Marlboro 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.

South Carolina Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for the Duke of Marlborough. The County is located in the north central location of the state.

County Courthouse
Marlboro County Courthouse 105 Main Street Bennettsville, SC 29512

Clerk of Court 105 Main Street Bennettsville, SC 29512 Phone: 843-479-5613 Court and Land records

Probate Judge P.O. Box 455 Bennettsville, SC 29512-0455 Phone: 843-479-5610 Probate and Marriage records.

Hours:8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday

History
The county is named after John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722).

Parent County
1798--Marlboro County was created in 1798 from Cheraws District. County seat: Bennettsville

County Pronunciation

 * 1) Hear it spoken

Boundary Changes
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.

Variant Spellings

 * Marlborough

Record Loss

 * 1890 Lost census

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:

Research Guides

 * South Carolina Archives Summary Guide: Marlboro County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

African Americans

 * United States African Americans
 * South Carolina African Americans

Known Marlboro County plantations, South Carolina Plantations:


 * Appin - Bennettsville
 * Broad Oaks - Clio
 * Claudius Pegues House
 * Fulton
 * Rose Hill
 * Weatherly Plat
 * Wolftrap

Cemeteries
There are more than 100 burial grounds in the county.


 * To view a list, see Marlboro County, South Carolina Cemeteries.
 * National Cemetery Administration

Census

 * 1829-1920 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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

1790 (Parent County)

 * Pigg, James C. and Chesterfield County, South Carolina Genealogical Services. 1790 Cheraw District &amp; 1800, 1810 Chesterfield County, S.C. Federal Census. Tega Cay, S.C.: The Services &amp; J.C. Pigg, 1997. 975.7 X2c. 1790 Cheraws District included present-day Marlboro County.

1820 Manufactures
The original manufactures schedules for South Carolina are kept at the NARA, Washington, D.C. FHL copies: 1024517 - 1024518.

Published abstract:


 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. 973 X2m 1820;

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, Marlborough [Marlboro] District on page 144.

Church of England (Anglican, Episcopal)
See St. Davids Parish, South Carolina List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court
Marlboro County has court records from 1785 that are held in the office of the Clerk of Court. Marlboro County was a part of the Cheraws District from 1785 - 1800.

The South Carolina Archives and History Center has court records available on microfilm for Marlboro County.

The Family History Library collection includes books and microfilm regarding court records for Marlboro County.

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Marlboro County residents. FamilySearch has not independently verified the lineages of those tested.

Randy Quick ggg grandson of Eli Quick 1802-1877

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 Marlboro, South Carolina at World Connect, produces more than 10,000 results.

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


 * Thomas, J.A.W. A History of Marlboro County, with Traditions and Sketches of Numerous Families. Atlanta, Ga.: Foote &amp; Davis, 1897. Item 5; digital version at World Vital Records ($).

Message Boards


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

Bibliography


 * Adams - Pate, Julia Claire. Pate, Adams, Newton and Allied Families Principally in Richmond, Scotland and Robeson Counties in North Carolina and Marlboro County, South Carolina. Red Springs, N.C.: J.C. Pate, 1958.
 * Darby - Templeton, R.H. "Darbys of the South Carolina Pee Dee Area," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Spring 2009):63-68.
 * Drake - Watson, John Drake. Descendents of Zachariah Alford Drake of Marlboro County, S.C. Newberry, S.C.: J.D. Watson, 1981.
 * Fuller - "An Unusual Migration in the Fuller Family," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 27, No. 4 (Fall 1999):208-209.
 * Grant- Kendall, Jerry T. The Grant Family Descendants of Duncan Grant, Marlboro County, South Carolina. Bennettsville, S.C.: J.T. Kendall, 2002.
 * Harris - Harris, Malcolm Hart. "Three William Harrises in Hanover County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1978):3-15; Vol. 22, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1978):99-104; Vol. 22, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1978):187-192. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..
 * McCollum - McCollum, J. Kinloch. The Family of John McCollum (1792-1867) of Bennettsville (Marlboro County) South Carolina. Middleburg, Fla.: J.K. McCollum, 1999.
 * Newton - Pate, Julia Claire. Pate, Adams, Newton and Allied Families Principally in Richmond, Scotland and Robeson Counties in North Carolina and Marlboro County, South Carolina. Red Springs, N.C.: J.C. Pate, 1958.
 * Pate - Pate, Julia Claire. Pate, Adams, Newton and Allied Families Principally in Richmond, Scotland and Robeson Counties in North Carolina and Marlboro County, South Carolina. Red Springs, N.C.: J.C. Pate, 1958.
 * Stubbs - Andrea, Leonardo and Joseph Edward Hill. Abstracts of Divisions of Estates of Stubbs and Allied Families of Marlboro County, South Carolina. 1964.

