St. Stephens Parish, South Carolina

United States South Carolina  Berkeley County  St. Stephen's Parish

History
St. Stephen's Parish has served Berkeley County and historic Craven County and Charles Town District.

Founded

 * 1754

Boundary

 * Borders Prince Frederick, St. David's, St. James Santee, St. John's Berkeley, St. Mark's, and St. Thomas and St. Denis parishes. For a map, see: Early parishes in South Carolina. An overlay of districts is available at Carolana.com.

Research Guides

 * South Carolina Archives Summary Guide: St. Stephen's Parish, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

Cemeteries
More than 1,000 graves at the parish church cemetery are described at Find A Grave. Includes transcripts and select photographs.

Cemetery records for several private burial grounds within St. Stephen's Parish have been transcribed:


 * Gregorie, Anne King. "Inscriptions from Oldfield and Mayham Plantations St. Stephen's Parish," The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 27, No. 4 (Oct. 1926):215-218. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * Inscriptions on Tomb-Stones, Private Burying Grounds, on the Santee River in Old St. Stephen's Parish S.C.: Cantey, or Stone Plantation The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 26, No. 2 (Apr. 1925):113-121. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * "Corrections: Inscriptions on Tomb-Stones, Private Burying Grounds, on the Santee River in Old St. Stephen's Parish S.C.," The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 26, No. 3 (Jul. 1925):182. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

Parish History
For an early history of the parish, see Chapter 15, St. Stephen's Parish, pages 328-331, in:


 * Dalcho, Frederick. An Historical Account of the Protestant Episcopal Church in South Carolina from the First Settlement of the Province, to the War of the Revolution; with Notices of the Present State of the Church in Each Parish and Some Account of the Early Civil History of Carolina, Never Before Published. Charleston: E. Thayer, 1820. digital versions at Google Books; Internet Archive;.

Parish Records
St. Stephen's Parish has a rich archive of early records including oaths, minutes, accounts, receipts, expenditures, baptisms, burials, communicants, confirmations, families, historic facts, marriages, offerings and fees. In the 1950s, they were held at the Bishop's office, St. Philip's Church, Charleston. Copies:

Parish Registers
Parish registers have been abstracted:


 * Misenhelter, Jane Searles. St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, St. Stephen, S.C. Including Church of the Epiphany, Upper St. John's Berkeley, and Chapel of Ease, Pineville, S.C. Columbia, S.C.: State Printing, 1977.

Vestry Books
Vestry books have also been abstracted:


 * Porcher, Anne Allston. "Minutes of the Vestry of St. Stephen's Parish, South Carolina, 1754-1873," The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 45, No. 2 (Apr. 1944):65-70; Vol. 45, No. 3 (Jul. 1944):157-171; Vol. 45, No. 4 (Oct. 1944):217-221; Vol. 46, No. 1 (Jan. 1945):40-48; Vol. 46, No. 2 (Apr. 1945):93-102. digital version at JSTOR ($);

Websites

 * St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Marker, The Historical Marker Database. Includes photographs and history.