Aiken County, South Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Aiken County is named for (1779-1831), founder and president of the  and father of South Carolina Governor  (who served from 1844-1846). The County is located in the west central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Aiken County Courthouse 109 Park Ave SE Aiken, SC 29801 Telephone: 803-642-1500 Aiken 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:

History Timeline
The South Carolina Railroad first brought large numbers of people to the area in the 1830s when it completed a line between Charleston and Hamburg (located on the Savannah River). The creation of a county in the area was first considered in 1857 (under the name Calhoun) but the Bill failed. Aiken was originally going to be named Woodbury and then Randolph. Learn more about the history of Aiken County from the South Carolina State Library or from Carolana.com.

Cemeteries

 * To view a list, see Aiken 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. Aiken County's W.P.A. reports are included. Aiken County Churches identifies dozens of churches in the area, courtesy: South Carolina Genealogical Society.

Baptist
 * The First Baptist Church was organized by a small group near the site of the Palmetto Golf Club. In 1836 this organization moved to the town of Aiken. The church was completed in 1836 and named the Aiken Baptist Church. Other Baptist Churches include: Beech Island Baptist Church, organized on 21 January 1832; Belvedere Baptist Church, organized on 19 February 1922; Clearwater No.1 Baptist Church, organized in 1872; Green Pond Baptist Church, organized in 1887; The Memorial Baptist Church; The Ellenton Memorial Christian Church, was first located at Ellenton and established in 1839; Mount Beulah Baptist Church, organized in 1833; Spring Branch Baptist Church, constituted on 20 May 1871 while part of Barnwell County; Montmorenci Baptist Church, organized on 19 December 1870; Shaws Fork Baptist Church, organized in 1913; Talatha Baptist Church, one of the older churches in the Aiken Association; White Pond Church, there is no date of organization but first baptism was in 1844; Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, erected in 1834.

Catholic Church
 * Exploration in the colonial period lead to the introduction of Catholicism in the region. The Church of St. Claire of the Holy Cross was built in 1867 and was the predecesor of Saint Mary's Catholic Church of Aiken.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Churches were established in the 1950s. Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Aiken

Episcopal Church
 * St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church was built in 1842 on land donated by the the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company.

Presbyterian
 * Coles, W.R. The Immanuel Presbyterian Mission at Aiken, S.C. 1893. Digital version at Internet Archive.

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * "Marshall [Surname], Connecticut to South Carolina," The American Genealogist, Vol. 31 (1955): 216. ; digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).

Early migration routes to and from Aiken County for European settlers included:


 * Savannah River pre-historic
 * Occaneechi Path pre-historic
 * Middle Creek Trading Path pre-historic
 * Fort Moore-Charleston Trail about 1716
 * Fall Line Road about 1735
 * Augusta-Savannah Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Augusta and Cherokee Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Augusta-St. Augustine Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Great Valley Road (south fork) 1740s
 * Charleston-Ft. Charlotte Trail about 1765
 * Fort Charlotte and Cherokee Old Path about 1765

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:
 * United States African Americans
 * South Carolina African Americans
 * Vandervelde, Isabel. Aiken County: The Only South Carolina County Founded During Reconstruction. Spartanburg, S.C.: Reprint Co., 1999.
 * Vandervelde, Isabel. Other Free People in Early Barnwell District. Newberry, S.C.: Art Studio Press, 2001. Digital version at ;, includes Aiken County.
 * Airville
 * Beech Island
 * Cathwood (aka Cedar Grove, Kathwood)
 * Cedar Grove (aka Cathwood, Kathwood)
 * Cowden - Jackson
 * Dawson-Vanderhorst House - Aiken - also called New Bridge Farm, Richardson Place, Zahara
 * Evergreen - Springfield - also called Hopewell
 * Faifields (at Ridge Spring)
 * Granville (at Beech Island)
 * Hollow Creek
 * Hopewell - Springfield - also called Evergreen
 * John Glaze
 * Jumping Creek (at Aiken)
 * Kathwood (aka Cedar Grove, Cathwood)
 * Kitchin
 * Oakland (at Beech Island)
 * Oakwood
 * Pascalis (at Aiken)
 * Redcliffe (at Beech Island)
 * Richardson Place - Aiken - also called Dawson-Vanderhorst House, New Bridge Farm, Zahara
 * Rose Hill (at Beech Island)
 * Silver Bluff (at Jackson)
 * Silver Hill
 * Suber House - Jackson - also called Cedar Grove, Cathwood, Kathwood
 * Williams
 * Woodlawn - North Augusta
 * Zahara - Aiken - also called Dawson-Vanderhorst House, New Bridge Farm, Richardson Place

