Laurens County, South Carolina Genealogy

United States  South Carolina  Laurens County

Quick Dates
Laurens County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
Laurens County Courthouse 100 Hillcrest Square Laurens, SC 29360 Phone: 864-984-3538

Clerk of Court 100 Hillcrest Square Laurens, SC 29360 Phone: 864-984-3538 Court and land records

Probate Court 100 Hillcrest Square, Ste. A Laurens, SC 29360 Phone: 864-984-7315 Probate and land records

Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday

History
The county is named after Continental Congress President Henry Laurens (1724-1792) of South Carolina.

Parent County
1795--Laurens County was created in 1795 from District 96. County seat: Laurens

County Pronunciation

 * 1) Hear it spoken

Boundary Changes
"Rotating Formation South Carolina County Boundary Maps" (1682-1987) may be viewed for free at the My South Carolina Genealogy website. The maps rely on AniMap 3.0 software.

Record Loss

 * Lost census: 1790

Neighboring Counties
Abbeville | Anderson | Greenville | Greenwood | Newberry | Spartanburg | Union

Research Guides

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

African Americans
United States African Americans South Carolina African Americans


 * Garrett-Nelson, LaBrenda. The Source of Our Pride the Garrett, Neely, and Sullivan Families; Two Hundred Years of American History, Beginning in Laurens, South Carolina. San Jose, Calif.: Family Tree Press, 1996, 2000.
 * Garrett-Nelson, LaBrenda. The Source the Garrett, Neely, and Sullivan Families: Over Two Hundred Years of African American History, Beginning in Laurens County, South Carolina. Salt Lake City, Utah: Family Heritage Publishers, 2008.
 * Heinegg, Paul. "'Other Free' Heads of Household in the 1790 South Carolina Census, by County," Free African Americans.com. [Includes free blacks in Laurens County.]
 * Motes, Margaret Peckham. Blacks Found in the Deeds of Laurens &amp; Newberry Counties, SC: 1785-1827 Listed in Deeds of Gift, Deeds of Sale, Mortgages, Born Free and Freed. Abstracted from Laurens County, SC Deed Books A-L and Newberry County, SC Deed Books A-G. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002. ; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($). Publisher's website.
 * Rice, Lola M. McCrary. Genealogy of the Descendants of Dinah Williams of Laurens, South Carolina, 1830-1992 a Quest - Our Roots. Washington, D.C.: L.M.M. Rice, 1992.

Cemeteries
There are more than # burial grounds in the county. To view a list, see Laurens County, South Carolina Cemeteries.

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

1800

 * Elliott, Irene Dillard. Second Federal Census, 1800 Laurens County, South Carolina. University of South Carolina, 1959. 975.731 X2e 1800; digital version at Ancestry ($).

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.]

1829 State Census

 * "1829 Census of Laurens District," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Spring 1976):103-113; Vol. 4, No. 3 (Summer 1976):139-151.

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, Laurens District on page 142.]

1850

 * Myer, Lois C. and University of South Carolina. Laurens County, South Carolina 1880 Census; Indexes to 1850 &amp; 1880 Censuses; Tombstone Inscriptions. Typescript. Microfilmed 1969. 599050 Item 2

1880

 * Myer, Lois C. and University of South Carolina. Laurens County, South Carolina 1880 Census; Indexes to 1850 &amp; 1880 Censuses; Tombstone Inscriptions. Typescript. Microfilmed 1969. 599050 Item 2

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
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 Laurens, 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.

