Cherokee County, South Carolina Genealogy

Guide to  ancestry, family history and genealogy court records, deeds, maps, immigration, maps, military records, newspapers, obituaries, plantations, probate records, slaves, local archives, libraries, museums, churches, cemeteries, and Civil War records.

Description
The county is named for Cherokee people who historically occupied this area. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Cherokee County Courthouse 125 E. Floyd Baker Blvd. Gaffney, SC 26342 Phone: 864-487-2562

Cherokee County Probate Court 1434 North Limestone St. Gaffney, SC 29341 Phone: 864-487-2583 Hours: 8:30 am - 5 pm Mon.- Fri. Marriage and Probate records

Cherokee County Clerk of Court 125 E. Floyd Baker Blvd. Gaffney, SC 29342 Phone: 864-487-2571 Hours: 8:30 am - 5 pm Mon. - Fri. Court records and Deeds.

Historical Facts
Cherokee County is named for the Cherokee Indians Indians who originally inhabited much of South Carolina. After an 1895 Law required the approval of two thirds of the voters residing within the proposed county boundaries, a proponent for the creation of a new county speaking in Cherokee Township, then in York County, agreed to the name Cherokee County to curry favor from the local residents. The residents, who had been hesitant to vote for the creation of Cherokee County under the old proposed name, turned out in droves to vote for the creation of the Cherokee County. Learn more about the history of Cherokee County from the South Carolina State Library or from Carolana.com.

Parent County/Boundary Changes

 * 1897 - Cherokee created from Spartanburg, York, and Union Counties
 * 1921 - Cherokee gained from York County.

For more information as well as maps of Cherokee County through time, see the South Carolina State Archives or 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.

County Seat
The county seat of Cherokee County is Gaffney.

County Pronunciation
.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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

African Americans
United States African Americans South Carolina African Americans


 * Malone, Samuel Lorenzo and Ola Copeland. Black Families in Cherokee County, South Carolina, as Taken from 1910-1920 Federal Census. Spartanburg, S.C.: Reprint, 1993.

Known plantations, South Carolina Plantations:


 * Fold
 * Henry Houser House - Grover - also called The Rock House
 * The Rock House - Grover - also called Henry Houser House
 * Whig Hill

Cemeteries

 * To view a cemetery list see; Cherokee County, South Carolina Cemeteries.
 * National Cemetery Administration

Census

 * 1829-1920 - at FamilySearch — index and images

1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Cherokee 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 Cherokee County, SC census assignments, including links to transcribed files The USGenWeb Census Project®

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

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * Gaffney

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
This bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" (Friends, Associates, and Neighbors)

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Cherokee, South Carolina at World Connect, results in nearly 10,000 entries.

Surname indexes to Leonardo Andrea's Files | Folders | Resources are available online, courtesy: The Andrea Files: South Carolina Genealogical Research. Learn more.

Message Boards


 * Cherokee County, SC Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Cherokee County, SC Genealogy Forum (GenForum)

Bibliography


 * Dennard - Dennard, Norris. Dennard Heritage. Houston, Texas: Dennard Heritage Foundation, 1985. ; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Mullinax - Mullinax, Jack D. The Mullinax Family of Northern South Carolina (York, Union and Cherokee Counties) and Southern North Carolina (Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln Counties). Chesnee, S.C.: Chesnee Hardware, 1983.
 * Whelchel - Mumford, Berniece Wynn. Thomas Chatman Whelchel, M.D., 1833-1900, the Man Who Went Down in History (Family History, of Course): and Allied Families [of] Alexander, Arbuckle, Bath, Bland, Butcher, Drerup, Farrar, Johnston, Kingery, Lugar, Maurer, McFadden, Mumford, Nagle, Olson, Paul, Sparks, Stockton, Wynn and Others. Carlsbad, N.M.: B.W. Mumford, 1978..
 * Williams - Williams, Johnny Lee. Descendants of Edward Williams, Sr.: of Spartanburg County, South Carolina (now Cherokee County, South Carolina). Attalla, Ala.: J.L. Williams, 2000.

Land and Property
Because of South Carolina’s history as an agricultural state many residents owned land. For more information about types of land records see South Carolina Land and Property.

Tracing records through South Carolina county and district changes can be difficult. In general, for earliest records begin by searching the Charleston District, then your ancestor’s residential district, then neighboring districts, then the residential county, then neighboring counties. Not all districts and counties kept records. The following chart show where you may best expect to find land records for Cherokee County:

* Records before 1772 may be found in North Carolina counties Tryon, Mecklenburg and Anson ** Some early Camden District records may be found in Kershaw County

* Some early records may be found in North Carolina counties Anson, Mecklenburg, or Tryon

Orignial deed books are located at the Spartanburg County Courthouse.

Abstracted deeds in Spartanburg County/District, South Carolina, deed abstracts, books A-T, 1785-1827 (1752-1827), A.B. Pruitt

* Some early records may be found in North Carolina counties Anson, Mecklenburg, or Tryon

Orignial deed books are located at the Union County Courthouse.

