Edgefield County, South Carolina Genealogy

United States South Carolina  Edgefield County

Quick Dates
Edgefield County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
Clerk of Court Court and Land records on-line documents and index at landaccess.com

Probate Court Probate and marriage records

Contact: Edgefield County, South Carolina 124 Courthouse Square Edgefield, SC 29824 Phone: 803-637-4000 Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday

History
Edgefield County is said to have been given it's name because it lies on the edge of the Savannah River and also on the edge of Indian Lands (at the time) and South Carolina. During the eighteenth century, a group of German Palatines settled what was then known as Londonborough Township, which is now a part of Edgefield County. Learn more about the history of Edgefield County from the South Carolina State Library or from Carolana.com.

Parent County/Boundary Changes

 * 1785 - Thirty-three counties were created within existing South Carolina Districts. Edgefield County was created within Ninety-Six District.
 * 1800 - Edgefield re-christened a district and Ninety-Six District was abolished.
 * 1868 - Edgefield and all other districts became counties.
 * 10 March 1871: Aiken created from Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington, and Orangeburg counties.
 * 1896 - Saluda was created from Edgefield County.
 * 1897 - Greenwood was created from Abbeville and Edgefield Counties.
 * 1898 - Greenwood gained from Abbeville and Edgefield Counties.
 * 1916 - McCormick was created from Abbeville, Greenwood, and Edgefield Counties.
 * 1921 - McCormick exchanged with Edgefield County.

For more information as well as maps of Edgefield County through time, see the South Carolina State Archives or South Carolina County Maps and Atlases.

County Seat
The county seat of Edgefield County is Edgefield.

County Pronunciation
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Record Loss

 * Lost census: 1890

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

African Americans
United States African Americans South Carolina African Americans


 * Burton, Vernon. "Race and Reconstruction: Edgefield County, South Carolina," Journal of Social History, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Autumn, 1978), pp. 31-56. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * Edgefield County, S.C. African American Cemeteries: With Additional Church History Documentation; Contains Cemetery Surveys, with Historical Information on Each Church. Edgefield, S.C.: Old Edgefield District Genealogical Society, 2002.
 * Heinegg, Paul. "'Other Free' Heads of Household in the 1790 South Carolina Census, by County," Free African Americans.com. [Includes free blacks in Edgefield County.]
 * Taylor, Tonya A. Browder. Free Persons of Color, Edgefield District, South Carolina, from the Federal Census Records, 1790-1860: With Additional Documentation from Various Georgia Counties, 1819-1820. Johnston, S.C.: Old Edgefield Pub. Co., 2003.

Cemeteries
There are more than # burial grounds in the county. To view a list, see Edgefield County, South Carolina Cemeteries.

Census
1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Edgefield 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 Edgefield County, SC census assignments, including links to transcribed files [The USGenWeb Census Project®]

1790

 * McClendon, Carlee T. The First Federal Census, 1790, the Second Federal Census, 1800, Edgefield County, South Carolina. 1959.

1800

 * McClendon, Carlee T. The First Federal Census, 1790, the Second Federal Census, 1800, Edgefield County, South Carolina. 1959.

1820

 * Jarrell, Lawrence E. 1820 Edgefield District, South Carolina Census. High Point, N.C.: Alligator Creek Genealogy Publications, 1998.

1820 Manufactures
The original manufactures schedules for South Carolina are kept at the NARA, Washington, D.C. FHL copies:.

Published abstract:


 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. ; digital version at Lineages. [Includes this county.]

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, Edgefield District on page 142.]

1850

 * Buff, L.H. The Edgefield District (SC) 1850 Census. Lexington, S.C.: Lexington Genealogical Association, 2000.

1860

 * McKinney, Margaret Vaughan. Edgefield County, South Carolina 1860 Census. Augusta, Ga.: Augusta Genealogical Society, n.d.

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
More than 100 genealogies have been published about Edgefield County families. To view a list, visit Edgefield County, South Carolina Genealogy.

Deeds
The original Edgefield County deed books are kept at the county courthouse. The years 1787 to 1866 have been microfilmed:. The first 41 books have been published:


 * [1786-1796] Hendrix, Ge Lee Corley. Edgefield County, South Carolina, Abstracts of Deed Books 1-12, 1786-1796. Easley, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 1985.
 * [1796-1826] Wells, Carol. Edgefield County, South Carolina Deed Books [Books 13-41, 1796-1826]. Multivolume. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1997-2007.

