Greenville County, South Carolina Genealogy

United States South Carolina  Greenville County

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.

Greenville County, South Carolina Record Dates
Greenville County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
Greenville County Courthouse 305 E. North Street Greenville, South Carolina 29601

Greenville County Clerk of Court 305 E. North St. Greenville, SC 29601 Phone: 864-467-8551 Court records

Greenville County Register of Deeds 301 University Ridge, Suite 1300 Greenville, SC 29601 Phone: 864-467-7240 Land records

Greenville County Probate Court 301 University Ridge, Suite 5600 Greenville, SC 29601 Phone: 864-467-7571 Probate and marriage records

Historical Facts
The county is named after Revolutionary War hero (1742-1786).

Parent County
22 March 1786: Greenville County was created from Washington District.

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities
The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names.

For further information (and links) on these populated places, please go to Populated Places, Greenville County, South Carolina

Research Guides

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

African Americans
United States African Americans South Carolina African Americans


 * Heinegg, Paul. Other Free' Heads of Household in the 1790 South Carolina Census, by County Free African Americans.com. Includes free blacks in Abbeville County.
 * McCuen, Anne K. Abstracts of Some Greenville County, South Carolina Records Concerning Black People, Free and Slave. 2 vols. Spartanburg, S.C.: The Reprint Co., 1991-2000.

Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:


 * Austin - Simpsonville - also called Gilder
 * Gilder - Simpsonville - also called Austin
 * Golden Grove
 * Great Plains
 * Oaklawn - Greenville
 * Polly
 * Prospect Hill
 * Spring Garden
 * Tall Pines
 * Tullyton - Fountain Inn

Cemeteries
There are more than # burial grounds in the county.

To view a list, see Greenville County, South Carolina Cemeteries.

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

1800

 * Phillipa, Oma Dee. Greenville District, South Carolina, 1800 Census. 975.727 X2p 1800

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. ; digital version at Lineages. [Includes this county.]

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. ; digital version at Google Books. [See South Carolina, Greenville District on page 143.]

Church History and Records
Greenville County Churches identifies dozens of churches in the area, courtesy: South Carolina Genealogical Society.

Gower, A.G. ''A short story of Presbyterian Church life in Greenville: its organizations and beginnings: seventy-fifth anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church, 1848-1923. ''Greenville, S.C: First Presbyterian Church, 1923?. Digital version at Internet Archive.

McKoy, Henry Bacon. A History of the First Presbyterian Church In Greenville, South Carolina. Greenville, S.C: [Printed by Keys Printing Company], 1962. Digital version at Hathi Trust.

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
More than 25 genealogies have been published about York County families. To view a list, visit Greenville County, South Carolina Genealogy.

History

 * Crittenden, S.S. The Greenville Century Book: Comprising an Account of the First Settlement of the County, and the Founding of the City of Greenville, S.C. Greenville, S.C.: Greenville News, 1903. Digital version at Google Books.
 * Richardson, James McDowell. History of Greenville County, South Carolina: Narrative and Biographical. (Atlanta, Ga.: A.H. Cawston, 1930), 368 pages. ▲ [. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Land and Property
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 Greenville County:

* Greenville County includes many Revolutionary War bounty land allotments

The original Greenville County deed books are kept at the county courthouse. The years 1786 to 1865 have been microfilmed:. Books A through R have been published:


 * [1787-1835] Pruitt, A.B. Abstracts of Deeds, Greenville County, S.C. [1787-1835]. Multi-volume. n.p.: A.B. Pruitt, 1997-2007.

Greenville County has placed the following records from their land and probates records online.

Greenville County Register of Deeds

Conveyance Books 1865 to 1872 Book AA 1865 - 1868 - 562 Viewable Page(s) Book BB 1868 - 1870 - 531 Viewable Page(s) Book CC 1870 - 1871 - 417 Viewable Page(s) Book DD 1872 - 1872 - 443 Viewable Page(s) Grantee Indexes 1787 to 1913 Book A 1897, 1900 - 1912 - 272 Viewable Page(s) Book G 1801 - 1819 - 188 Viewable Page(s) Book H 1819 - 1837 - 245 Viewable Page(s) Book I 1838 - 1846 - 85 Viewable Page(s) Real Estate Mortgage Books 1879, 1887 to 1889, 1893 to 1894, 1900 to 1901 Book II 1893 - 1894, 1901 - 585 Viewable Page(s) Book J 1879 - 422 Viewable Page(s) Book UU 1900 - 1901 - 459 Viewable Page(s) Book W 1887 - 519 Viewable Page(s) Book X 1887 - 1889 - 519 Viewable Page(s)

