Greenwood County, South Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for its county seat, Greenwood. This had been named around 1824 after a plantation owned by John McGehee, an early resident. The area was developed largely for cotton plantations and was dependent on slave labor. It has continued to be agricultural in the 21st century. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Greenwood County Courthouse 528 Monument Street Greenwood, SC 29646 Phone: 864-942-8546 Greenwood 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

 * There are more than 25 burial grounds in the county. To view a list, see Greenwood County, South Carolina Cemeteries.
 * National Cemetery Administration

Census Records

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

Church Records
Greenwood County Churches identifies dozens of churches in the area, courtesy: South Carolina Genealogical Society.

Baptist
 * Siloam - records (1799-1853) available on microfilm at the University of NC Davis Library.

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * Dates Vary Greenwood 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:
 * Barratt House - also called Chinaquin Ridge
 * Chinaquin Ridge - also called Barratt House
 * J. Wesley Brooks House - also called Scotch Cross
 * Jew's Land
 * Leaside
 * Murrays Hard Labor - also called White Hall
 * Roselands
 * Scotch Cross - also called J. Wesley Brooks House
 * Stony Point
 * White Hall - also called Murrays Hard Labor
 * Winterseat

Genealogies
General Surname indexes to Leonardo Andrea's Files | Folders | Resources are available online, courtesy: The Andrea Files: South Carolina Genealogical Research. Learn more.
 * Watson, Margaret J., Harry Legare Watson, and Louise M. Watson. Greenwood County Sketches: Old Roads and Early Families. Greenwood, S.C.: Attic Press, 1982..
 * Greenwood County, SC Genealogy Forum (GenForum)

Bibliography
 * Dorn - Wood, Willie Mae G. Old Families of McCormick County, South Carolina and Dorn Families of Edgefield, Greenwood and McCormick Counties. 2 vols. 1982.

Land and Property Records
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. Online Land Indexes and Records The following chart show where you may best expect to find land records.

Local Histories

 * Bowen, Anne Herd. Greenwood County: a History (Greenwood, South Carolina: The Museum, 1992, c1992, Kingsport, Tennessee: Arcata Graphics), 400 pages. Concerns the very earliest people, institutions, and events. Book found at ▲

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Military Records
Revolutionary War
 * "Battle of Ninety Six note," SAR Magazine, Winter 2001, Volume 95, Issue 3. National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution: Louisville, KY.
 * "Veterans list, (sel.)," Genealogical Roots and Branches, Winter 2001, Volume 22, Issue 4. Old Ninety-Six Chapter, SCGS: Greenwood, SC.
 * "War in back country," Periodical: Journal of America's Military Past, Fall 1996, Volume 23, Issue 3. Council on America's Military Past Ft. Myer, VA.

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. Greenwood County did not exist during the Civil War. During the Civil War, men from the area of Greenwood County mostly would have served in various regiments recruited in Abbeville and Edgefield counties. Counties were called districts during the Civil War.

Other Resources
 * Eaton, Lafayette Claud. Butler Guards: Company B, 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment, Confederate States army (Vallejo, Calif.: L.C. Eaton, 1996?), 151 pages. Civil War pages. Includes index. Includes the final roll call of the original Butler Guards present at the surrender at Greensboro.The Butler Guards were originally a South Carolina state militia that became the core of Company B of the 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment. They later became a part of the United Confederate Veterans. Book found at
 * Cook, H. T. The Hard Labor Section. (S.l. W.C. Kirkland?, 1993). 90 [40] pages. The Hard Labor area includes Greenwood &amp; McCormick counties. Includes lists of militiamen and confederate soldiers. Book at and Other Libraries.

