Charleston: E. Thayer, 1820. digital versions at Google Books; Internet Archive;.

Parish Records
St. Stephen's Parish has a rich archive of early records including oaths, minutes, accounts, receipts, expenditures, baptisms, burials, communicants, confirmations, families, historic facts, marriages, offerings and fees. In the 1950s, they were held at the Bishop's office, St. Philip's Church, Charleston. Copies:

Parish Registers
Parish registers have been abstracted:


 * Misenhelter, Jane Searles. St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, St. Stephen, S.C. Including Church of the Epiphany, Upper St. John's Berkeley, and Chapel of Ease, Pineville, S.C. Columbia, S.C.: State Printing, 1977.

South Carolina Historical Society holdings:


 * "St. Stephen’s (Episcopal) Church. Berkeley Co. Records, 1754-1888. 1 vol. and 3 folders."


 * "1850 copy of 18th-century vestry minutes contains forms for oaths to be sworn by colonial officials. Gaps in the minutes extend from 1776-83 and 1802-56. Material (ca. 1873) on the Rev. P. F. Stevens. Huguenot names appearing include Cahusac, Cordes, DuBose, Gaillard, Guerry, Marion, Mazÿck, Peyre, Porcher, and Richbourg. Other names occurring include Cooper, Grant, Palmer, and Sinkler. Rough vestry minutes (1754-68) include information on erection of church and the 1754 engagement of A. Keith as rector. Mention (1755) of the vestry being “qualified” by a magistrate. Correspondence (1869-79) of the Rev. P. F. Stevens. Brief history of the parish (1808-73) by W. Mazÿck Porcher."


 * "St. Stephen’s and St. John’s Parishes. Berkeley County. Register, 1819-1884. 1 vol."


 * "Chapels united by a shared minister and shared records were the Pineville Church, a chapel of ease for St. Stephen’s Parish Church; Black Oak, a chapel for the parish church St. John’s, Biggin; and the Rocks, chapel in upper St. John’s. Black Oak became a parish in 1855 as Trinity Church, Pinopolis. In 1870 it reverted to mission status as one of the united chapels. These records have been collected from plantation houses and summer residences at the pineland villages as well as the churches. These records include baptisms (1828-89); marriages (1828-42); burials (1828-43, 1877-90); confirmations (1877-84). Family names represented in the records include Bonneau, Cain, Couturier, De Veaux, Du Bose, Marion, Mazÿck, and Sinkler."

Vestry Books
Vestry books have also been abstracted:


 * Porcher, Anne Allston. "Minutes of the Vestry of St. Stephen's Parish, South Carolina, 1754-1873," The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 45, No. 2 (Apr. 1944):65-70; Vol. 45, No. 3 (Jul. 1944):157-171; Vol. 45, No. 4 (Oct. 1944):217-221; Vol. 46, No. 1 (Jan. 1945):40-48; Vol. 46, No. 2 (Apr. 1945):93-102. digital version at JSTOR ($);

Websites

 * St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Marker, The Historical Marker Database. Includes photographs and history.