South Carolina, Charleston Public Library Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
These records include images of birth and death registers, indentures, pensions, and city poor records from the alms house, orphans house, and house of corrections. The collection includes records from 1790 to 1900. These records are located in the Charleston Public Library.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
The record content varies by record type. It may include any of the following pieces of information:


 * Name of primary individual
 * Event date
 * Event place
 * Residence
 * Age
 * Sex
 * Names of parents
 * Biographical information about parents such as date and place of birth
 * Names of heirs, such as spouse, children, other relatives, or friends
 * Names of the executor, administrator, or guardian
 * Names of witnesses
 * Dates the documents were written and recorded (used to approximate event dates since a will was usually written near the time of death)
 * Description and value of property or land
 * Occupation

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The birth date of your ancestor.
 * The birth place of your ancestor.
 * The death date of your ancestor.
 * The residence of your ancestor.
 * The names of family members and their relationships.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Record Category
 * 2) Select Record Type, Record Description and Year Range to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence to locate church and land records.
 * Use the parent’s birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is some variation in the information given from one record to another record.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname. This is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married, or died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of South Carolina.
 * South Carolina Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information.