Warrants for Surveys 1868 to 1880

Greenville County Probate Court Records

Account Book 1896 to 1905, 154 pages

Estate Records over 80,000 pages

Guardian and Trustee Accounts 1865 to 1878, 410 pages

Index to Estate Papers 1787 to 1976

Miscellaneous Administration and Guardianship Bonds

1816 to 1857, 1874 to 1905 1837 - 1848 - 191 Viewable Page(s) 1845 - 1857 - 217 Viewable Page(s) 1874 - 1888, 1894 - 214 Viewable Page(s) 1888 - 1905 - 481 Viewable Page(s) Book A, 1816 - 1838 - 250 Viewable Page(s)

Returns 1817 to 1824, 27 pages


 * Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868 For information about the State Land Grants, see State Land Grants

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


 * Greenville District Land Plats, Vol. D: 1786, 1788-1799
 * Greenville District Land Plats, Vol. E: 1794-1799, 1803
 * Greenville District Land Plats, Vol. F: 1799, 1801-1803

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Greenville County for European settlers included: &lt;, and William E. Myer, Indian Trails of the Southeast. (Nashville, Tenn.: Blue and Gray Press, 1971), 12-14, and the book's pocket map "The Trail System of the Southeastern United States in the early Colonial Period" (1923). ▲ .&lt;/ref&gt;


 * Old Cherokee Path pre-historic
 * Lower Cherokee Traders' Path pre-historic
 * Catawba Trail pre-historic
 * Old South Carolina State Road 1747
 * Upper Road about 1783 (overlapped Lower Cherokee Traders' Path)

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

General

 * "Musters and Muster grounds 1794-1836," Greenville County Historical Society Proceedings and Papers, 1964, Volume 2. Greenville County Historical Society: Greenville, SC.

Revolutionary War

 * "William and Behethland Foote Moore butler bio., 1764-1853," Greenville Chapter Journal, Winter 2007, Volume 18, Issues 1-2. Greenville Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Greenville, SC.
 * "Battle of the Cane Brake, 1775," Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History, August 2006, Volume 20, Issue 3. Piedmont Historical Society: Spartansburg, SC.
 * "Colonel John Thomas reminiscences and family, 1800s-1900s," Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History, August 2006, Volume 20, Issue 3. Piedmont Historical Society: Spartansburg, SC. Also War of 1812.
 * "Selected final pension vouchers index, 1818-1864," Old Pendleton District Newsletter, March 2006, Volume 20, Issue 3. Old Pendleton District Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Easley, SC.
 * "Lebanon Church monument to Revolutionary soldiers, 1770s - 1850s," Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History, November 2005, Volume 19, Issue 4. Piedmont Historical Society: Spartansburg, SC.
 * "Battle of the Great Cane Brake on the Reedy River, 1775," Greenville County Historical Society Proceedings and Papers, 2005, Volume 12. Greenville County Historical Society: Greenville, SC.
 * McGowan, William Campbell, "Washington the Great: Celebration of the Sixteenth Anniversary of the Greenville Guards, with the oration of Captain W.C. McGowan, of Abbeville, S.C. Greenville, South Carolina, Washington's day 1893" Greenville, SC, Press of the Daily News, 1893. (Includes names of the Greenville Guards. Digital version at the Internet Archive.)

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. ; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Greenville County, p. 185. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

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


 * - 1st Battalion, South Carolina Reserves
 * - Company B


 * - 1st Battalion, South Carolina Sharpshooters
 * - Company B - (also known as the Sumter Guards)


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Artillery
 * - Company C -


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry,
 * - Company K


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Butler's) (1st Regulars)
 * - Company B - (also called Company E)


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Hagood's)
 * - 2nd Company F - ( also known as the Dixie Guards)


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (McCreary's) (1st Provisional Army)
 * - Company M - (also known as the Furman Guards and William H. Campbell's Company)


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Rifles (Orr's)
 * - Company L - (also known as Calhoun Guards)


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina State Troops Junior Reserves (State Militia)
 * - Company A


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Militia, Saluda Battalion and Tyger Battalion.