Abstacted deeds Union County, South Carolina deed abstracts, Brent Holcomb (Columbia, South Carolina : SCMAR, 2000-c2007) 5 vols.


 * Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868 For information about the State Land Grants, see State Land Grants

Local Histories

 * Gorski, Eddie L., South Carolina Confederate Widows Pension Act of 1919 for Cherokee County (S.l. : s.n., c1991), 54 Leaves. Abstracts from the files in the Probate Judges Office of the Cherokee County Courthouse, Gaffney, S.C. Includes full-name index. Contains information on all Civil War soldiers and widows for cherokee county. Book at and Other Libraries
 * Stevens, Robert J. Captain Bill : the Records and Writings of Captain William Henry Edwards (and Others), Company A, 17th Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, Confederate States of America. (Richburg, South Carolina : Chester District Genealogical Society, c1985) A History and Genealogy of Chester County, S.C. in Five Volumes. Contents: v. 1. Autobiography of Captain William Henry Edwards, his obituary, a condensed history of the seventeenth regiment including military records -- v. 2. Letters of genealogical and historical importance -- v. 3. Published writings, including obituaries, of the early 20th century -- v. 4. Genealogies of the Edwards, Culp, Edward McFadden &amp; Robert McFadden families; a bibliography.--v. 5. Miscellaneous, Epilogue. Books 1-3 at   and Other Libraries

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


 * Occaneechi Path pre-historic
 * Lower Cherokee Traders' Path pre-historic
 * Catawba and Northern Trail pre-historic
 * Upper Road about 1783 (overlapped Lower Cherokee Traders' Path in Cherokee County)

Military

 * Cherokee County - Military, SCGenWeb. Lists some names from most wars from the American Civil War to Vietnam.

Revolutionary War

 * "Battle of King's Mountain diagram, 1780," Pastmaster Journal of the Mountain Empire, June 2005, Volume 2, Issue 4. Ms Shelby Ireson Edwards : Bristol, VA.
 * "Over Mountain Men at the Battle of Kings Mountain, 1780," Gaston County Historical Bulletin, 2003, Volume 49, Issue 2. Gaston County, North Carolina Historical Society : Gastonia, NC.
 * "Battle of Kings Mountain," Sandy Valley Heritage, November 2000, Volume 19, Issue 4. Big Sandy Valley Historical Society : Hagerhill, KY 41222.
 * "Events to Battle of Kings Mountain," Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, August 1985, Volume 119, Issue 7. Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine : Washington, D.C. Book 973 B2dar.
 * "Battle of Cowpens," Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, November 1973, Volume 107, Issue 9. Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine : Washington, D.C. Book 973 B2dar.

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 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. Cherokee County did not exist in the Civil War. It was created in 1897 from the counties of Spartanburg, York, and Union Counties. During the Civil War, men from the area of Cherokee County mostly would have served in various regiments recruited in those counties. Counties were called districts during the Civil War.

Other Resources
 * Gorski, Eddie L., South Carolina Confederate Widows Pension Act of 1919 for Cherokee County (S.l.: s.n., c1991), 54 Leaves. Abstracts from the files in the Probate Judges Office of the Cherokee County Courthouse, Gaffney, S.C. Includes full-name index. Contains information on all Civil War soldiers and widows for cherokee county. Book at and Other Libraries
 * Stevens, Robert J. Captain Bill : the Records and Writings of Captain William Henry Edwards (and Others), Company A, 17th Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, Confederate States of America. (Richburg, South Carolina : Chester District Genealogical Society, c1985) A History and Genealogy of Chester County, S.C. in Five Volumes. Contents: v. 1. Autobiography of Captain William Henry Edwards, his obituary, a condensed history of the seventeenth regiment including military records -- v. 2. Letters of genealogical and historical importance -- v. 3. Published writings, including obituaries, of the early 20th century -- v. 4. Genealogies of the Edwards, Culp, Edward McFadden &amp; Robert McFadden families; a bibliography.--v. 5. Miscellaneous, Epilogue. Books 1-3 at   and Other Libraries
 * Cherokee County - Military, SCGenWeb

Newspapers
Historic

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


 * Blacksburg Times (Blacksburg, S.C.) 1965-1968.
 * Blacksburg Times and Cherokee Report (Blacksburg, S.C.) 1968-1972.
 * Blacksburg Times and Cherokee Tribune (Blacksburg, S.C.) 1972-current.
 * Gaffney Carolinian (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1881-1884.
 * Gaffney City Trade Review (Gaffney, S.C.) 18??-1???.
 * The Blacksburg News (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1953-1954.
 * The Cherokee News (Gaffney, S.C.) 1903-1919.
 * The Cherokee Times (Gaffney, S.C.) 1922-1930.
 * The Gaffney Ledger (Gaffney, S.C.) 1907-current.
 * The Ledger (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1896-1907.
 * The Weekly Ledger (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1894-1896.

