Liberty County, South Carolina Genealogy

History
Liberty County was created in 1785 within Georgetown District from the northernmost quarter part of the overarching Georgetown District. See the 1785 South Carolina map.

Liberty County was never surveyed or properly laid out. Its boundaries were ambiguous. Its county government never became functional. Most records were kept at the parish level, or at the Georgetown District level; none were kept at the county level. There was no county seat. There were no political connotations to the county's existence. In this case the term "county" had no meaning other than to describe an approximate geographical area. It was a county in name only.

Liberty County was officially renamed Marion County in 1798. However, census officials were slow to make the change and used Liberty County in the 1800 federal census.

For documents of people who lived in this area 1785-1798, look in:


 * Prince Frederick Parish records since 1734
 * St. David's Parish records since 1768
 * papers filed in the district seat at Georgetown District, South Carolina
 * papers filed in the early capital at Charleston, South Carolina

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.