Sumter 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.

County Courthouse
Sumter County Courthouse 13 E. Canal St. Sumter, SC 29150

Clerk of Court 141 N. Main St. Sumter, SC 29150 Phone: 803-436-2223 Court records

Register of Deeds 141 N. Main St. Sumter, SC 29150 Phone: 803-436-2223 Land records

Probate Court 141 N. Main St. Sumter, SC 29150 Phone: 803-436-2166 Probate and marriage records

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

History
The county is named after General Thomas Sumter (1734-1832).

Parent County
1798--Sumter County was created in 1798 from Camden District. County seat:  Sumter

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.

Record Loss
Sumter suffered a major loss of probate records and deeds, on 27 November 1801, when fire destroyed the residence of Sumter District Clerk of Court John Horan, in Stateburg. This fire also consumed the records of Clarendon, Claremont, and Salem counties.

Populated Places
For further information (and links) on these populated places, please go to Populated Places, Sumter County, South Carolina

Neighboring Counties
Calhoun | Clarendon | Florence | Kershaw | Lee | Richland

Research Guides

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

African Americans
Sumter County, South Carolina African Americans

Cemeteries

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

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

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; digital version at Lineages. Includes this county.

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, Sumter District on page 142.

1850

 * Teel, Dorothy Owens and Three Rivers Historical Society. 1850 Census, Sumter District, South Carolina. Hemingway, S.C.: n.p., 1983. 975.769 X2t 1850

1860

 * Teel, Dorothy Owens and Three Rivers Historical Society. 1860 Census, Sumter District, South Carolina. Hemingway, S.C.: n.p., 1983. 975.769 X2t 1860

1870

 * Hughes, Nancy Phillips. 1870 Census Sumter County, South Carolina. Sumter, S.C.: Sumter County Genealogical Society, 1997. 975.769 X2h 1870

Church of England
See also St. Mark's Parish.


 * Burgess, James M. Chronicles of St. Mark's Parish, Santee Circuit, and Williamsburg Township, South Carolina. Columbia, S.C.: Charles A. Calvo, Jr., Printer, 1888. Digital version at Google Books; 908980 Item 9
 * Church of the Holy Cross, Stateburg, South Carolina describes the parish records held by the South Carolina Historical Society.

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


 * Sumter

Court
Sumter County has court records from 1795 that are held in the office of the Clerk of Court. Sumter County was formed from Clarendon, Claremont and Salem Counties in 1800 and was a part of the Camden District from 1785 - 1800. The records of the Camden District courts are housed in Kershaw County with the Clerk of Court. There was a record loss in 1801 which destroyed records of Clarendon and Old Claremont Counties. The records are fragmented.

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

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

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
More than 10 genealogies have been published about Union County families. To view a list, visit Sumter County, South Carolina Genealogy.

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 Sumter County:

* Sumter District records destroyed by fire 27 Nov 1801

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

 * Gregorie, Anne King. History of Sumter County, South Carolina. Sumter, S.C.: Library Board of Sumter County, 1954. 975.769 H2g.


 * Review:
 * by Jack Kenny Williams in The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 56, No. 1 (Jan. 1955):56-57. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

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


 * Camden-Charleston Path 1732

Revolutionary War

 * "Jasper Redden McCoy, Revolution, Scapo Swamp exploit legend, SC," Periodical Bay Area Genealogical Society Newsletter, February 2005, Volume 4, Issue 6. Bay Area Genealogical Society: Houston, TX.
 * "Pensioners census, 1840," Sumter Black River Watchman, October 2003, Volume 19, Issue 7. Sumter County Genealogical Society: Sumter, SC.
 * "Adam Cusack execution, 1780," Sumter Black River Watchman, September 2002, Issue 6. Sumter County Genealogical Society: Sumter, SC.
 * "Loyalists," Sumter Black River Watchman, March 2000. Sumter County Genealogical Society: Sumter, SC

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, Sumter County, p. 189. 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)
 * "Sumter County Military Information". USGenWeb Project- Sumter County, South Carolina. Internet site. Lists brief histories and rosters of officers and soldiers in Civil War military units that were from Sumter County.