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

 * Burton, Orville Vernon. In My Father's Are Many Mansions: Family and Community in Edgefield, South Carolina. Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 1985. [Burton analyzes census data on every resident of Edgefield County between 1850 and 1880.]
 * Chapman, John Abney. Chapman, John Abney. History of Edgefield County from the Earliest Settlement to 1897 (Newberry, S.C.: Elbert H. Aull, Publisher and Printer, 1897), 521 pages. Biographical and anecdotical, with sketches of the Seminole War, nullification, secession, reconstruction, churches and literature, withh rolls of all the companies from Edgefield in the war of secession, war with Mexico and with the Seminole Indians Digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archives.

Migration

 * Dumont, Louise M. "Migrants from Edgefield County, S.C. 1842-1852," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 57, No. 2 (June 1969):105-108.

Early migration routes to and from Edgefield County for European settlers included:


 * Savannah River pre-historic
 * Occaneechi Path pre-historic
 * Middle Creek Trading Path pre-historic
 * Fort Moore-Charleston Trail about 1716
 * Fall Line Road about 1735
 * Augusta and Cherokee Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Augusta-Savannah Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Augusta-St. Augustine Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Great Valley Road (south fork) 1740s
 * Charleston-Ft. Charlotte Trail about 1765
 * Fort Charlotte and Cherokee Old Path about 1777

General

 * "Brigade orders, headquarters, 1834," Quill, July 2007, Volume 23, Issue 4. Old Edgefield District Archives Chapter: Edgefield, SC.
 * "Reorganization of the Upper Battalion of the 10th Regiment of SC Militia, 1834," Quill, May 2007, Volume 23, Issue 3. Old Edgefield District Archives Chapter: Edgefield, SC.
 * "Troops from district, 1836," Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History, July 1996, Volume 10, Issue 3. Piedmont Historical Society: Spartansburg, SC.

Revolutionary War

 * "Elizabeth Marshall Martin fam., Rev. War experiences, SC," Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History, February 2004, Volume 18, Issue 1. Piedmont Historical Society: Spartansburg, SC.
 * "Soldiers from 96 dist., Stono Ferry ba.," Quill, November 2002, Volume 18, Issue 6. Old Edgefield District Archives Chapter : Edgefield, SC
 * "Sam. Walker bio., soldier," Quill, July 2002, Volume 18, Issue 5. Old Edgefield District Archives Chapter: Edgefield, SC
 * "Incidents in co., c. 1780," Quill November 2001, Volume 17, Issue 6. Old Edgefield District Archives Chapter: Edgefield, SC.
 * "Cloud's Creek massacre, 1781," Quill July 1999, Volume 15, Issue 4. Old Edgefield District Archives Chapter: Edgefield, SC.
 * "Pension applications, 1835," Roots and Branches, July 1999, Volume 20, Issue 2. Tusaloosa Genealogical Society c/o Mary Sinclair : Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
 * "Royalist regiment refugees," Quill, May 1997, Volume 13, Issue 3. Old Edgefield District Archives Chapter: Edgefield, SC.
 * "Ryan's co., SC militia payroll, 1779," Genealogical Roots and Branches, December 1995, Volume 16, Issues 3-4. Old Ninety-Six Chapter, SCGS : Greenwood, SC.
 * "Edgefield in the Rev. War," Quill, June 1995, June 1992, May 1992. Old Edgefield District Archives Chapter: Edgefield, SC.
 * "James McDavid intent fraud," Quill February 1995. Old Edgefield District Archives Chapter: Edgefield, SC.
 * "Revolutionary pensioners, Edgefield," Quill, May 1992. Old Edgefield District Archives Chapter: Edgefield, SC.
 * "Butler co., SC volunteers, 1782 muster roll," Carolinas Genealogical Society Bulletin, Fall 1970, Volume 7, Issue 2. Carolinas Genealogical Society : Monroe, NC.
 * Sheahan, John J. Military markers and data: cemeteries located in Edgefield County, South Carolina. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1996.

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. ; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Edgefield County, pp. 184-185. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]
 * "Pension list," Annals of Edgefield District, December 1986, Issue 4. Old Edgefield District Archives Chapter, South Carolina: Edgefield, SC.

Civil War
Civil War service men from Edgefield County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies and regiments that were formed with many men from Edgefield County.


