Bartholomew County, South Carolina Genealogy

Bartholomew County was created in 1785 within Charleston District from the southwest border part of the overarching Charleston District. See the 1785 South Carolina map.

Bartholomew County was never surveyed or properly laid out. Its boundaries were ambiguous. Its county government never became functional. Most records were kept at the parish level; none were kept at the county level. There was no county seat. There were no political connotations to the county's existence. In this case the term "county" had no meaning other than to describe an approximate geographical area. It was a county in name only.

Bartholomew County was abolished in 1791. Present-day Colleton County includes most of the old Bartholomew County territory.

For documents of people who lived in this area at this time, look in St. Bartholomew's Parish records, or for papers filed in Charleston, South Carolina.