Newspapers

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

Historic The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Greenwood 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.
 * Greenwood Daily Journal (Greenwood, S.C.) 1911-1919.
 * News and Views (Greenwood, S.C.) 1903-1906.
 * The Baptist Press (Greenwoood, S.C.) 1905-1907.
 * The Evening Index (Greenwood, S.C.) 1918-1919.
 * The Greenwood Herald (Greenwood, S.C.) 1938-19??.
 * The Greenwood Index (Greenwood, S.C.) 1897-1???.
 * The Greenwood Index (Greenwood, S.C.) 1897-1918.
 * The Greenwood Journal (Greenwood, S.C.) 1894-1911.
 * The Greenwood Light (Greenwood, S.C.) 1885-1886.
 * The Greenwood Plain Dealer (Greenwood, S.C.) 1939-1949.
 * The Greenwood Times (Greenwood, S.C.) 1889-1890.
 * The Greenwood Tribune (Greenwood, S.C.) 1885-1890.
 * The Greenwood Tribune (Greenwood, S.C.) 1934-19??.
 * The Index-Journal (Greenwood, S.C.) 1919-current.
 * The Mill Visitor (Greenwood, S.C.) 1916-19??.
 * The News Scimiter (Greenwood, S.C.) 1911-1913.
 * The Ninety-Six Guardian (Ninety-Six, S.C.) 1877-1879.
 * The Ninety-Six Herald (Ninety-Six, S.C.) 1876-187?.
 * The Ninety Six Star and County Review (Ninety Six, S.C.) 1981-1985.
 * The Observer (Ware Shoals, S.C.) 1981-current.
 * The Saluda Argus (Greenwood, S.C.) 1881-1884.
 * The South Carolina Baptist (Greenwood, S.C.) 1897-1905.
 * The Star and County Review (Ninety Six, S.C.) 1985-current.

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

Current
 * Index-Journal (Greenwood, S.C.) Online edition.

Obituaries

 * Greenwood County Obituary Index from Greenwood County Library

Periodicals

 * Genealogical Roots and Branches

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records South Carolina Genealogical Records: Volume 1, Abbeville County and parts of Greewood and McCormick Counties by Elizabeth Wood Thomas. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Willo Publishing Co., C1964. Includes will book l (1787-1809), will book II (1815-1839) and index to equity records, 1791-1906.
 * 1670-1980 South Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1670-1980 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 1671-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images Only
 * 1732-1964 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images Only
 * 1782-1866 South Carolina, Will Transcripts 1782-1866 at Findmypast — index ($) — $, index

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
 * South Carolina Department of Archives and History tax lists for Greenwood County.

Vital Records

 * 1846-1860 Marriage and Death Notices from the Abbeville Banner, 1846-1860 bu E. Don Herd, Jr; Ann B. Herd ▲  - index

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 ($)

Marriage
Online Marriage Records and Indexes
 * 1777-1852 Abbeville District, South Carolina Marriages, 1777-1852 by S. Emmett Lucas, Jr. ▲  - index
 * 1911-1950 Greenwood County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, 1911-1950 - 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
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 ($)
 * 1915-1943 South Carolina, Deaths, 1915-1943 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
 * 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
 * Elberton Georgia FamilySearch Center
 * Greenwood South Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Lexington South Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Fairfield County Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
 * Lincoln County Library - Georgia - an affiliate library

Libraries
Libraries Greenwood County Library 106 N. Main St. Greenwood, SC 29646 Phone: 864-941-4650 [http://www2.youseemore.com/Greenwood/default.asp? Website] Ninety Six Branch Library 118 Cambridge St. South Ninety Six, SC 29666 Phone: 864-543-4749 Ware Shoals Community Library 54 South Greenwood Ave. Ware Shoals, SC 29692 Phone: 864-456-2813 South Carolina Digital Library (SCDL) Website

Societies
Greenville County Chapter SCGS Box 16236 Greenville, SC 29606 Facebook Website

Greenwood County Historical Society Greenwood, SC 29649 Phone: 864-942-2456 Email: [mailto:missylowery@pobox.com missylowery@pobox.com] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Greenwood County, SCGenWeb
 * Greenwood County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * – 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: Greenwood County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.