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry, Company C (also known as Edgefield Rangers)
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Artillery, Company K
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops (6 months 1863-64), Companies B and I
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry
 * - Company G (also known as Bonham's Light Dragoons)
 * - Company I (also known as Edgefield Hussars or formerly known as Company A, Cavalry Battalion, Hampton Legion)
 * - 5th Regiment, South Carolina Reserves (90 days 1862-63), Companies C and K
 * - 6th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Meriwether's)
 * - Company C - Roster
 * - Company D - Roster
 * - Company E - Roster
 * - Aiken's Mounted Infantry, South Carolina


 * Chapman, John Abney. Chapman, John Abney. History of Edgefield County from the Earliest Settlement to 1897 (Newberry, S.C.: Elbert H. Aull, Publisher and Printer, 1897), 521 pages. Biographical and anecdotical, with sketches of the Seminole War, nullification, secession, reconstruction, churches and literature, withh rolls of all the companies from Edgefield in the war of secession, war with Mexico and with the Seminole Indians Digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archives.

Newspapers
Historic

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


 * Anti-Monarchist, and South-Carolina Advertiser (Edgefield Court House, S.C.) 1811-1819. Search online at GenealogyBank.com ($)
 * Edgefield Advertiser (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current.
 * Edgefield County Press (Edgefield, S.C.) 1977-1982.
 * Edgefield Informer (Edgefield C.H., S.C.) 1856-1856.
 * Edgefield Weekly Monitor (Johnston, Edgefield County, S.C.) 1877-1900.
 * Johnston News (Johnston, S.C.) 1903-1906.
 * Johnston News-Monitor (Johnston, Edgefield County, S.C.) 1906-1915.
 * The Carolinian (Edgefield Court House, S.C.) 1829-1836.
 * The Citizen-News (Johnston, S.C.) 1982-current.
 * The Edgefield Chronicle (Edgefield, S.C.) 1881-1925.
 * The Edgefield County News (Edgefield, S.C.) 1972-1982.
 * The Edgefield Farmer (Edgefield, S.C.) 1892-1894.
 * The Edgefield Hive (Pottersville [i.e., Edgefield], S.C.) 1827-1829.
 * The Edgefield Hive (Pottersville, S.C.) 1829-1830.
 * The Johnston Herald (Johnston, S.C.) 1923-1947.
 * The Pottersville Hive (Pottersville, S.C.) 1981-1981.
 * The Ridge Citizen (Johnston, S.C.) 1947-1982.
 * The South-Carolina Republican (Pottersville, Near Edgefield Ct. Hs., S.C.) 1824-1827.
 * The Weekly Monitor  (Johnston, Edgefield County, S.C.) 1900-1906.

Current

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:


 * Homeplace
 * Quill (Family History Library book 975.7 D25q .)
 * Annals of Edgefield District (Family History Library book 975.737H25a .)

Probate Records
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. They have placed Will Transcriptions for 1782 to 1855 online. Index searchable by name and the image is available.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Edgefield County wills. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * Edgefield Will Books A and B: 1787-1818
 * Edgefield Will Book C: 1818-1831

Miscellaneouw Probate Records, 1785-1868; indexes to records, 1785-1957. Edgefield County Probate Court. Microfilm of original at the Edgeffield Coutny courthouse in Edggefield, South Carolina.

Additional Edgefield County probate resources include:


 * Lesley Prey, comp. Edgefield County, South Carolina Wills, Books 1-2 [1836-1853] [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. Available at Ancestry ($). Original data: Edgefield County, South Carolina Wills, Book D, 1-2. For more information, see.

Taxation
To learn more about using Edgefield's tax records, see:


 * Genealogy 101, Guide to Researching Tax Records, Homeplace, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Spring 2008).

Original sources
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History microfilmed a set of Returns of Edgefield County Personal Property covering the years 1869 and 1870. Copies:

Published abstracts

 * [1787] Holcomb, Brent H. Two 1787 Tax Lists from Ninety Six District, S.C. 1974.
 * [1865] Glenn, Tricia Price. 1865 Edgefield County Tax Returns. n.p.: n.p., 200-?.
 * [1865] Tax Returns, 1865, Homeplace, Vol. 3, No. 1 (Spring 2008).
 * [1865] County Tax Records, 1865, Quill, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Jan. 2002); Vol. 18, No. 2 (Mar. 2002); Vol. 18, No. 3 (May 2002); Vol. 18, No. 4 (Jul. 2002); Vol. 18, No. 5 (Jul. 2002); Vol. 18, No. 6 (Nov. 2002); Vol. 19, No. 1 (Jan. 2003); Vol. 19, No. 2 (Mar. 2003); Vol. 19, No. 3 (May 2003); Vol. 19, No. 5 (Sep. 2003); Vol. 19, No. 6 (Nov. 2003); Vol. 20, No. 1 (Jan. 2004); Vol. 20, No. 2 (Mar. 2004); Vol. 20, No. 3 (May 2004).
 * [1891] Browder, Tonya A., Malissa N. Browder, and Glenn R. Zimmerman. Edgefield County, S.C.: Sifting through the Ashes of the 1890 Census. Edgefield, S.C.: Old Edgefield Pub. Co., 2008. [Includes 1891 tax list and 1891 census of Edgefield village.]
 * [1892] Colored School Districts Taxable Poll List, 1892, Quill, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Jul. 2005).
 * [1919] Statistics on Wealth of People and Institutions, 1919, Quill, Vol. 25, No. 3 (May 2009).

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. For a copy of a birth from 1915 or later, contact the South Carolina Department of Health. The Edgefield 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.

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 Edgefield 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


 * 1769-1880 - Edgefield County Marriages, 1769-1880: Implied in Edgefield County, South Carolina Probate Records by Barbara R. Langdon WorldCat  - index
 * 1830 - "Marriage and Death Notices from the Edgefield Hive: Jan.-Dec. 1830, Vol. 1" by Elizabeth D. English Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * 1911-1947 - Proof of Marriages Prior to July 1, 1911; Marriage Registers, 1911-1947
 * 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 Edgefield 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


 * 1830 - "Marriage and Death Notices from the Edgefield Hive: Jan.-Dec. 1830, Vol. 1," by Elizabeth D. English Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * 1844-1902 - Inquisition books, 1844-1902
 * 1914-1960 - 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.

Archives, Libraries, Museums
Edgefield County Public Library

Address: 105 Court House Square Edgefield, SC 29824 Telephone: (803) 637-4025 Hours of Operation: Monday to Wednesday 10:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m.,Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday 10:00 to 6:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Sunday Closed The Edgefield County Library is part of the ABBE Regional System listed below. The Edgefield Library Catalog is shared with the other three counties in the ABBE Regional Library System. To access the Catalog, Click Here. You can subscribe to an email newsletter and select to receive information from the Edgefield branch among other places and subjects. To subscribe Click Here.

Other Edgefield County Libraries

The links below lead to the websites of the other libraries in Edgefield County. Each has its own hours and services, but all share the same cartalog. For more information the other Edgefield County libraries, select the links below


 * Johnston Address: 407 Calhoun Street Johnston, SC 29832 Phone: (803) 275-5157 Hours of operation: Monday 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Wednesday Closed, Thursday 12:00 to 6:00, Friday to Sunday Closed


 * Trenton Address: 117 Watson Road Trenton, SC 29847 Phone: (803) 275-2538 Hours of Operation: Monday Closed, Tuesday to Wednesday 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Thursday to Friday; Closed, Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Sunday Closed


 * Edgefield County Library is part of the ABBE Regional Library System (The Aiken-Bamberg-Barnwell-Edgefield Regional Library System) that is headquaterred in Aiken county. It serves the four western South Carolina counties of Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, and Edgefield. It has 14 branches and a bookmobile in its system.


 * South Carolina Digital Library The South Carolina Digital Library (SCDL) is a collaborative effort to encourage South Carolina schools, libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions. Its mission is to encourage institutions to create, maintain, and promote digital collections that represent South Carolina's historical and cultural resources. SCDL envisions a central web presence that will become a research tool for K-12 students, researchers in higher education, and other life-long learners of South Carolina’s history and culture. . The web site will give greater access to the rare and special South Carolina historical materials housed in the many museums, libraries, archives, and historical institutions in the state.

SCDL's primary offerings for Edgefield Countycurrently include various maps - including topographical and Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, artifacts and letters.

Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
Old Edgefield District Genealogical Society SCGS Chapter P.O. Box 546 Edgefield SC 29824-0546 803-637-4010 Contact: oedgs@spiritcom.net

Old 96 Chapter SCGS P.O. Box 3468 Greenwood SC 29648-3468

Old 96 Chapter covers Greenwood, Abbeville and part of Edgefield and McCormick Counties.

Family History Centers
Family History Centers in South Carolina

Web Sites

 * Edgefield County, SCGenWe
 * Edgefield County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)