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


 * - 1st Battalion, South Carolina Sharpshooters, Company A (also known the Union Light Infantry and German Fusiliers) and Company B (also known as the Sumter Guards)
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Artillery, Company D
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (2nd Palmetto Regiment), Company D (also known as Sumter Guards and Sumter Volunteers)
 * - 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Light Artillery (Palmetto Battalion), Company C (also known as the Wilson Light Artillery, Culpepper's Light Artillery and Culpeper Battery), Company E (also known as the Yeadon Light Artillery), Company G (also known as the DeSaussure Light Artillery and the DePass Light Battery), and Company K (also known as Richardson's Company)
 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina State Troops, Company I
 * - 5th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Ferguson's), Company H
 * - 5th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Brown's), Company B
 * - 6th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Byrd's), Company B and Company C
 * - 6th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Aiken's Partisan Rangers) (1st Partisan Rangers), Company H and Company I
 * - 7th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Nelson's) (Enfield Rifles), Company E
 * - 7th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry, Company D, Company F, Company H, and Company I
 * - 8th Regiment, South Carolina Reserves
 * - 9th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company D and Company F
 * - 14th Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry, Company A
 * - 19th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company D and Company E
 * - 20th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company A and Reorganized Company G
 * - 23rd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Hatch's Coast Rangers), Company K
 * - Garden's Company, South Carolina Light Artillery (Palmetto Light Battery)

World War II

 * World War II Service Personnel 1942

Newspapers
Historic

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


 * Black Post (Columbia, S.C.) 1977-current.
 * Evening News (Sumter, S.C.) 1895-1896.
 * Semi-Weekly Watchman (Sumter, S.C.) 1863-1863.
 * Sumter Gazette and Constitutional Advocate (Sumterville [i.e. Sumter], S.C.) 1830-1833.
 * The Banner of Freedom (Sumter, S.C.) 18??-18??.
 * The Black River Watchman (Sumterville, S.C.) 1850-1855.
 * The Defender (Sumter, S.C.) 1903-1913.
 * The Freeman (Sumter, S.C.) 1891-1906.
 * The Item (Sumter, S.C.) 1987-current.
 * The Peoples Informer (Sumter, S.C.) 1936-1941.
 * The Recon Record (Sumter, S.C.) 1957-195?.
 * The Spirit of the Times (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1884.
 * The Samaritan Herald (Sumter, S.C.) 1909-1942.
 * The Southern Whig (Sumterville [Sumter], S.C.) 1832-1834.
 * The Sumter Advance (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1892.
 * The Sumter Banner (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855.
 * The Sumter Daily Item (Sumter, S.C.) 1894-1987.
 * The Sumter Dispatch (Sumter, S.C.) 1860-1861.
 * The Sumter Gazette (Sumterville, S.C.) 1845-1845.
 * The Sumter Herald (Sumter, S.C.) 1892-1952.
 * The Sumter News (Sumter, S.C.) 1866-1873.
 * The Sumter News (Sumter, S.C.) 1967-1981.
 * The Sumter Watchman (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881. Search online at Chronicling America.
 * The True Southron (Sumter, S.C.) 1873-1881.
 * The Watchman and Southron (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930. Search online at Chronicling America.
 * Tri-Weekly Watchman (Sumter, S.C.) 1860-1863.

Current


 * The Item (Sumter, S.C.) Online edition.

For a history of Sumter newspaper presses, see:


 * Stubbs, Thomas McAlpin. "The Fourth Estate of Sumter South Carolina," The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 54, No. 4 (Oct. 1953):185-200. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

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:


 * The South Carolina Historical Magazine
 * Sumter Black River Watchman

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. They have placed Will Transcriptions for 1782 to 1855 online. Index searchable by name and the image is available. Estate records for Sumter County from 1800 to 1963 also available on microfilm.

Search for probate records for Sumter County in the court of ordinary, the probate court, and the court of equity. Some estate records for the probate court are also available on microfilm through the Family History Library, including some miscellaneous estate records, 1784-1960.