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina State Troops,
 * - Company E
 * - Company H


 * -2nd Battalion, South Carolina Reserves
 * - Company C - (also known as the Spartan Rangers, the Spartanburg Rangers and the Spartan Rangers Independent Cavalry Reserves)


 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (2nd Palmetto Regiment)
 * - Company B - (also known as Butler's Guards)


 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops Junior Reserves (State Militia)
 * - Company K


 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Rifles,
 * - Company E
 * - Company G
 * - Company L


 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry
 * - Company E - (also known as Dean's Cavalry)
 * - Company F - (also known as the Easley's Cavalry)
 * - Company K - (Formerly knowns as Company B, Cavalry Detachment, Hampton Legion, Brooks' Troops)


 * - 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry
 * - Company A - (possibly called Captain Easley's Company)
 * - Company C - (also known as Captain Dean's Company)


 * - 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Lauren's) (James')
 * - Company C
 * - Company D


 * - 3rd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry
 * - Company A
 * - Company F


 * - 3rd Regiment, South Carolina Militia


 * - 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Light Artillery (Palmetto Battalion)
 * - Company A - (also known as Furman Artillery and Earle's Artillery)
 * - Company H
 * - Company I - (also known as Bowden's Battery Light Artillery)


 * - 3rd Regiment, South Carolina Reserves (90 days 1862-63),
 * - Company A
 * - Company B
 * - Company C
 * - Company D
 * - Company E
 * - Company F
 * - Company G
 * - Company I
 * - Company K


 * - 3rd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops (6 months 1863-64)
 * - Company G
 * - Company I
 * - Company K


 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry
 * - Company A
 * - Company F (also known as Tyger Volunteers)
 * - Company G (also known as Saludia Guards)
 * - Company I


 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry,
 * - Captain AC Earle's Company


 * - 6th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Aiken's Partisan Rangers) (1st Partisan Rangers)
 * - Company A
 * - Company H


 * - 6th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry,
 * - Company K


 * - 7th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Nelson's) (Enfield Rifles)
 * - Company H


 * - 7th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry ,
 * - Company C
 * - Company G
 * - Company K


 * -13th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (4th) (Mattison's)
 * - Company B
 * - Company D


 * - 16th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Greenville Regiment)
 * - Company C
 * - Company D
 * - Company E
 * - Company F
 * - Company G
 * - Company I
 * - Company K


 * - 16th Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry,
 * - Company A


 * - 18th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry
 * - Company E


 * - 22nd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry,


 * - Company H


 * - Palmetto Sharpshooters Regiment, South Carolina (Jenkins') (1st Palmetto),
 * - Company I


 * - South Carolina State Troop Regiments Seed Corn Units, Junior Reserves,
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops Junior Reserves (State Militia)


 * Units From Greenville County. Internet site, accessed 12/30/2010. Lists rosters for the 16th South Carolina Headquarters and Command, references to other units associated with Greenville County soldiers, and resource materials.
 * Eaton, Lafayette Claud. """Butler Guards : Company B, 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment, Confederate States army""" (Vallejo, Calif. : L.C. Eaton, 1996?), 151 pages. Includes index. Includes the final roll call of the original Butler Guards present at the surrender at Greensboro.The Butler Guards were originally a South Carolina state militia that became the core of Company B of the 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment. They later became a part of the United Confederate Veterans. Book found at