Genealogies
General Surname indexes to Leonardo Andrea's Files | Folders | Resources are available online, courtesy: The Andrea Files: South Carolina Genealogical Research. Learn more.
 * Rowland, Arthur Ray. Neighbors of North Augusta and Its Geographical Ancestors including Hamburg Township and Schultz Township in Edgefield County and Aiken County, South Carolina: from U.S. census records, 1850-1900. North Augusta, S.C.: RR Books, 2006.

Bibliography
 * Barton - Barton, Mildred Elizabeth. A Family Tree: Barton-Gingrey, Brown-Moseley. Aiken, S.C.: M.B. Barton, 1990.
 * Faulkner - Welch, Drew Glover. The Families of Russell Faulkner, Elijah Faulkner and Eligah Melvin Faulkner of Edgefield District, South Carolina. Lexington, SC: Drew Glover Welch, 2012.
 * Finley - Finley, William Peronneau. In Memoriam, William Peronneau Finley. Augusta, Ga.: Jas. L. Gow, Pr., 1876..
 * Holley - McCreary, Richard A. The Sovereign Evans Holley Family of Aiken County, South Carolina. Columbia, S.C.: R.A. McCreary, 1993?.
 * Johnson - Rumph, Thedoshia Juanita Harvey and Marian Dale Harvey. Family History of Jacob E. Johnson (Birth/Death Dates Unknown) &amp; Elizabeth Johnson Born in 1809 in Virginia, Died 6-2-1895 in Aiken, S.C. Pemberton, N.J.: T.J.H. Rumph, 2001.
 * Kirkland - The 14 Children of John &amp; Lavina Kirkland John b. 1810 d. 1889 (Aiken Co.) South Carolina.
 * Plunkett Ivy, Emma Plunkett. Ten Thousand Plunketts. 2 vols. Atlanta: Peachtree Letter Service, 1974. ; digital version Vol. 1 at FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Ravenel - Childs, Arney R. The Private Journal of Henry William Ravenel, 1859-1887. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1947..
 * Speidel - Speidel, James L. Genealogy of Jim Speidel. Marietta, Ga.: J.L. Speidel, 19--?..
 * Younce - Yonce, Luther V. "Yonce" Families in the United States of America: Nationality, German: Pennsylvania in 1738, Virginia about 1765, North Carolina about 1768, South Carolina before 1772, Ohio late 1788, Kentucky in 1807, Tennessee early 1800, Missouri in 1838, Mississippi mid 1800, Arkansas mid 1800, and More. Knoxville, Tenn.: Tennessee Valley Pub., c1993.

Land and Property Records
Conveyance Books The original Aiken County Conveyance Books are kept at the South Carolina Department of Archives and Libraries. The years 1872 to 1955 have been microfilmed:.

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

Online Land Indexes and Records The following charts show where you may best expect to find land records. * First deed book is missing.
 * Some Orangeburg District deeds were recorded in Charleston District and were not destroyed ** Orangeburg District, Orangeburg County, 1785 Lexington County and Lewisburg County records destroyed by fire
 * Orangeburg District records destroyed by fire

Local Histories

 * Greetings from Aiken, S.C. 1909. Digital version at Internet Archive. [Includes photographs of many historic buildings.]

