McCormick County, South Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named after American inventor (1809-1884). The County is located in the west central location of the state.

County Courthouse
McCormick County Courthouse 133 S. Mine Street Room 102 McCormick, SC 29835 Phone: 864-852-2195 McCormick 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 many burial grounds in the county. To view a list, see McCormick County, South Carolina Cemeteries.
 * National Cemetery Administration

Census Records

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

Church Records

 * An address delivered at New Bordeaux, Abbeville District, S.C., November 15, 1854: on the 90th anniversary of the arrival of the French Protestants at the place
 * The Huguenots of New Bordeaux

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * Equity records of Old 96 and Abbeville district[s] (as on file in the Abbeville Courthouse, S. C.) vol. 1 1791-1849
 * South Carolina genealogical records volume I, Abbeville District

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:
 * United States African Americans
 * South Carolina African Americans
 * Gilchrist, Claude. Tell Them that We Have Gone On: A Survey of African-American Cemeteries of McCormick County, South Carolina. n.p.: C. Gilchrist, 2004.
 * Badwell
 * Bath
 * Bradley
 * Cedar Hill
 * Cherry Hill
 * Cotton Level
 * Dornville
 * Dr. Murray's
 * Eden Hall
 * Ivy Gates - Troy
 * Mapleton
 * Oak Grove
 * Petigru
 * Pleasant Grove
 * Silk Hope

Genealogies

 * The Hard Labor section.

 General  Surname indexes to Leonardo Andrea's Files | Folders | Resources are available online, courtesy: The Andrea Files: South Carolina Genealogical Research. Learn more.
 * 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. ** Records of Pendleton/Anderson County should also be checked
 * Abbeville deeds burned in 1873 while in storage

Local Histories

 * Edmonds, Bobby F. The Making of McCormick County (McCormick, South Carolina Cedar Hill, c1999 ). 447 pages. This is a narrative of the people during its making, how they interacted with each other, how they reacted to, failed to react to, or over reacted to the times, situations and events. Book at and [3e3mjq3 Other Libraries].
 * Edmonds, Bobby F.McCormick County Land of Cotton.  (McCormick, South Carolina Cedar Hill, c2001), 490 pages. The stories presented were gathered from period newspapers and journals, letters, diaries, public records, and scholarly and general works. Book at and [3fnzbwk Other Libraries].

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 McCormick County for European settlers included:
 * Savannah River pre-historic
 * Occaneechi Path pre-historic
 * Middle Creek Trading Path pre-historic
 * Fall Line Road about 1735
 * Augusta-Savannah Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Augusta and Cherokee Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Great Valley Road (south fork) 1740s
 * Charleston-Ft. Charlotte Trail about 1765
 * Fort Charlotte and Cherokee Old Path about 1765-1777

Military Records
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. McCormick County did not exist during the Civil War. During the Civil War, men from the area of McCormick County mostly would have served in various regiments recruited in its parent counties. Counties were called districts during the Civil War.

Other Resources
 * 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.

World War II
 * World War II Honor List

Newspapers

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

Historic The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for McCormick 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.
 * McCormick Messenger (McCormick, S.C.) 1902-current.
 * The Advance (McCormick, S.C.) 1885-1886.
 * The McCormick Advance (McCormick, S.C.) 1886-1887.
 * The McCormick News (McCormick, S.C.) 1887-1894.

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

Obituaries

 * 1846-1860: Marriage and Death Notices from the Abbeville Banner, 1846-1860 by E. Don Herd ▲  - index

Periodicals

 * Annals of Edgefield District
 * Transactions of McCormick County Historical Society

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records The South Carolina Department of Archives and History features a statewide Will Transcriptions, 1782 to 1855, database online. Includes a searchable index by name, with digitized images. A probate record collection of Abbeville District, which includes early records of Marlboro County:
 * South Carolina genealogical records: volume I, Abbeville District
 * 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

Vital Records

 * 1846-1860 Marriage and Death Notices from the Abbeville Banner, 1846-1860 by E. Don 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

 * Abbeville District, South Carolina marriages, 1777-1852
 * McCormick County, South Carolina marriage license affidavits to obtain licenses and the marriage license, ca. 1916-1952
 * McCormick County, South Carolina marriage licenses,1916-1950

Online Marriage Records and Indexes
 * 1777-1852 Abbeville District, South Carolina Marriages, 1777-1852  ▲ - McCormick was once in Abbeville District; index
 * 1846-1860 Marriage and Death Notices from the Abbeville Banner, 1846-1860 by E. Don Herd ▲  - index
 * 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

 * Aiken South Carolina FamilySearch Center


 * Elberton Georgia FamilySearch Center
 * Evans Georgia FamilySearch Center
 * Greenwood South Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Lexington South Carolina FamilySearch Center


 * Lincoln County Library - Georgia - an affiliate library
 * Bartram Trail Regional Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
McCormick County Historical Commission 805-201-5150 E-mail: [mailto:mccormickschistory@gmail.com mccormickschistory@gmail.com] Facebook

Websites

 * McCormick County, SCGenWeb
 * McCormick 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: McCormick County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
 * W.P.A. Inventory of the County Archives of South Carolina No. 35, McCormick County. Columbia, S.C.: S.C. Historical Records Survey Project, 1940.