Newspapers
Historic

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


 * Black Star (Columbia, S.C.) 1977-current.
 * Camp Wetherill News (Greenville, S.C.) 1829-????.
 * Evening Observer (Greenville, S.C.) 1900-1900.
 * Focus (Greenville, S.C.) 1973-1976.
 * Focus News (Greenville, S.C.) 1976-1981.
 * Fountain Inn Tribune (Fountain Inn, S.C.) 1911-1964.
 * Greenville County Observer (Greenville, S.C.) 1928-1932.
 * Greenville Daily Herald (Greenville, S.C.) 1902-1906.
 * Greenville Daily Piedmont (Greenville, S.C.) 1912-1916.
 * Greenville Democrat (Greenville, S.C.) 1891-1895.
 * Greenville Mountaineer (Greenville, S.C.) 1830-1855.
 * Greenville Republican (Greenville, S.C.) 1826-1828.
 * Greenville Semi-Weekly News (Greenville, S.C.) 1894-1914.
 * Greenville Weekly News (Greenville, S.C.) 1914-1915.
 * News and Notions (Fountain Inn, S.C.) 1908-1911.
 * Parker Progress (Greenville, S.C.) 1925-1928.
 * People's Paper (Taylors, S.C.) 1967-1971.
 * Semi-Weekly Mountaineer (Greenville, S.C.) 1866-1866.
 * Southern Crusader (Greenville, S.C.) 1942-194?.
 * Southern Sentinel (Greenville [S.C.]) 1832-1832.
 * The Advertiser (Greenville, S.C.) 1891-1???.
 * The Berea Regalia (Berea, S.C.) 1979-1980.
 * The Carolina News and Guide (Greenville, S.C.) 1963-1964. [Some issues available online at the Furman Library.]
 * The Cotton Plant (Greenville, S.C.) 18??-1904.
 * The County Fare and the Poinsett Register Greenville, S.C.) 1986-current.
 * The Daily Enterprise (Greenville, S.C.) 1876-1876.
 * The Daily Piedmont (Greenville, S.C.) 1908-1911.
 * The Enterprise Mountaineer (Greenville, S.C.) 1873-1892.
 * The Evening Democrat (Greenville, S.C.) 1892-1???.
 * The Evening Piedmont (Greenville, S.C.) 1907-1908.
 * The Greenville County Monitor (Marietta, S.C.) 1973-1979.
 * The Greenville Daily News (Greenville, S.C.) 1874-1920.
 * The Greenville Enterprise (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873.
 * The Greenville Mountaineer (Greenville, S.C.) 1866-1866.
 * The Greenville Mountaineer (Greenville, S.C.) 1893-1902.
 * The Greenville News (Greenville, S.C.) 1920-current.
 * The Greenville News: Semi-Weekly Edition (Greenville, S.C.) 1890-1894.
 * The Greenville Observer (Greenville, S.C.) 1932-1935.
 * The Greenville Piedmont (Greenville, S.C.) 1927-1995.
 * The Greenville Republican (Greenville, S.C.) 1873-1875.
 * The Greenville Semi-Weekly News (Greenville, S.C.) 1915-1919.
 * The Greenville Weekly News (Greenville, S.C.) 1874-1890.
 * The Greer Citizen (Greer, S.C.) 1917-current.
 * The Greer Observer (Greer, S.C.) 1905-1918.
 * The Greer Tribune and the Industrial News (Greer, S.C.) 1924-1935.
 * The Middle Earth Free Press (Greenville, S.C.) 1969-19??.
 * The Mountain City Echo (Greenville, S.C.) 1891-1891.
 * The Mountain Monitor (Travelers Rest, S.C.) 1979-1985.
 * The Mountaineer (Greenville, S.C.) 1829-1830.
 * The Mountaineer (Greenville, S.C.) 1866-1873.
 * The Mountaineer (Greenville, S.C.) 1902-1911.
 * The Northwest Sentinel (Travelers Rest, S.C.) 1980-current.
 * The Observer (Greenville, S.C.) 1935-1967.
 * The Palmetto Leader (Greenville, S.C.) 1945-current.
 * The Patriot and Mountaineer (Greenville, S.C.) 1855-1864.
 * The Piedmont (Greenville, S.C.) 1916-1927.
 * The Piedmont Messenger (Piedmont, S.C.) 1899-1902.
 * The Piedmont Observer (Piedmont, S.C.) 1904-1904.
 * The Saluda Valley Record (Piedmont, S.C.) 1962-1965.
 * The Semi-Weekly Times (Greenville, S.C.) 1899-1900.
 * The Southern Enterprise (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870.
 * The Southern Enterprise (Greenville, S.C.) 1914-19??.
 * The Southern Herald and Working Man (New York and Greenville, S.C.) 1874-1877.
 * The Southern News (Asheville, N.C.) 1936-19??.
 * The Southern Patriot (Greenville, S.C.) 1851-1855.
 * The Sunday Times (Greenville, S.C.) 1899-1900.
 * The Travelers Rest Monitor (Marietta, S.C.) 1985-current.
 * The Tri-Weekly Southern Patriot (Greenville, S.C.) 1851-1852.
 * The Upstate Monitor (Marietta, S.C.) 1993-current.
 * The Weekly Democrat (Greenville, S.C.) 1892-1895.
 * The Weekly Flag (Greenville, S.C.) 1879-1879.
 * Trench and Camp (Camp Savier, Greenville, S.C.) 1917-19??.
 * Tribune-Times (Fountain Inn, SC) 1964-current.

