Saluda County, South Carolina Genealogy

Guide to Saluda County, South Carolina ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
The County was named for the Saluda River. The County is located in the west central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Saluda County Courthouse 100 East Church Street Saluda, SC 29138 Phone: 864-445-4500 Saluda County Website

County Pronunciation

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:

Cemeteries

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

Census Records

 * 1829-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index & Images

Church Records
The Inventory of (SC) Church Archives 1937-1939 is available for free online, courtesy: South Caroliniana Library. Saluda County's W.P.A. reports are included.

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records Saluda County has court records from 1896 that are held in the office of the Clerk of Court. In 1896 Saluda County was created from Edgefield County which was a part of the Ninety-Six District from 1785 - 1800. The records of the Ninety-Six District courts are housed in Abbeville County with the Clerk of Court, and the records for Edgefield County are held with that county's Clerk of Court. The South Carolina Archives and History Center has court records available on microfilm for Saluda County.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:
 * United States African Americans
 * South Carolina African Americans
 * Crouch
 * Wheaten Pynes

Genealogies
General Surname indexes to Leonardo Andrea's Files | Folders | Resources are available online, courtesy: The Andrea Files: South Carolina Genealogical Research. Learn more.
 * The Family History of Saluda County 1895-1980, Saluda, South Carolina. n.p.: Inter Collegiate Press, (1980?).

Bibliography
 * Buff - Buff, L.H. and Janice Gartman Lee. Buffs and Millers Along the Saluda: Some Descendants of Andrew Buff of Central SC. n.p.: L.H. Buff &amp; J.G. Lee, 2001..
 * Etheredge - Etheredge, Hamlin Walpole. Our Etheredge Family Circles from 1753 to 1953. Johnston, S.C.: Ridge Citizen Publishers, 1953. Reprint:.
 * Gault Gault, Charles B. Portrait Album of the Family of Mr. and Mrs. Francis Beers Gault of Lake Waccamaw and Wilmington, North Carolina. Typescript. Microfilmed 1971:.
 * Hendricks Frontier Hendricks Association. Hendricks/etc. in South Carolina Backcountry Elsewhere than in Forks of Broad and Saluda--After the Revolution [Unauthorized].
 * Jones Phelps, Dallas LeRoy. Descendants of William A. Jones of Edgefield and Saluda County, S.C. 2003. Item 109
 * Langford - Langford, George Shealy. Langfords in America Sketches on Early Arrivals and Migrations: Genealogical Recording on Descendants from Early Saluda River, South Carolina Families (Lexington, Newberry, Saluda and Old Edgefield Counties), 1773-1975: Some Related Families [of] Holley, Waters, Shealy, Timms, Robertson. College Park, Md.: Langford, 1977.
 * Langford - Langford, George Shealy. Sketches About Langfords, 1632-1980. Book 2. College Park, Md.: G.S. Langford, 1981..
 * Long - Evans, Eytive Long. A Documented History of the Long Family, Switzerland to South Carolina, 1578-1956, Including Allied Families a Documentary Record of the Long (Lang) Family of Newberry, Edgefield, and Saluda Counties, South Carolina, Including Many Allied Families. 1956.
 * Merchant Phelps, Dallas LeRoy. The Merchant-Padgett Family of Edgefield and Saluda County, South Carolina. Camden, S.C.: D.L. Phelps, 2008.
 * Padgett Paget, James Suddath and Dallas LeRoy Phelps. Watson-Smith-Padgett Families of Edgefield and Saluda Counties, South Carolina. 1995. Item 19
 * Padgett Phelps, Dallas LeRoy. Descendants of Mark Manuel Padget, Edgefield County, South Carolina. Camden, S.C.: D.L. Phelps, 1998..
 * Padgett Phelps, Dallas LeRoy. The Merchant-Padgett Family of Edgefield and Saluda County, South Carolina. Camden, S.C.: D.L. Phelps, 2008.
 * Rucker - Holcomb, Brent H. and Katherine L. Hester. The Rucker Family of South Carolina, 1752-1983. Greenville, S.C.: A Press, 1983..
 * Smith - Paget, James Suddath and Dallas LeRoy Phelps. Watson-Smith-Padgett Families of Edgefield and Saluda Counties, South Carolina. 1995. Item 19
 * Watson - Paget, James Suddath and Dallas LeRoy Phelps.Watson-Smith-Padgett Families of Edgefield and Saluda Counties, South Carolina. 1995. Item 19

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records 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.

