Horry 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 county residents to become an extremely independent populace, and they named their county "The Independent Republic of Horry". The county was named after, and in honor of, Revolutionary War hero Peter Horry who was born in South Carolina around 1743. Horry started his military career in 1775 as one of 20 captains, elected by the Provincial Congress of South Carolina, to serve the 1st and 2nd Regiments. In 1790, he was assigned to the South Carolina militia under Brigadier General Francis Marion. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Horry County Courthouse 1201 Third Avenue Conway, SC 29526

Horry County Clerk of Court 1301 Second Ave. Conway, SC 29526 Phone: 843-915-5080 Court records

Horry County Register of Deeds 1301 Second Ave. Conway, SC 29526 Phone: 843-915-5430 Land records

Horry County Probate Court 1301 Second Ave. Conway, SC 29526 Phone: 834-915-5370 Probate and marriage records

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

History
The county is named after Revolutionary War General Peter Horry (1747-1815).

Parent County
1801--Horry County was created 19 December 1801 within the overarching Georgetown District. Prior to that time it was called Kingston County or on the 1800 federal census Waccamaw County but these never became functioning counties. County seat:  Conway

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
Federal troops rifled and vandalized courthouse offices in 1865; many loose papers and volumes of the clerk of court (including early deeds to 1828) were destroyed. The files of the commissioner of equity were virtually wiped out, and loose probate papers left in disarray. At some later date, pre-1887 General Sessions Indictments were lost as well.

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: Horry County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

African Americans
United States African Americans South Carolina African Americans

Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:


 * Ark - Surfside Beach
 * Buck's Upper Mill - also called Upper Mill
 * Cherry Grove - North Myrtle Beach
 * Jeremiah Vereen's - Myrtle Beach
 * Long Bay
 * Longwood - Murrells Inlet
 * Lucas Bay - Youhannah
 * Old Oliver Place - Waccamaw River
 * Oregon
 * Peachtree
 * Peter Vaught's - Myrtle Beach
 * Snow Hill - Conway
 * Thomas Randall's - Little River
 * Tilghman Point - also called Little River, Thomas Randall's
 * Upper Mill - also called Buck's Upper Mill
 * Withers - Myrtle Beach
 * Woodbourne

Cemeteries

 * To view a cemetery list, see Horry County, South Carolina Cemeteries.
 * Horry County Historical Society - Cemetery listings
 * National Cemetery Administration

Census

 * 1829-1920 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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

1810

 * Teel, Dorothy Owens and Three Rivers Historical Society (Hemingway, S.C.). The 1810 Census of Georgetown District and the 1810 Census of Horry District, South Carolina. 199-?. 975.78 X2t 1810

1850

 * Woodard, Janet H. Population Schedules of the Seventh Census of the United States, 1850, Roll 854, Horry County, South Carolina Original Returns of the Assistant Marshals, White and Free Colored Population. 1980. 975.787 X29w 1850

1860

 * Lewis, Catherine Heniford and Ashley Patterson Cox. Index to the 1860 Census of Horry County, South Carolina. Macon, Ga.: Waccamaw Records, 1989. 975.787 X22L 1860
 * Lewis, Catherine Heniford, Ione Woodall and Ashley Patterson Cox. 1860 Census of Horry County, South Carolina Publication No. 4; Combining Original Copy Prepared by Ione Woodall and an Index Prepared by Catherine H. Lewis and Ashley P. Cox, Jr. Macon, Ga.: Waccamaw Records, 1996. 975.787 X2L 1860

1880

 * Horry County Historical Society. 1880 Census of Horry County, South Carolina. Conway, S.C.: Horry County Historical Society, 1970. 975.787 X2c

Baptist Church
Special Collections and Archives 206 James B. Duke Library Furman University 3300 Poinsett Highway Greenville, SC 29613 Phone: (864) 294-2194

Email: [mailto:specialcollections@furman.edu specialcollections@furman.edu]

South Carolina Baptist Historical Collection Records of over 500 individual South Carolina Baptist churches from published books, church histories, congregational records, associational minutes, biographical materials, newsletters, hymnals, and sermons. Microfilmed records can be borrowed through the InterLibrary Loan department of your local university or public library.

Episcopal Church
Early residents of what is now Horry County were served by these colonial parishes.


 * Prince George Parish 1721
 * Prince Frederick Parish 1734
 * All Saints Parish 1767
 * St. David's Parish 1768

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

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

Genealogy
It is anticipated that 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 Horry, South Carolina at World Connect, produces more than 45,000 results.

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

Horry County families he studied include Bell (Folder no. 58 ), Gore (Folder no. 343 ), Livingston (Folder no. 520 ), Thomas (Folder no. 889 ).