Current


 * The Gaffney Ledger (Gaffney, S.C.) Online edition.

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:


 * Eswau Huppeday..

Probate
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.


 * 1897-1915 - Cherokee County Will Book 1897-1915: with every name index of persons listed in the wills. Microfilm of originals loaned by Malinda Poole of Gaffney, South Carolina. Family History Library


 * 1894-1962 - Cherokee County WIll Books 1-6 ca. 1894-1962: with every name index of persons listed in the wills. Microfilm of originals loaned by Malinda Poole of Gaffney, South Carolina. Family History Library


 * Abstracts of Cherokee County, will book 1: from the files in the Probate Office in the Cherokee County Court House, Gaffney, S.C. Family History Library

Online Probate Records
 * 1670-1980 - South Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1670-1980 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1671-1977 - at FamilySearch — images
 * 1732-1964 - at FamilySearch — images
 * 1782-1866 - South Carolina, Will Transcripts 1782-1866 at findmypast — $, index

Taxation
Tax-related records are kept by the offices of the county Assessor, Auditor, Sheriff, and Treasurer. Taxes were levied on real and personal property and can help establish ages, residences, relationships, and the year an individual died or left the area. They can be used as substitutes for missing or destroyed land and census records.


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

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 Cherokee 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.


 * 1766-1900 - at FamilySearch — images

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 Cherokee 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


 * South Carolina Confederate Widows Pension Act of 1919 for Cherokee County by Eddie L. Gorski WorldCat - index
 * 1892-1911 - South Carolina Proof of Marriages Prior to July 1, 1911 for Cherokee County by Eddie L. Gorski  WorldCat - abstract
 * 1911-1952 - Cherokee County, South Carolina Proofs of Marriage, 1892-1940; Marriage Registers &amp; Indexes, July 1911-Dec. 1952 - index and records
 * 1911-1950 - Cherokee County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, July 1911-1950 - 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
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 Cherokee 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 - Indexes and Records
 * 1915-1965 - at FamilySearch — index and 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.

Libraries
Cherokee County Public Library


 * Main Branch 300 East Rutledge Avenue Gaffney, South Carolina 29340 Telephone: (864) 487-2711 FAX: (864) 487-2752 (fax) Email: [mailto:cherokeelib@spiritcom.net cherokeelib@spiritcom.net] Hours: Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.. Friday.9am to 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m . to 4 p.m. The library has a genealogy/local history room that is open all hours that the main library is open. It is staffed from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM Monday-Friday by a genealogy assistant. They carry census records, microfilm copies of the longest-standing local paper, The Gaffney Ledger, dating back to its inception in 1894, an extensive Cherokee County collection (including family histories, cemetery records, church records, and plenty of other sources), DAR references, as well as South Carolina records and some out-of-state information.  The Heritage Room contains materials relating to the people and history of Cherokee County, South Carolina and other areas. The collection consists of books, pamphlets, census records, microfilm, newspapers, church and family records. Materials in the Heritage Room collection are unique, costly to replace or irreplaceable. When the room is not staffed it will be unavailable to the public.  Heritage Room hours beginning Tuesday, February 1, 2011 are: Monday to Thursday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am to 12:00 pm  The library itself offers access to two online genealogy databases, Heritage Quest and Ancestry Library. Heritage Quest is available remotely to Cherokee County Public Library card holders. Their catalogis online.
 * Blacksgurg Branch 201 S Rutherford Street Blacksburg, South Carolina 29702 Telephone: (864) 839-2630 FAX: (864) 839-2572 Hours: Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 10 a. m. to 5 p. m.

Family History Centers

 * Gaffney South Carolina Family History Center

701 W Buford St Gaffney, Cherokee, South Carolina, United States Phone: 864-489-2615 Hours: T 10am-6pm; W-6pm-9pm; Th 10am-2pm &amp; 6pm-9pm Sat 10am-2pm; Attention: Patrons can call during posted hours to ensure the center is open!

Museums

 * Cherokee County History &amp; Arts Museum Address: 301 College Drive Gaffney, S.C. 29340 Telephone: 864-489-3988 Located on the 1812 mustering ground of the South Carolina Militia and the site of the historic Central School building, the Cherokee County History &amp; Arts Museum is also home to the offices of its governing body, the Cherokee Historical &amp; Preservation Society. Phase I of the facility opened in May 2008 and renovations are currently underway on Phases II and III of the building. Upon completion, the History &amp; Arts Museum will house over 20,000sq. feet of exhibits, meeting spaces, and educational resources for Cherokee County residents and visitors.
 * The Cherokee Historical &amp; Preservation Society seeks to preserve historical sites in the county. Their email is: chaps@cherokeecountyhistory.org

Websites

 * Cherokee County, SC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * Cherokee County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Cherokee County, SCGenWeb.
 * Cherokee County Genealogy Trails