The Furman Library has digitized various issues (published 1851 – 1926) of the following Greenville newspapers. See Furman Library website.


 * Cohen's Weekly
 * The Cotton Plant
 * The Daily Herald
 * Evening Observer
 * The Evening Piedmont
 * Greenville Daily Herald
 * Greenville Daily News
 * Greenville Democrat
 * Greenville Republican
 * Greenville Weekly News
 * Semi-Weekly Mountaineer
 * Semi-Weekly Times
 * Southern Herald and Working Man
 * The Southern Patriot Weekly
 * The Sunday Times
 * The Tri-State Odd Fellow
 * The Tri-Weekly Southern Patriot
 * The Weekly Democrat

Current


 * GSA Business (Greenville, S.C.) Online editon.
 * The Greenville News (Greenville, S.C.) Online edition.

Greenville News Obituary Index

Periodicals
See: Periodicals for description.


 * Greenville Chapter Newsletter-South Carolina Genealogical Society (Family History Library book 975.727 D25g .)
 * Greenville Mountaineer
 * Piedmont Historical Society Quarterly
 * Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History

Probate Records
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.

Greenville County has placed some of their probate records online.

The record sets below are viewable.

Will Books 1820 to 1907 Book B, 1820 - 1840 - 298 Viewable Page(s) Book C, 1840 - 1853 - 519 Viewable Page(s) Book D - E, 1853 - 1881 - 294 Viewable Page(s) Book F - G, 1881 - 1897 - 654 Viewable Page(s) Book H, 1896 - 1907 - 81 Viewable Page(s)

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.


 * Greenville County Wills 1799-1818 (abstracts and transcripts). See list of testators. South Carolina Pioneers


 * Wills 1787-1819 (abstracts and transcripts) See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers

Online Probate Records
 * 1670 – 1980 South Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1670-1980 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1671 – 1977 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1732 – 1964 at FamilySearch — images

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 Greenville County.

Published abstracts

 * [1865-1867] Excise Tax and Licenses, 1865-67 (sel.), Greenville Chapter Newsletter-South Carolina Genealogical Society, Vol. 11, No. 9 (Oct. 1985)
 * [1883] Tax Ledger, 1883, Piedmont Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Apr. 1983); Vol. 1, No. 3 (Jul. 1983); Vol. 1, No. 4 (Oct. 1983).

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 Greenville 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 Greenville 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


 * 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 ▲  - index
 * 1826-1863 - Marriage and Death Notices from the Up-Country of South Carolina as Taken from Greenville Newspapers, 1826-1863 by Brent H. Holcomb ▲ ; digital version at Ancestry ($) - index
 * 1916 to Present - Greeville County Marriage License Search - index
 * 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 Greenville 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


 * 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 ▲  - index
 * 1826-1863 - Marriage and Death Notices from the Up-Country of South Carolina as Taken from Greenville Newspapers, 1826-1863 by Brent H. Holcomb ; digital version at Ancestry ($) - 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.

Archives, Libraries and Museums


The Greenville County Library system has 11 libraries plus a bookmobille. The branches have wireless capability. To view their online catalog, Click Here.

Hughes Main Library Address: 25 Heritage Green Place Greenville, SC 29601 Telephone: 864-242-5000 Fax: 864-235-8375 Email: maincirc@greenvillelibrary.org Hours of Operation: Monday thru Friday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Sunday 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM The South Carolina Room in the Hughes Main Library (email: [mailto:scroom@greenvillelibrary.org scroom@greenvillelibrary.org]) has an extensive collection of historical and genealogical research. While the major focus of the collection is Greenville and the Upstate South Carolina, there are many sources for other locations in the state and for other states. The information is available in books, manuscripts, microform, periodicals, databases, photographs, maps, and newspapers. Some of the specific records include obituaries from the Greenville News 1912-1993. An index is online. The South Carolina Room staff is available to assist researchers in person or through the Records Search Form. There are online research guides for various topics that can be downloaded. They include topics like African American, Cherokee Indian, getting started, German-Americans, North Carolina resources, and South Carolina sources for land, marriage, newspaper, and probate. The Library has obituaries from the Greenville News 1912-1993. An index is online. to search the index, Click Here.


