Oconee County, South Carolina Genealogy

Guide to Oconee County, South Carolina ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
Oconee County was named from the Cherokee word "Ae-quo-nee" meaning "land beside the water." Oconee was a local Cherokee town that was situated on the main British/Cherokee trading path between Charleston and the Mississippi River in the early 18th century. The county is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Oconee County Courthouse 205 West Main Street Walhalla, SC 29691 Phone: 864-916-7306 Oconee County Website

County Pronunciation

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cemeteries

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

Census Records

 * 1829-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index & Images

Federal


 * 1890 United States Census 1890

Church Records
Baptist
 * Shoal Creek - records (1796-1853) available on microfilm at University of NC Davis Library (Serial 1-1274).

Presbyterian
 * The Old Stone Church, Oconee County, South Carolina. Columbia, S.C.?: Old Stone Church and Cemetery Association with cooperation of the Andrew Pickens and Cateechee Chapters, D.A.R., 1905. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * Oconee County has court records from 1868 that are held in the office of the Clerk of Court. Since Oconee County was formed from Pickens County the records of this county may also be searched.
 * The South Carolina Archives and History Center has court records available on microfilm for Oconee County.
 * Dates Vary Oconee County, Eighth Judicial Circuit Court Public Index – index; courts include Circuit Court, Summary Court and Masters-in-Equity, records added periodically

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans United States African Americans South Carolina African Americans Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:
 * Megginson, W.J. Black Soldiers in World War I: Anderson, Pickens and Oconee Counties, South Carolina; with a Discussion of Pensions for Civil War Slave Labor. Seneca, S.C.: Oconee County Historical Society, 1994.
 * Florideville
 * Seneca
 * Westville

Native American
 * Seaborn, Margaret Mills. From 1730 through 1776, Cherokee Indian Towns of Oconee County, South Carolina: With Principal Paths. n.p.: n.p., 1974. Map.

Genealogies

 * [Ballenger] Knox, John Ballenger. The Ballenger Family of Oconee County, South Carolina. Seneca, S.C.: Grady Woodfin Ballenger, [1956].
 * [Beck] Koyle, Susan Lewis and Patricia Lewis Cramer. Ancestors and Descendants of Colonel Samuel Beck and Tabitha Langston. 1997. ; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * [Cain] Malone, James T. and Royleta Clopton Malone. William Cain Sr. and His Descendants 1795-2000: With Allied Lines of Murdock, Gibson, Cole and Others, in the States of South Carolina, Georgia, Texas and Oklahoma. Hemet, Calif.: J.T. Malone, 2001.
 * [Davis] Mentzel, Laura W. Davis Families of the Savannah River Valley: Containing a Record of the Descendants of Van and Harmon Davis from 1725-1978, Covering the Counties of Newberry, Anderson, Pickens, Oconee Counties of South Carolina; Habersham, Franklin, Hart, Stephens, Polk, Paulding, Gwinnett Counties of Georgia. Salt Lake City, Utah: Hobby Press, 1978.
 * [Gilmer] Walker, Robert B. Our Family Genealogy. Typescript. Microfilmed 1960.
 * [Grant] Grant, Bishop Franklin (Mrs.). Grant Family of South Carolina. Typescript.
 * [Hair] Hair, Thomas Lee. The Long Journey, a Family History, 1687-1991: Embracing an Account of the Arrivals, Movements, and Ultimate Dispersal of the Southern Branches and Descendants of Eleven Allied Families: Adams, Ballenger, Cleveland, Duke, Hair, Harbin, Lewis, Lyles, O'Kelley, Trail, Ward. Spartanburg, S.C.: Reprint Company Publishers, 1992.
 * [Hunter] Hunter, Raymond E. The Hunters and Related Families in the Southeastern United States. Augusta, Ga.: R.E. Hunter, 1990.
 * [Queen] Russell, Jerry Franklin. Red-Redd, Russell, Powell. MSS., 1989. Item 13
 * [Shedd] Campbell, A.G. Those Other Trapps: Including Some Allied Persons. [Alpine, Calif.]: A.G. Campbell, 1992.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records The following chart show where you may best expect to find land records.
 * The settlement of Pendleton District, 1777-1800,

Local Histories

 * History of old Pendleton District with a genealogy of the leading families of the district
 * 1913 version
 * 1978 version