 * Andrea, Leonardo. Horry Co., S.C. Data. Typescript, microfilmed 1974. Item 13

Message Boards


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

Bibliography


 * Cooper - Cooper, John P. Sketches of John Purley Cooper and Wife Ethel Mae Bethea: with Notes on Their Ancestry, Descendants, Some Kindred and Random Recollections. Ruxton, Md.: J.P. Cooper, 1989..
 * Davis - The Jones, Skipper and Davis Family of England, Wales and America..
 * Durant- Andrea, Leonardo. Durant. Typescript, Polk County Historical Library, Bartow, Fla. Microfilmed 1975:.
 * Hankins - Media Research Bureau (Washington, D.C.). The Hankins Family with Data on Descendants of Rev. Dennis Hankins of Horry District, South Carolina and Madison County, Florida. MSS., 1950. Item 15
 * Hughes - Hughes, Virginia Hayden and Charles Evan Hughes. Hughes, Hardee, McCumbee, Milligan Connection of the Carolinas. n.p.: n.p., 1996..
 * Lewis - Stevenson, Mary Lewis. William Lewis of Horry County, South Carolina. n.p.: Charlotte Stevenson, 1960. ; digital version at World Vital Records ($).
 * Lewis - Long, Dorethea M. The Lewis Family: Portrait of a People. Conway, S.C.: D.M. Long, 2000..
 * Lewis - Lewis, J.D. My Neck of the Woods: The Lewis Families of Southeastern North Carolina and Northeastern South Carolina. Little River, S.C.: J.D. Lewis, 2002.
 * Livingston - Andrea, Leonardo. "Livingston Family of Horry County, South Carolina," Miscellaneous Family Records. Typescript. Microfilmed 1977:.
 * McCracken - Ronemous, Hulda W. Rob &amp; Joe: McCracken &amp; Williamson Ancestors in Eighteenth Century South Carolina. Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1995..
 * Tindall - Tindall, Anne Gibson. The Family of John G. Tindall of Horry County, SC and Allied Families. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society (South Carolina), (199-?)..

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 Horry County:

* Deed books E, G, and H are missing

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

 * The Independent Republic of Horry, 1670-1970: Items from the Independent Republic Quarterly, Official Publication of the Horry County Historical Society. Conway, S.C.?: The Society?, 1970. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Lewis, Catherine Heniford. Horry County, South Carolina, 1730-1993.  (Columbia, South Carolina : University of South Carolina Press, c1998), 229 pages. Horry County's past does not fit neatly into South Carolina history, Lewis demonstrated its decided differences--political, social, and economic--from other regions of the state. Book found at  and Other Libraries.
 * Epps, Florence Theodora, editor; Horry County Historical Society. The Independent Republic of Horry, 1670-1970 : items from The Independent republic quarterly, official publication of the Horry County Historical Society  (South Carolina : s.n., 1970?), 100 pages. Family letters, photographs, accounts, and documents are accurate through the pages of The Independent Republic Quarterly. Book found at FHL  and Other Libraries.

Maps

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

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


 * Atlantic Ocean 1670
 * King's Highway about 1704
 * Secondary Coast Road late 1730s

General

 * "Soldiers, 1775 - 1865," Independent Republic Quarterly, July 1975, Volume 9, Issue 3. Horry County Historical Society : Conway, SC. Book 975.787 H25i.

Revolutionary War

 * "General Francis Nash and the encampment on Little River Neck, 1776-1777," Independent Republic Quarterly, 2006, Volume 36, Issue 3. Horry County Historical Society : Conway, SC. Book 975.787 H25i.

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, Horry County, p. 185. 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)
 * Military Records. Horry County Historical Society. Internet site. Has links to other Civil War information that is connected to Horry County.
 * "Horry County - South Carolina Troops Confederate Roll of the the Dead". Horry County Historical Society. Internet site. Gives a list of men who died, some ages, Company involved in and comments.

Regiments. Civil War service men from Horry 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 Horry County or from many of its men.


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (McCreary's) (1st Provisional Army), Company F - (also known as Horry Rebels)
 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Rutledge's), Company A, Company D, Company E, and Company I
 * - 7th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry, Company A, Company F, and Company K
 * - 7th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company L
 * - 7th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Ward's), Company B Roster
 * - 9th Battalion, South Carolina infantry (Smith's) (Pee Dee Legion), Company A, Company D, and Company G
 * - 10th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company A, Company B, Company C, Company G, and Company M
 * - 12th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company A
 * - South Carolina State Troop Regiments Seed Corn Units, Junior Reserves, 3rd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops Junior Reserves (State Militia)

Other Resources


 * Brunson, Joseph Woods. Pee Dee Light Artillery of Maxcy Gregg's (Later Samuel McGowan's) Brigade, First South Carolina Volunteers (infantry) C. S. A., a Historical Sketch and Roster (University, Alabama : Confederate Pub., c1983), 60 pages. Includes rosters of the three Pee Dee infantry companies (from Darlington, Horry and Marion counties) which were supported by the Pee Dee artillery. The battery was officially Company D of the 1st South Carolina regiment. Book found at and Other Libraries.