The following chart shows where you may best expect to find land records. * First deed book is missing

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War
 * "Veterans list, (sel.)," Genealogical Roots and Branches, Winter 2001, Volume 22, Issue 4. Old Ninety-Six Chapter: Greenwood, SC.

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index & Images
 * 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)

Regiments. Saluda County did not exist during the Civil War. Present day Saluda County was created 25 February 1896 from Edgefield County. During the Civil War, men from the area of Saluda County mostly would have served in various regiments recruited in Edgefield County. Counties were called districts during the Civil War.

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry ($)

Historic The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Saluda 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.
 * Saluda Standard-Sentinel (Saluda, S.C.) 1973-current.
 * The Saluda Advocate (Mt. Willing, S.C.) 1895-1900.
 * The Saluda County Sentinel (Saluda, S.C.) 1946-1973.
 * The Saluda Sentinel (Dennys, S.C. and Newberry, S.C.) 1895-1903.
 * The Saluda Standard (Saluda, S.C.) 1902-1973.
 * The Ticket (Mt. Willing, S.C.) 1895-1895.

University of South Carolina Library Catalog
 * Historical Newspapers of South Carolina at University of South Carolina Libraries - not complete

Current
 * Saluda Standard-Sentinel (Saluda, S.C.) Online edition.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records 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 images are available. Some estate records for Saluda County available on microfilm. Probate records for Saluda County may be found in the court of ordinary or probate court, and the court of equity.
 * 1670-1980 South Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1670-1980 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
 * 1671-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images Only
 * 1732-1964 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images Only
 * 1782-1866 South Carolina, Will Transcripts 1782-1866 at Findmypast — index, ($) — $, index

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * South Carolina Department of Archives and History tax lists for Saluda County.

Birth

 * 1766-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index & Images
 * 1915-1917 South Carolina, U.S., Births, 1915-1917 at Ancestry - index & images ($)

Marriage
Marriages - Indexes and Records
 * 1911-1950 Saluda County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, 1911-1950 - records
 * 1911-2000 Saluda County, South Carolina Marriage Registers, 1911-ca. 2000 - index and records
 * There are several online marriage indexes containing miscellaneous marriage records found insome counties of South Carolina listed on the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Death
Deaths - Indexes and Records
 * 1816-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1821-1969 South Carolina, U.S., Death Records, 1821-1969 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1915-1943 South Carolina, Deaths, 1915-1943 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
 * 1915-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index & 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

 * Columbia South Carolina Family History Center
 * Greenwood South Carolina Family History Center
 * Lexington South Carolina Family History Center
 * West Columbia South Carolina Family History Center


 * Richland County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Libraries Saluda Library 101 South Main Street Saluda, SC 29138 Phone: Number: (864) 445-4500 Fax:(864) 445-2725 Email: k.rushton@saludacounty.sc.gov Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:30-5:00, Tuesday, Thursday 8:30-6:00, Saturday, Sunday Closed Online Catalog Website The Saluda County Library has genealogy and local history offerings. Ridge Spring Libraryand Welcome Center 636 Main Street Ridge Spring, SC 29129 Phone Number: 803-685-BOOK (2665) Email: rslibrary@pbtcomm.net Hours: Monday 9:30-1:00, Tuesday 9:30-1:00, Thursday 8:30-12:30, Friday 12:30-5:00, Saturday 9:00-12:00Website

Museums
Saluda County Historical Museum &amp; Theatre 105 Law Range Saluda, SC 29138 Telephone: (864) 445-8550 This museum houses historical artifacts and ancestral information pertaining to Saluda County Website

Societies

 * Saluda County Historical Society 109 Law Range Street Saluda, SC 29138 (864) 445-8550 Facebook

Websites

 * Saluda County, SCGenWeb
 * Saluda County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

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