Land
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 Marlboro County:

* Some early records may be in North Carolina

Land and Deeds Records, USGenWeb Archives

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

 * McColl, D.D. Sketches of Old Marlboro. 1916. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * Thomas, J. A. W. A History of Marlboro County: With Traditions and Sketches of Numerous Families. Atlanta, Ga.: Foote &amp; Davies Co., Printers and Binders, 1897. Digital versions at Ancestry ($), Google Books, and Internet Archive.
 * Gregg, Alexander. History of the Old Cheraws : Containing an Account of the Aborigines of the Pedee, the First White Settlements, their Subsequent Progress, Civil Changes, the Struggle of the Revolution, and the Growth of the Country Afterward, Extending from About A.D. 1730 to 1810 with Notices of Families and Sketches of Individuals   (Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Pub. Co., 1967 ), 629 pages. Book at
 * Kelly, Margaret McLaurin Ricaud. A Short History of Marlboro County, S.C., 1600-1979. (Baltimore, Maryland : Gateway Press, 1979), 74 pages. The first settlers on the Great Pee Dee River, in what is now Marlboro County and their descendants. Book at and Other Libraries.

Maps

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

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


 * Fall Line Road about 1735

Revolutionary War

 * Revolutionary War Pension Applications, USGenWeb Archives. Scroll down to "Military Records."

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. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Marlborough [sic] County, p. 187. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

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)
 * "Marlboro County, SC in The War Between The States." SCGenWeb-Marlboro County Internet site, accessed 11/30/2010. This site lists links and a few rosters of soldiers that served in the Civil War from Marlboro County.

Regiments. Civil War service men from Marlboro County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were formed in Marlboro County or from many of its men:


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Rifles (Orr's), Company H (also known as Pee Dee Guards)
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Artillery, Company D
 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Rutledge's), Company A and Company E
 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina State Troops, Company H
 * - 6th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Aiken's Partisan Rangers) (1st Partisan Rangers), Company B
 * - 7th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry, Company F
 * - 7th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Ward's), Company C Roster
 * - 8th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company G and Company K
 * -9th Battalion, South Carolina infantry (Smith's) (Pee Dee Legion), Company C
 * - 16th Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry, Company B
 * -20th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Reorganized Company I, Reorganized Company L, Reorganized Company M, and Reorganized Company N
 * -21st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company F
 * -23rd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Hatch's Coast Rangers), Company G
 * - 24th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company B

Other Resources


 * Kendall, Jerry T. Confederate Burials, Marlboro County, South Carolina. (Bennettsville, South Carolina : J.T. Kendall, c2001), 124 pages. Purpose is to make a record of the places where Confederate Veterans are buried in Marlboro County, South Carolina so their grave sites can be marked and preserved. Book at and Other Libraries.

Newspapers

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

Historic

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


 * Community Observer (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1978-1981.
 * Cyclone Mack's Recusant (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1929-1931.
 * Eastern Carolina News (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1913-1914.
 * Marlboro County Herald (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1931-1951.
 * Marlboro Herald-Advocate (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1951-current.
 * McColl Dispatch (McColl, S.C.) 1924-1925.
 * McColl Messenger (McColl, S.C.) 1948-1951.
 * Pee Dee Educator (Bennettsville, Marlborough Co., S.C.) 1890-1900.
 * The Bennettsville Banner (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1891-1895.
 * The Bennettsville Journal (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1866-1870.
 * The Bennettsville Review (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1894-1895.
 * The Carolina Messenger (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1974-1978.
 * The Chronicle (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1885-1886.
 * The Farmer's Friend (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1880-1882.
 * The Fine Print News (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1982-1990.
 * The Marlboro Chronicle (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1886-1888.
 * The Marlboro Democrat (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1911.
 * The Marlboro Monitor (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1884.
 * The Marlboro News (McColl, S.C.) 1926-1926.
 * The Marlboro Times (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1871-187?.
 * The Marlboro Times (McColl, S.C.) 1908-1913.
 * The Pee Dee Advocate (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1895-1951.
 * The Pee Dee Alliance (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1888-1890.
 * The Pee Dee Argus (Bennettsville, S.C.) 189?-1891.
 * The Pee Dee Daily (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1913-1914.

