Darlington County, South Carolina Genealogy

United States  South Carolina  Darlington County

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

History
The county is named after the town of Darlington, in the historic county of Durham, England.

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

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

Neighboring Counties

 * Chesterfield
 * Florence
 * Kershaw
 * Lee
 * Marlboro

Research Guides

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

Census
1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Darlington 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.

Church
The following Darlington County church records have been indexed on the International Genealogical Index:

LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Darlington
 * Hartsville
 * Society Hill

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.

Family Histories
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 Darlington, South Carolina at World Connect, results in more than 30,000 entries.

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

Message Boards


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

Bibliography


 * [Bryant] Phelps, Dallas LeRoy. Ancestors of Thomas Olin Bryant of Darlington and Camden, S.C. Camden, S.C.: D.L. Phelps, 2010.
 * [Ellis] Raymond, Charles E. Journey into the Past with Reverend John Ellis and Catherine McCraney of Chesterfield District, South Carolina, Darlington District, South Carolina, Conecuh County, Alabama and Wilcox County, Alabama. Murrieta, Calif.: C.E. Raymond, 2006.
 * [Fountain] Igo, June Jones. The Flow of Fountains from Darlington County, South Carolina to Monroe County, Alabama. Refugio, Texas: J.J. Shepherd, 1999.
 * [Howell] Clark, Benjamin C. Barnabus and Martha Howell of Darlington County, South Carolina and Some Descendants. Santa Ana, Calif.: B.C. Clark, 1985.
 * [Kelly] Van Staaveren, Elizabeth Kelly. David Kelly, 1763-1838 and William Warren Kelly, 1807-1882 of Darlington County, South Carolina and Bradford County, Florida Including a Genealogy of the Descendants of William Warren Kelly. Alexandria, Va.: n.p., 1990.
 * [Kelly] Melton, E. Frank and Jill King Lyles. Prudence Kelly, 1770-1850, 9 Generations, 1755/65, 1810/20, David Shirley. Hartsville, S.C.: E.F. Melton and J.K. Lyles, 1999.
 * [King] Richey, Frank Miller. Descendants of William 'Factory Billy' &amp; Nancy Ann Wood King. Lilburn, Ga.: F.M. Richey, 1999.
 * [Lewis] Lewis, J.D. My Neck of the Woods: The Lewis Families of Southeastern North Carolina and Northeastern South Carolina. Md.: Clearfield, 2002. ;
 * [Moody] Franklin, Dan. Descendants of Levi Moody and Rebecca Wages, b. 1801 Darlington County, South Carolina and b. 1811 South Carolina. Salem, Mass.: Higginson, 1993.
 * [Pegues] Lidwin, Virginia Pegues. Hicks, Pegues, and Related Families from Records in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi. Typescript, National Library, DAR. Microfilmed 1971. Item 5
 * [Polk] Denney, Freddie Sue and Charles Wesley True. The Polk Family of Darlington County, South Carolina. San Antonio, Texas: C. True, 1982. Item 1
 * [Sexton] Payne, Louise Stracener. Sexton Digest. Glendale, Ariz.: L.S. Payne, 1992.
 * [Shirley] Melton, E. Frank and Jill King Lyles. Prudence Kelly, 1770-1850, 9 Generations, 1755/65, 1810/20, David Shirley. Hartsville, S.C.: E.F. Melton and J.K. Lyles, 1999.
 * [Smith] Smith, Jared M. The Legacy of J. Manly Smith, Sr., First Sheriff of Lee County, South Carolina. Bishopville, S.C.: J.M. Smith, 1994.
 * [Sowell] Hays, Mary Sowell and Carolyn E. Sowell. A History of the John Alexander and Laura Hilton Sowell Family. 1973.
 * [Weatherford] Talwar, Jeannine Walton. The Jesse Weatherford Family of Darlington County, South Carolina: Eight Generations of Descendants. Oregon: J.W. Talwar, 2004.
 * [Winburn] Richey, Frank Miller. Descendants of William &amp; ?? Winburn. Lilburn, Ga.: F.M. Richey, 1999.
 * [Wright] Wright, George Warren. Wright Family Tree, Henry County, Alabama Family Organization, History Data and Individual Pedigree Charts for Solomon Wright and His Descendants. 2 vols. Mobile, Ala.: G.W. Wright, 1989. FHL has two volumes and three supplements.
 * [Yarbrough] Colson, Lucy O'Gilvia Wiggins. Yarbrough Family History, 1758-1942 Allied Families: Jenkins, Thompson. Huntsville, Ala.: L.O.W. Colson, 1985.

Land
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.

Probate
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.

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog
 * Darlington County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)