 * The settlement of Pendleton District, 1777-1800

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Oconee County for European settlers included:, and William E. Myer, Indian Trails of the Southeast, 12-14, and the book's pocket map "The Trail System of the Southeastern United States in the early Colonial Period" (1923). ▲
 * Savannah River pre-historic
 * Old Cherokee Path pre-historic
 * Lower Cherokee Traders' Path pre-historic
 * Coosa-Tugaloo Indian Warpath
 * Tugaloo-Apalachee Bay Trail
 * Augusta and Cherokee Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Old South Carolina State Road 1747
 * Charleston-Ft. Charlotte Trail about 1765
 * Fort Charlotte and Cherokee Old Path about 1777
 * Upper Road about 1783
 * Unicoi Trail or Turnpike 1813

Military Records
French and Indian War
 * "Garrison at Ft. Prince George, 1756, Keowee," Tulsa Annals, January 1973, Volume 8, Issue 1. Tulsa Genealogical Society: Tulsa, OK.

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. . Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Oconee County, p. 187. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

South Carolina State Militia
 * Holder, Frederick C.; South Carolina (State) Militia, 2nd Regiment; South Carolina (State) Militia, 5th Regiment; Oconee County Historical Society (Oconee County, South Carolina). The Bailey A. Barton Muster Roll Book of Pickens District, South Carolina [1858]. Seneca, S.C.: Oconee County Historical Society, 1990. Book 975.723 M2b; Film 1697757 item 12. Reviewed in The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 91, No. 4 (Oct. 1990):280-281. Digital version of review at JSTOR ($). Covers present Pickens and Oconee counties.

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index & Images
 * 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. Oconee County was created in 1868, three years after the Civil War ended. Men living in the area of what is now Oconee County may have served in regiments from Pickens District/County.
 * - 1st Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry, Company F
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Rifles (Orr's), Company A (also known as Kowee Riflemen), Company C (also known as Mountain Boys), Company E (also known as Oconee Riflemen), and Company F (also known as Blue Ridge Rifles)
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Rifles, Company B and Company C
 * - 10th Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry, Company B

Other Resources
 * Bell, Louise Matheson. Rebels in Grey: Soldiers from Pickens District, 1861-1865 ( Seneca, S.C.: Greys of Oconee Chapter No. 1783, United Daughters of the Confederacy, ©1984), 172 pages. Concerns Pickens and Oconee Counties..

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry ($)

Historic The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Oconee 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.
 * Farm and Factory (Seneca, S.C.) 1903-1929.
 * Keowee Courier (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current.
 * The Journal and Tribune (Seneca, S.C.) 1952-1985.
 * The Journal/Tribune (Seneca, S.C.) 1985-current.
 * The Messenger (Seneca, S.C.) 1954-current.
 * The New Carolinian (Seneca, S.C.) 1897-1898.
 * The Oconee News (Walhalla, S.C.) 1901-1911.
 * The Seneca Journal (Seneca, S.C.) 1930-1952.
 * The Westminster News (Westminster, S.C.) 1953-current.
 * Tugaloo Tribune (Westminster, S.C.) 1909-1952.
 * Walhalla Banner (Walhalla, S.C.) 185?-1???.

University of South Carolina Library Catalog
 * Historical Newspapers of South Carolina at University of South Carolina Libraries - not complete

Periodicals

 * Old Pendleton District Newsletter

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 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.
 * Probate records for the county are available in probate court, court of ordinary, and court of equity. Early probate records may be found in Pendleton District. See probate index for these early records at:
 * Judy Chandler Ballard. W.P.A. will transcripts of Pendleton District ; Anderson County, S.C., 1790-1857. Walterboro, South Carolina J.C. Ballard, (1995?).
 * 1670-1980 South Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1670-1980 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 1671-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images Only
 * 1732-1964 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images Only
 * 1737-1964 South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964 at Ancestry - images ($)
 * 1782-1866 South Carolina, Will Transcripts 1782-1866 at Findmypast — index($) — $, index
 * 1980s-Current South Carolina Probate Index, Oconee County at SouthCarolinaProbate.net - index; records added periodically

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records Published abstracts
 * South Carolina Department of Archives and History tax lists for Oconee County.
 * 1864 Internal Revenue Assessment, 1864, Old Pendleton District Newsletter, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Mar. 2009).

To see how the Civil War financially impacted residents of Oconee County, South Carolina, compare values of real and personal estates on the 1860 Census, with 1866-1867 tax records:


 * 1866-1867 Rich, Peggy Burton and Margarette Gibbs Ogle. Pickens District, South Carolina 1866 Tax List, January 1, 1866- January 1, 1867. n.p.: South Carolina Genealogical Society. Old Pendleton Chapter, 1991.