 * Anderson Road - West Branch Address: 2625 Anderson Rd Greenville, SC 29611 Telehone: 864-269-5210 Fax: 864-269-3986 Email: [mailto:west@greenvillelibrary.org west@greenvillelibrary.org] Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to Saturday 9:00AM to 6:00 PM


 * Augusta Road - Ramsey Family Branch Address: 100 Lydia St Greenville, SC 29605 Telephone: 864-277-0161 Fax: 864-277-2673 Email: [mailto:augustaroad@greenvillelibrary.org augustaroad@greenvillelibrary.org] Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to-Sat 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM


 * Berea Address 111 N. Hwy. 25 Byp Greenville, SC 29617 Telehone: 864-246-1695 Fax: 864-246-1765 Email: berea@greenvillelibrary.org Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00AM to 9:00 PM; Friday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM


 * Fountain Inn - Kerry Ann Younts Culp Branch Address 311 North Main St Fountain Inn, SC 29644 Phone: 864-862-2576 Fax: 864-862-6376 Email: fountaininn@greenvillelibrary.org Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM; Friday to Saturday 9:00A to 6:00 PM


 * Greer - Jean M. Smith Branch Address: 505 Pennsylvania Avenue Greer, SC 29650 Phone: 864-877-8722 Fax: 864-877-1422 Email: greer@greenvillelibrary.org Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:0 0M to 9:00 PM; Friday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM


 * Mauldin - W. Jack Greer Branch Address: 800 West Butler Rd Greenville, SC 29607 Phone: 864-277-7397 Fax: 864-277-7389 Email: mauldin@greenvillelibrary.org Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM


 * Pelham Road- F.W Symmes Branch Address: 1508 Pelham Rd Greenville, SC 29615 Phone: 864-288-6688 Fax: 864-675-9149 Email: pelhamroad@greenvillelibrary.org Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to Saturday 9:00AM to 6:00 PM


 * Simpsonville - Hendricks Branch Address: 626 NE Main St Simpsonville, SC 29681 Phone: 864-963-9031 Fax: 864-228-0986 Email: simpsonville@greenvillelibrary.org Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to Saturday 9:00AM to 6:00 PM


 * Taylors- Burdette Branch Address: 316 W. Main St Taylors, SC 29687 Phone: 864-268-5955 Fax: 864-268-4275 Email: taylors@greenvillelibrary.org Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 P M


 * Travelers Rest- Sargent Branch Address: 17 Center Street Travelers Rest, SC 29690 Phone: 864-834-3650 Fax: 864-834-4686 Email: travelersrest@greenvillelibrary.org Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Bob Jones University, J.S. Mack Library, Special Collections Address: 1700 Wade Hampton Boulevard Greenville, SC 29614-0001 Get Directions Campus Map Telephone: (864) 770-1331 For hours Click Here.

Bob Jones University located in Greenville, South Carolina, is the foremost fundamental Christian university, with students from every state and more than 40 foreign countries. The Special Collections of the J.S. Mack Library has copies of the Greenville Mountaineer, one of the earliest newspapers from the local community. Copies date from 1826-1853.

Family History Centers
Greenville County Library System, South Carolina Room 25 Heritage Green Place

Greenville, Greenville, South Carolina, United States Phone: 864-242-5000 ext 2162

Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-9pm; Sat 9am-6pm; Sun 2pm-6pm Attention: Microfilms from the Church can be ordered from this Public Library.


 * Greenville South Carolina Family History Center

1301 Boiling Springs Rd Greer, Greenville, South Carolina, United States Phone: 864-627-0553 Hours: T 9:30am-2:30pm,7pm-9pm; W 9:30am-2:30pm; Th 9:30am-9:00pm

Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
Greenville County Chapter SCGS P.O. Box 16236 Greenville SC 29606-6236

Greenville County Historical Society 211 E Washington Street, Suite C Greenville SC 29601-2835 [mailto:info@greenvillehistory.org/ghs info@greenvillehistory.org/ghs]

Websites

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