South Carolina Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The South Carolina Deaths, 1915–1965 includes images of records and an index acquired from South Carolina Department of Archives and History. The original records were created by South Carolina Department of Health, and are arranged by year and alphabetically by locality. Death certificates are created to record deaths in South Carolina in compliance with state law and to better serve public health needs. They are also used with the probate of wills and the administration of estates. Death records, along with birth and marriage records, were recorded in churches throughout the United States colonial period. However, as early as the 1600s laws were enacted, but not enforced for a civil registry. In the 1900s the idea of a central system began to take hold, and many states began to record vital statistics. All states had birth and death records for their state by 1919 and had complied with the model registration law using a standard certificate. Overtime the content of birth and death records expanded to include details other than name and date of the event. Death certificates now include information on the parents, marital status, occupation, military service, cause of death (direct and contributing factors), citizenship, and the location of death. The information is gathered from attending medical professionals and family members then indexed, processed, and filed by state or local registrar. Information pertaining to death is reliable; including death, name of the attending physician or attending medical professional, name and address of the funeral home used, and the exact date and place of burial. Other information is dependent upon the reliability of the informant.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:


 * Name and gender of deceased
 * Date, place and time of death
 * City and county in which death occurred
 * Age of deceased in years, months, days


 * Race, marital status and occupation of deceased
 * Name of spouse
 * Birthplace of deceased
 * Father's name and birthplace


 * Mother's maiden name and birthplace
 * Name of informant, often a family member
 * Burial information

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person
 * The approximate date of death
 * The place where the death occurred

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the information to obtain the actual death certificate
 * Use the information to locate funeral home, obituary or cemetery record
 * Use the information to find other records such as birth, christening, marriage, census, land and probate records
 * Use the information to find additional family members

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. View the image for addition information
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names, or even initials

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of South Carolina.
 * South Carolina Guided Research
 * South Carolina Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * South Carolina State Board of Health. Death certificate indexes (South Carolina), 1915-1944
 * South Carolina State Board of Health. Death certificates, 1915-1963
 * South Carolina State Board of Health. Deaths, 1915-1968

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * South Carolina Deaths and Burials, 1816-1990
 * South Carolina Probate Records, Bound Volumes, 1671-1977
 * South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964
 * South Carolina, Charleston City Death Records, 1821-1926

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.