Message Boards


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

Bibliography


 * [Adair] Adair Family Genealogy: An Accounting of Our South Carolina-Indiana-Idaho Adair Ancestry, with a Brief Analysis of Our Scotch-Irish Forefathers. Huntingdon Beach, Calif.: W.W. Adair, 1974?..
 * [Blakely] Myer, Lois C. Descendants of William (Honest Bill) Blakely of Laurens Co., S. C. Including the Henderson, Boyd, Cunningham, McCullough; Samuel McClurkin Line with Descendants of David Ross Dorroh and Susan Lewers with Allied Lines of Peden, Gilliland, etc... Typescript, microfilmed 1969. Item 1
 * [Campbell] Campbell, Thomas. Descendants of Capt. Angus Campbell of Laurens, South Carolina. Microfilmed 1983.
 * [Coker] Jones, Gerald Edward. "The Coker Family: Laurens County, South Carolina and Colonial Virginia," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Winter 2010):14-28.
 * [Daniel] Gee, Christine South. John Daniel, Sr., 1724-1819, of Essex County, Virginia and Laurens County, South Carolina: His Virginia Ancestry and Some of His Descendants. Columbia, S.C.: Privately printed for Mrs. C.S. Gee by McDonald Letter Shop, 1986. ; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).
 * [Davis] Davis, Robert S. "The Descendants of Jonathan Davis," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 17, No. 2 (Spring 1989):86-87.
 * [Drake] Drake, Charles E. "The Drake Family of Ninety Six District and Abbeville County, South Carolina," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Fall 2001):183-195.
 * [Finley] Finley, Elizabeth M. Descendants of John R. Finley, 1843-1930 and His Wife Virginia Langston Finley of Laurens County, South Carolina. n.p.: E.M. Finley, 1975.
 * [Griffin] "Fannie Monroe, Real Daughter of the Revolution in 1906," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Summer 1997):147-150.
 * [Hanna] Montoye, Betty A. The Hanna Family, 1744-1974, Laurens District, South Carolina to Carroll County, Indiana. 1974.
 * [Hellums] Hellums, Earle C. The Hellums Family, 1765 to 1984 Beginning with John Hellums Sr. in Laurens County, South Carolina. Houston, Texas: E.C. Hellums, 1984.
 * [Holdridge] Smith, Cynthia Holdridge. "William Holdridge (1763-1803) of Laurens County, South Carolina," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 37, No. 3 (Summer 2009):123-135.
 * [Holland] Pitts, Esther H. Some of the Branches of the Holland Family, Laurens County, South Carolina. Clifton, S.C.: E.H. Pitts, 1967.
 * [Hutchinson] Hutchinson, Frederick McAlpine. The Hutchinson Family of Laurens County, South Carolina, and Descendants. Houston, Tex.: Anson Jones Press, 1947. ; ; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).
 * [Langston] Langston, Carroll. Descendants of Solomon Langston of Laurens County, South Carolina, through His Son, Bennett. Williamsville, Ill.: unknown, 1990. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [Martin] Gee, Christine South. Some of the Descendants of Daniel Martin (1745-1829) of Laurens County, South Carolina, and the Allied Families of Hudgens, McNeese, Rodgers, and Saxon. Greenwood, S.C.: C.S. Gee, 1963.
 * [Motes] Motes, Margaret Peckham. Motes Family Bible Records of Laurens County, South Carolina, 1750-1878. Stamford, Conn.: Mrs. J.H. Motes III, 1989. FHL (?)
 * [Power] McNees, Lucien L. Descendants of Alexander Power of Laurens County, South Carolina. Lexington, Miss.: L.L. McNees, 1967.
 * [Power] Varndell, Elinor Power. Four Families of Laurens County, South Carolina William C. and Elliott Nancy Mahaffey Power; Dr. John Stevens and Betty Hudgens Wolff; William Simpson and Isabella Henderson; Samuel Lewis Power and Nancy Mary Poole. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 2004.
 * [Ramage] Ramage Family Reunion, Laurens Co., South Carolina 1990. MSS., microfilmed 1991. Item 2
 * [Ramage] Ramage, Martis Donald and Ruth Ramage McElhaney. The Ramage Family of Laurens County, South Carolina. Belton, Miss.: M.D. Ramage, 1996.
 * [Ramage] Ramage, Martis Donald. Collection of Photographs from the Ramage Family of Laurens County, South Carolina. Belden, Miss.: M.D. Ramage, 1999.
 * [Templeton] Templeton, L.B. Templeton Family History Records and Descendants of the Templetons, Who First Settled in What is Now Laurens County, South Carolina: Together with Brief Sketches of Other Templetons, Who Settled in Other Parts of South Carolina and Other States. Union, S.C.: L.B. Templeton, Jr., 1953. Item 2; 2003 reprint:
 * [Templeton] Templeton, Ronald H. "Possible North Carolina/South Carolina Templeton Relationships," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 35, No. 3 (Summer 2007):123-130. Presents discoveries of previously unknown kinships based on the Templeton DNA study.
 * [Watson] Watson, John Drake. Ancestors and Descendants of James Dorsey Watson and Virginia Carolina Campbell of Laurens County, South Carolina. Newberry, S.C.: J.D. Watson, 1997.
 * [Williams] Rice, Lola M. McCrary. Genealogy of the Descendants of Dinah Williams of Laurens, South Carolina, 1830-1992 a Quest - Our Roots. Washington, D.C.: L.M.M. Rice, 1992.
 * [Wood] Wood, John Wilbert and Essie Meares Wood. The Wood Family of Laurens County, South Carolina. Charlotte, N.C.: Wood, 196?.

Land
The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Laurens County land records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * Laurens Land Records, Vol. A: 1785-1786
 * Laurens Land Records, Vol. B: 1787-1790
 * Laurens Land Records, Vol. D: 1791-1793

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

 * Bolick, Julian Stevenson with a brief sketch of the development of Laurens County by Edna Riddle Foy.   A Laurens County Sketchbook   (Clinton, S.C., Jacobs Press, c1973), 306 pages. Includes many drawings of houses. Short histories with names included. Aside from the historical, artistic and architectural appeal of the drawings, the text will prove valuable for those interested in genealogy, history, and folklore. Book found at  and Other Libraries
 * Laurens County Historical Society (South Carolina). The Scrapbook, A Compilation of Historical Facts About Places and Events of Laurens County, South Carolina  (Laurens, South Carolina : Laurens County Historical Society and Laurens County Arts Council, c1982), 704 pages. Includes biographies, battle stories and battle-related incidents, governmental passages, and articles from the Laurens County Advertiser and The Clinton Chronicle. Book found at and Other Libraries.