 * Sumter County Wills, Bk A, 1774-1782 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Sumter County Wills, 1783-1815 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Sumter County Wills, 1816-1822 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Sumter County Wills, Bk D-1, 1823-1836 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Sumter County Wills, Bk M, 1836-1840 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers

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

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 Sumter County.
 * The tax evaluation treasurer's report for district 17, dated 1960 to 1961 survives. Copies:.
 * State Equity Records, 1784, Sumter Black River Watchman (Feb. 2001).

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 Sumter 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 Sumter 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


 * 1862-1878 - Newspaper Abstracts from the Southern Christian Advocate by Sumter County, SC USGenWeb page - abstracts
 * 1911-1950 (index to 1967) - Sumter County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, 1911-1950; Indexes, 1911-1967 - index and 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 Sumter 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


 * Sumter District Death Notices and Obituaries by Sumter County, SC USGenWeb page - index
 * 1862-1878 - Newspaper Abstracts from the Southern Christian Advocate by Sumter County, SC USGenWeb page - abstracts
 * 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
Sumter County Library System

The Sumpter County Library system consists to a main library in downtown Sumpter, two branches, and a bookmobile.

Downtown - Main Library Address: 111 North Harvin Street Sumter, South Carolina 2915

Telephone: 803.773.7273 Fax: 803.773.4875 Hours: Monday - Tuesday 9:00 am - 8:00 pm, Wednesday - Saturday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm, Sunday 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm

The South Carolina Room of the Downtown Library contains over 2500 items pertaining to the history, culture and government of South Carolina. Items of particular interest are histories of Sumter County and works of non-fiction, prose and poetry by current and former Sumter County and area residents. The room is available all hours the Downtown branch is open. Visit the Reference Desk for access.

Westmark Branch Address: 180 W. Wesmark Boulevard Sumter, South Carolina 29150 Telephone: 803.469.8110 Fax: 803.469.8347 Hours: Monday - Tuesday 9:00 am - 8:00 pm, Wednesday - Saturday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm, Sunday 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm

South Sumter Branch Address: 337 Manning Avenue Sumter, S.C. 29150 Telephone: 803.775.7132 (voice and fax) Hours: Monday - Friday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Family History Centers

 * Sumter South Carolina Family History Center

1770 Highway 15 S Sumter, Sumter, South Carolina, United States Phone: 803-481-8300 Hours: Hours vary. Call ahead.

Museums
Sumter County Museum Complex

The Sumter County Museum is a private non-profit institution whose mission is to promote the history of Old Sumter District through the preservation and exhibition of objects, manuscripts, and documents, which relate the story of this area of South Carolina. The museum campus includes the Williams-Brice House (1916), the Heritage Education Center (2003) and the Carolina Backcountry Homestead.

Sumter County Museum Address: 122 North Washington Street P.O. Box 1456 Sumter, South Carolina 29151-1456 Telephone: 803-775-0908 Hours:	Thurs-Sat 10:00-5:00 Closed	Holidays

The Museum's Archives houses records related to the history of the old Sumter District (present day Sumter, Lee, and Clarendon counties) and, after 1868, Sumter County. Records include over 30,000 photographic images, postcards, personal letters, scrapbooks, business records, plats, and maps. The Archive is also home to W. A. "Mayor Bubba" McElveen's Archive and the papers of historian Myrtis Ginn Osteen.

Housed in the Heritage Education Center at the museum, the Archive is accessible by appointment only. To make an appointment, call the museum is 803-775-0908. The physical address of the museum is the same as above.

Email the archivist at krichardson@sumtercountymuseum.org

Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
Sumter County Genealogical Society SCGS Chapter P.O. Box 2543(mailing address) Sumter SC 29151-2543

219 West Liberty Street (physical address) Sumter SC 29150 803-774-3901 Sumter County Historical Society P.O. Box 1456 Sumter SC 29150 source: Society Hill

Websites

 * Sumter County, SC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * Sumter County SCGenWeb
 * Sumter County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * The "Turks" of Sumter County, South Carolina
 * South Carolina Pioneers South Carolina Pioneers
 * South Carolina Pioneers South Carolina Pioneers