Newspapers
Horry County Obituary Index Search Engine

Historic

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


 * Aynor Journal (Aynor, S.C.) 1988-current.
 * Grand Strand Journal (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 1972-1973.
 * Horry County News (Loris, S.C.) 1936-1952.
 * Horry News (Conwayboro, S.C.) 1869-1877.
 * Loris Times (Loris, S.C.) 1991-current.
 * Myrtle Beach Daily News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 1956-1956.
 * Myrtle Beach News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 1935-1956.
 * Myrtle Beach News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 1956-1961.
 * North Myrtle Beach Times (North Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 1971-current.
 * Sun-News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 1961-current.
 * The Conway Field (Conway, S.C.) 1958-1964.
 * The Field (Conway, S.C.) 1903-1958.
 * The Field and Herald (Conway, S.C.) 1964-1989.
 * The Horry County News and the Loris Sentinel (Loris, S.C.) 1952-1954.
 * The Horry Dispatch (Conwayboro', S.C.) 1861-1863.
 * The Horry Herald (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1897.
 * The Horry Herald (Conway, S.C.) 1899-1964.
 * The Horry Independent (Conway, S.C.) 1980-current. Available online at Footnote.com ($)
 * The Horry Progress (Conway, S.C.) 1883-1888.
 * The Independent Republic (Conway, S.C.) 1897-1899.
 * The Loris Scene (Loris, S.C.) 1992-current. Available online at Footnote.com ($)
 * The Loris Sentinel (Loris, S.C.) 1954-1991. Available online at Footnote.com ($)
 * The Myrtle Beach Journal (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 1971-1972.
 * The Myrtle Beach Journal (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 1982-1992.
 * The Myrtle Beach Sun (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 1950-1955.
 * The Myrtle Beach Sun and the Ocean Beach News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 1956-1961.
 * The Telephone (Conwayboro, S.C.) 1878-1883.
 * The Tribune  (Tabor City, N.C.) 1989-1991.
 * The Tribune (Tabor City, N.C.) 1991-current.
 * The Weekly Journal (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 1975-1976.
 * The Weekly Observer (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) 1974-1977.

Current


 * The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, 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:


 * Independent Republic Quarterly - Issues have been scanned and are text searchable, see website.

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.

Probate Records, 1803-1873. Probate Court Horry County, South Carolina. Microfilm of original records in the Horry County courthouse, at Conway, South Carolina.


 * Horry County Wills 1799-1818 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Horry County Administrator's Bonds 1803-1818 South Carolina Pioneers
 * Index to Horry County Will Book A (1799-1818); Will ook B (1819-1821); Will Book C (1841-1857) South Carolina Pioneers

Online Probate Records


 * 1670-1980 - South Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1670-1980 at Ancestry.com — index and 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 Horry County.

Published abstracts 


 * 1827-1828 - Horry County, South Carolina Tax Records, 1827-28, Independent Republic Quarterly, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Oct. 1976).

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 Horry 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 Horry 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


 * 1791-1861 - Marriage, Death, and Estate Notices from Georgetown, South Carolina Newspapers, 1791-1861 by Brent H. Holcomb WorldCat - index
 * 1861-1912 - Horry County Marriages Abstracted from Newspapers - Bride Listing - abstract
 * 1861-1912 - Horry County Marriages Abstracted from Newspapers - Groom Listing abstract
 * Prior to 1911 - Horry County Marriage Records Prior to 1911 - re-created marriages, not complete
 * 1911-1916 - Horry County Marriage Records, July 1, 1911 to Dec 16, 1916 - abstract
 * 1911-1951 - Marriage Records (Horry County, South Carolina), 1911-1951 - 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 Horry 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


 * 1791-1861 - Marriage, Death, and Estate Notices from Georgetown, South Carolina Newspapers, 1791-1861 by Brent H. Holcomb WorldCat - index
 * 1816-1990 - at FamilySearch — 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

 * Myrtle Beach South Carolina Family History Center

Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
Broad River Genealogical Society P.O. Box 215 Hickory Grove SC 29928 source: Society Hill Horry County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 1428 Marion SC 29571 source: Society Hill  Horry County Historical Society P.O. Box 2025 Conway SC 29528 source: Society Hill

Websites

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