History
 * Aiken, South Carolina. A Description of the Climate, Soils, and the Nature of the Products in the Vicinity of Aiken, S.C. ... New York and Aiken: J.C. Derby, Publisher, 1870. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * Henderson, P. F. A Short History of Aiken and Aiken County(Digitization of original published: Columbia, South Carolina R.L. Bryan, 1951) 45 pages. Includes early Aiken history, battle of Aiken, historic spots and Aiken people in books., Other Libraries.
 * MacDowell, Dorothy K. An Aiken Scrapbook: a Picture Narrative of Aiken and Aiken County, South Carolina (S.l.: s.n., 1982) Book found at and Other libraries
 * Maness, Harold S. Forgotten Outpost: Fort Moore &amp; Savanah Town, 1685-1765 (Beech Island, South Carolina: Harold S. Maness Family, c1986, Beech Island, South Carolina: Beech Island Historical Society, c1986), 256 pages. Includes 1870 militia rolls of Barnwell &amp; Edgefield County residents presumed to become a part of the new Aiken County; 1868 voter registration rolls Book found at
 * Toole, Gasper Loren. Ninety Years in Aiken County Memoirs of Aiken County and its People (Charleston? South Carolina: s.n., 1959), 401 pages. Contains descriptions of schools, newspapers and biographies. Book at ; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).
 * Sheahan, John J. Military markers and data: cemeteries located in Aiken County, South Carolina. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah..
 * Vandervelde, Isabel. Aiken County: the Only South Carolina County Founded During Reconstruction(Spartanburg, South Carolina Reprint Co., c1999), 545. Has index with about 3000 names.Includes 1870 militia rolls of Barnwell &amp; Edgefield County residents presumed to become a part of the new Aiken County; 1868 voter registration rolls presumed relevant to the new county. Book at, Other Libraries.
 * Vandervelde, Isabel, Aiken County: the Only South Carolina County Founded During Reconstruction (Spartanburg, South Carolina: Reprint Co., c1999), 545. Has index with about 3000 names.Includes 1870 militia rolls of Barnwell &amp; Edgefield County residents presumed to become a part of the new Aiken County; 1868 voter registration rolls presumed relevant to the new county. Book at ,Civil War pages 321-371. Other Libraries.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Aiken County South Carolina Historical Maps at SCIWAY includes maps of the town of Hamburg and downtown Aiken.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Aiken County for European settlers included:
 * "Marshall [Surname], Connecticut to South Carolina," The American Genealogist, Vol. 31 (1955): 216. ; digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * Savannah River pre-historic
 * Occaneechi Path pre-historic
 * Middle Creek Trading Path pre-historic
 * Fort Moore-Charleston Trail about 1716
 * Fall Line Road about 1735
 * Augusta-Savannah Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Augusta and Cherokee Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Augusta-St. Augustine Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Great Valley Road (south fork) 1740s
 * Charleston-Ft. Charlotte Trail about 1765
 * Fort Charlotte and Cherokee Old Path about 1765

Military Records

 * See Aiken County, South Carolina Cemeteries for military burials in the county.

Revolutionary War
 * "Local Revolutionary fighting, 1780- 1781," Aiken County Historical Society, Journal, May 2006. Aiken County Historical Society Aiken, SC.

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. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Aiken County, p. 181. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

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 Aiken County was created after the Civil War on 10 March 1871 from the counties of Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington and Orangeburg.

During the Civil War, men from the area of Aiken County mostly would have served in various regiments recruited in those counties. Counties were called districts during the Civil War.
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Hagood's), Company E (At Reorganization was known as Wee Nee Volunteers or Williamsburg Volunteers)
 * - 7th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company F
 * - 14th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company H
 * - South Carolina Local Defense Troops, Independent Mounted Infantry

Other Resources
 * Maness, Harold S., Forgotten Outpost: Fort Moore &amp; Savanah Town, 1685-1765, (Beech Island, South Carolina: Harold S. Maness Family, c1986, Beech Island, South Carolina: Beech Island Historical Society, c1986), 256 pages. Includes 1870 militia rolls of Barnwell &amp; Edgefield County residents presumed to become a part of the new Aiken County; 1868 voter registration rolls Book found at

Civil War Battles The Battle of Aiken.