Birth

 * 1766-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index & Images
 * 1915-1917 South Carolina, U.S., Births, 1915-1917 at Ancestry - index & images ($)

Birth Substitutes - Indexes
 * 1849-1949 Keowee Courier Newspaper by Oconee County, South Carolina USGenWeb - index, incomplete

Marriage
Online Marriage Records and Indexes
 * 1826-1848; 1857-1871 Abstract of Marriages and Deaths from the Pendleton Messenger, 1826- 1848, the Keowee Courier, 1857-1871, - index
 * 1849-1868 The Keowee Courier, 1849-1851, 1857-1861 and 1865-1868 by Colleen M. Elliot, - missing years, index
 * 1849-1949 Keowee Courier Newspaper by Oconee County, South Carolina USGenWeb - index, incomplete
 * 1911-1950 Marriage Licenses, 1911-1950 - records
 * 1980s-Current South Carolina Marriage Index, Oconee County at SouthCarolinaProbate.net - index; records added periodically
 * There are several online marriage indexes containing miscellaneous marriage records found insome counties of South Carolina listed on the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Death
Online Death Records and Indexes
 * 1816-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1821-1969 South Carolina, U.S., Death Records, 1821-1969 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1826-1848; 1857-1871 Abstract of Marriages and Deaths from the Pendleton Messenger, 1826- 1848, the Keowee Courier, 1857-1871, - index
 * 1849-1868 The Keowee Courier, 1849-1851, 1857-1861 and 1865-1868 by Colleen M. Elliot, - missing years, index
 * 1915-1943 South Carolina, Deaths, 1915-1943 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
 * 1915-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index & 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.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Anderson South Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Cornelia Georgia FamilySearch Center
 * Seneca South Carolina FamilySearch Center


 * Greenville County Library System - an affiliate library
 * York County Libraries - Clover - an affiliate library

Libraries
Libraries Oconee County Public Library'''The library has a South Carolina History/Local Genealogy collection housed at the main library in Walhalla. Holdings include family histories, historical maps, cemetery listings and indexes, biographies of noted South Carolinians, and the local newspapers on microfilm.Website Items in the collection cannot be circulated or loaned to other libraries.The Library lacks sufficient staff to do research, nor do they respond to letters from persons requesting such services. Names and addresses of persons in the area who do research for a fee can be provided when such a person is known, However, staff may do limited searching when good information is provided. Costs to cover photocopying and postage are ($)5.00 per name searched.
 * Walhalla Main Library Address: 501 West South Broad Street Walhalla, SC 29691 Telephone: 864-638-4133 FAX: 864-638-4132 Hours: Monday/Tuesday 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., Wednesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Sundays (Sept. - May) 2 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
 * Salem Library Address: 5-B Park Avenue Salem, SC 29676 Telephone: 864-944-0912 Hours: Monday 10:00 a.m. - 6 p.m., Tuesday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday &amp; Sunday CLOSED
 * Seneca Library Address: 300 E. S. Second Street Seneca, SC 29678 Telephone: 864-882-4855 Hours: Mondays and Thursdays 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday CLOSED
 * Westminster Library Address: 112 W. North Avenue Westminster, SC 29693 Telephone: 864-647-3215 Hours: Monday 11:30 a.m. - 8 p.m., Tuesday - Friday 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sunday CLOSED

Museums
Oconee Heritage Center 123 Browns Square Drive P.O. Box 395 Walhalla, SC 29691 Telephone: (864) 638-2224 Email: [mailto:info@oconeeheritagecenter.org info@oconeeheritagecenter.org] Hours of Operation: Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 5pm (and by special Appointment). The Oconee Heritage Center (OHC) brings history back to life through museum exhibits, educational programs, festivals ,and more. Among other things visitors explore the history of Native Americans, Immigration, Railroads, New Deal Programs, Textile Mills, and Agriculture as it relates to Oconee County.Website

Societies
Old Pendleton District includes Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties.
 * Old Pendleton District SCGS Chapter P.O. Box 603 Central SC 29630-0603 E-mail: [mailto:claytonroom@swi.edu claytonroom@swi.edu] Website
 * Oconee History Museum 123 Browns Square Dr. Walhalla, SC 864-638-2224 E-mail: [mailto:info@oconeehistorymuseum.org info@oconeehistorymuseum.org] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Oconee County, SCGenWeb
 * Oconee County, USGenWeb Archives
 * Oconee County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * OPDGS Research Center
 * OPDGS Mainpage


 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

 * South Carolina Archives Summary Guide: Oconee County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
 * Inventory of county archives of South Carolina no. 37, Oconee County (Walhalla)