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


 * Old South Carolina State Road 1747

General

 * "County pension roll, 1818, 1832," Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History, November 2002, Volume 16, Issue 4. Piedmont Historical Society : Spartansburg, SC.
 * "Laurens volunteers, 1836 Seminole war," Piedmont Historical Society Quarterly, October 1984, Volume 2, Issue 4. Piedmont Historical Society : Spartansburg, SC.
 * "United Laurens riflemen history, 1802-57," Piedmont Historical Society Quarterly, October 1984, Volume 2, Issue 4. Piedmont Historical Society : Spartansburg, SC.

Revolutionary War

 * "John Ridgeway, Jr., Rev. War pension application, 1833," Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History, August 2005, Volume 19, Issue 3. Piedmont Historical Society : Spartansburg, SC.
 * "Revolutionary war pension applications," Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History, December 1990, Volume 7, Issue 4. Piedmont Historical Society : Spartansburg, SC.
 * "Rev. War pension applications," Georgia Genealogical Magazine, Winter 1978, Issue 67. Rev. Silas Emmett Lucas, Jr. : Greenville, NC. 975.8 B2gg.
 * South Carolina Court of Common Pleas (Laurens County). Revolutionary war pension applications, 1820 - 1830. Columbia, South Carolina : Filmed by the South Carolina Dept. of Archives and History, 1970. Film 1029415.

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, Laurens County, p. 186. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

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


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina State Troops, Company G
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry, Company B (also known as Ferguson Rangers)
 * - 3rd Regiment, South Carolina Reserves (90 days 1862-63), Company B
 * - 3rd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry
 * - Company A (also known as The State Guards or Staten Guards)
 * - Company F
 * - Company G (also known as Lurens Briars)
 * - Company I
 * - 4th Battalion, South Carolina Reserve, Companies D and E
 * - 5th Regiment, South Carolina State Troops, Companies D and I

- 9th Regiment, South Carolina Reserves, Companies A, B, C, D, E


 * South Carolina Genealogical Society. Laurens District Chapter. Laurens County Enrollment Book of Confederate Veterans 1902   (Greenville, South Carolina : Southern Historical Press, c1998), 152 pages. As complete a list of Confederate veterans, as possible, but some of the entries are based on the memories of the veterans' families and friends and on hearsay. Book found at  and Other Libraries.

Newspapers
Historic

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


 * Free-Silver Democrat (Laurens, S.C.) 1896-1???.
 * The Clinton Chronicle (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current.
 * The Clinton Enterprise (Clinton, S.C.) 1887-1888.
 * The Clinton Weekly Gazette (Clinton, S.C.) 1888-1???.
 * The Laurens Advertiser (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973.
 * The Laurens County Advertiser (Laurens, S.C.) 1973-current.
 * The Laurens County News (Laurens, S.C.) 1899-1903.
 * The Laurensville Herald (Laurensville, S.C.) 1848-1933.
 * The Laurensville Weekly Herald (Laurensville, S.C.) 1845-1848.
 * The Thornwell Messenger (Clinton, S.C.) 1910-19??.
 * Thornwell Life (Clinton, S.C.) 19??-current.

Periodicals
Tap into the minds of local experts. Editors of genealogical and historical 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:


 * Georgia Genealogical Magazine
 * Piedmont Historical Society Quarterly
 * Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History

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.

Taxation
The 1865 tax book is kept at the county courthouse. Copies at: and SCDAH.

Tax duplicate books are also kept at the county courthouse. Copies of years 1868, 1870-1875, 1890, at: and SCDAH.

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 Laurens 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.

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 Laurens 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


 * Marriage and Death Records from Laurens County, South Carolina Newspapers by Steven O'Dell Rayford   - index
 * 1826-1854 - Some South Carolina Marriages and Obituaries and Miscellaneous Information, 1826-1854, Abstracted from Early Newspapers: the Greenville Republican, the Greenville mountaineer, the Laurensville Herald by Robert F. Simpson and Mrs. Charles R. Barham WorldCat - index
 * 1911-1950 - Laurens County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, 1911-1950  - records
 * 1911-1951 - Laurens County, South Carolina Marriage Registers, 1911-1951 - 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 Laurens 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


 * Marriage and Death Records from Laurens County, South Carolina Newspapers by Steven O'Dell Rayford   - index
 * 1826-1854 - Some South Carolina Marriages and Obituaries and Miscellaneous Information, 1826-1854, Abstracted from Early Newspapers: the Greenville Republican, the Greenville mountaineer, the Laurensville Herald by Robert F. Simpson and Mrs. Charles R. Barham WorldCat - index
 * 1914-1960 - 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.

Societies
Laurens District Chapter SCGS P.O. Box 1217 Laurens SC 29360-1217 Old Newberry Chapter SCGS 406 East Florida St Clinton SC 29325-2430

Family History Centers
Family History Centers in South Carolina

Web Sites

 * Laurens County, SCGenWeb
 * Laurens County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Laurens County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)