University of South Carolina Library Catalog

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


 * Marlboro Herald-Advocate (Bennettsville, 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:

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.

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. Archival records include estate papers from 1790-1893 from the court of ordinary and probate court records, along with other corollary papers. Statewide Will Transcriptions, 1782 to 1855, database is available online with a searchable index by name. Images are available.

Early will records of Marlboro County may be found in Cheraws and Chesterfield District. See James C. Pigg's compilation of Cheraw[s]/Chesterfield District wills, 1750-1865 &amp; Abstracts from the Court of Common Pleas, 1823-1869 for some early Marlboro County probate records, formerly recorded in Cheraws District.

Estate records of Marlboro County are found in the county court of ordinary, probate court, civil court, and court of equity. Many of these records are also available on microfilm, including the following:


 * Estate papers, ca. 1790-1904; index to estate papers, ca. 1790-1973. Probate court, Marlboro County.


 * Estate record books, 1787-1840, Court of Ordinary, Marlboro District.


 * Court records, 1805-1877, Court of equity, Marlboro County.


 * Will books, 1787-1905, Probate court, Marlboro County.


 * Equity records and bills, 1805-1869, with index, 1805-1870, Civil Court, Marlboro County.
 * Wills, 1787-1803 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Index to Marlboro County Wills 1787-1853 South Carolina Pioneers

Note: Marlboro County frequently assigned the same apartment and package number to more than one estate files. Whenever estate files with duplicate file numbers were found they were filmed consecutively.

Online Probate Indexes and 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
 * 1737-1964 South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964 at Ancestry - 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 Marlboro County.

Original sources 

The 1868 tax execution book is kept at the county courthouse. Copies: and SC Dept. Archives and History.

Published abstracts 


 * 1812 - Pearson, W. Glenn, trans. "Statement of the Persons and the Amount of Taxes Paid in Marlborough District for the Year 1811 as Paid Return to the Comptrol," available online, courtesy: SCGenWeb.
 * 1813 - "1813 Tax List for Marlborough District," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Winter 1996):3-7.
 * 1819 - Pearson, W. Glenn, trans. "Statement of the Persons and the Amount of Taxes Paid in Marlborough District for the Year 1818 as Paid Return to the Comptrol," available online, courtesy: SCGenWeb.

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 Marlboro 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 Marlboro 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


 * Some Marriage Records Online by Marlboro County, South Carolina USGenWeb - index, incomplete
 * Marriage Lists, North Carolina by Leonardo Andrea - index; includes Marlboro County, South Carolina
 * 1724-1953 - Marlboro County, South Carolina Marriage Registers, 1724-1953 - index and records
 * 1791-1825 - Marlboro County Marriage Index 1791-1825. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1791-1825 - Marriage Bonds and Licenses from abt. 1791-1825
 * 1885-1906 - Early Marlboro County, South Carolina Newspapers by Gloria Calhoun WorldCat - index
 * 1911-1950 - Marlboro County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, ca. July 1911-Dec. 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 Marlboro 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
 * 1816-1990 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1885-1906 - Early Marlboro County, South Carolina Newspapers by Gloria Calhoun WorldCat - index
 * 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.

Family History Centers
To locate the closest family history center or affiliate library, use the link listed above.

Websites

 * Marlboro County, SC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * Marlboro County, SCGenWeb
 * Marlboro County, USGenWeb Archives
 * Marlboro County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * South Carolina Pioneers South Carolina Pioneers
 * South Carolina Pioneers South Carolina Pioneers