Newspapers

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

Historic Aiken County Public Library: Ancestry, a subscription website, offers access to the following Aiken County newspaper: The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Aiken 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.
 * Aiken, SC Newspapers on microfilm
 * Aiken Standard (1969-1977). Aiken, South Carolina, United States Of America. Database created from microfilm copies of the newspaper. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * Aiken County Rambler (Aiken, S.C.) 1977-1983.
 * Aiken County Register(Aiken, S.C.) 1983-1984.
 * Aiken Courier Journal (Aiken, S.C.) 1877-1880.
 * Aiken Daily Journal (Aiken, S.C.) 1871-1873.
 * Aiken Standard (Aiken, S.C.) 1969-current.
 * Aiken Standard and Review (Aiken, S.C.) 1935-1969.
 * Journal and Review (Aiken, S.C.) 1880-1935.
 * The Aiken County Journal (Aiken, S.C.) 1969-1969.
 * The Aiken Journal (Aiken, S.C.) 1871-1874.
 * The Aiken Press (Aiken, S.C.) 1867-186?.
 * The Aiken Recorder (Aiken, S.C.) 1881-1910.
 * The Aiken Sentinel (Aiken, S.C.) 1910-1913.
 * The Aiken Standard (Aiken, S.C.) 1915-1930.
 * The Aiken Standard and South Carolina Gazette (Aiken, S.C.) 1930-1935.
 * The Aiken Telegraph and Commercial Advertiser (Aiken, S.C.) 1835-1836.
 * The Aiken Times (Aiken, S.C.) 1892-1905.
 * The Aiken Tribune (Aiken, S.C.) 1871-1876.
 * The Carolina Galaxy and Commercial Gazette (Hamburg, S.C.)1834-1835.
 * The Courier-Journal (Aiken, S.C.) 1874-187?.
 * The Graniteville News (Graniteville, S.C.) 1899-1903.
 * The Hamburg Gazette (Hamburg, S.C.) 1823-18??.
 * The Hamburg Journal (Hamburg, S.C.) 1840-18??.
 * The Hamburg Republican (Hamburg, S.C.) 1845-18??.
 * The Post (North Augusta, S.C.) 1989-current.
 * The Republican (Hamburg, S.C.) 1850-185?.
 * The Star (North Augusta, S.C.) 1982-current.
 * The Valley Pioneer (Hamburg, S.C.) 1854-1???.
 * The Valley Times (Graniteville, S.C.) 1929-193?.

University of South Carolina Library Catalog World Vital Records, a subscription website, offers access to the following Aiken County newspapers:
 * Historical Newspapers of South Carolina at University of South Carolina Libraries - not complete
 * Aiken Courier Journal (1874-1878)
 * Aiken Journal (1874)
 * Aiken Journal and Review (1885-1923, gaps)
 * Aiken Recorder (1886-1906, gaps)
 * Aiken Tribune (1871, 1873, 1875)

Current
 * Aiken Standard (Aiken, S.C.) Online edition.

Periodicals

 * News and Journal

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1670-1980 South Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1670-1980 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
 * 1671-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images Only
 * 1732-1964 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images Only
 * 1737-1964 South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964 at Ancestry - images ($)
 * 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
 * 1870 Assessor's Return of Taxable Real Property in Barnwell County Annexed by Aiken County, 1870, News and Journal, Vol. 24, No. 3 (2008).
 * South Carolina Department of Archives and History tax lists for Aiken 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
Newspapers are used as a substitute to locate marriage information. See South Carolina Newspapers.

Marriages - Indexes


 * 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
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

 * Aiken South Carolina Family History Center
 * Evans Georgia Family History Center
 * Lexington South Carolina Family History Center
 * West Columbia South Carolina Family History Center


 * Augusta Genealogical Society, Adamson Library - an affiliate library
 * Augusta-Richmond County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
The Aiken County Public Library is part of the ABBE Regional Library Sytsem. Its catalog is overseen by that organization as is its book ordering and other functions. Use the links below for the ABBE Regional Library to learn more. Other Aiken County libraries: Jackson, Midland Valley, New Ellenton, North Augusta, Wagner. Of these facilities the Nancy Carson Library in North Augusta is the largest. The Nancy Carson Public Library in North Augusta is part of the ABBE Regional Library System. Its catalog is overseen by that organization as is its book ordering and other functions. Use the links below for the ABBE Regional Library to learn more.
 * Aiken County Public Library Address: 314 Chesterfield St. SW Aiken, SC 2980 Telephone: 803-642-2020 Hours of operation: Monday, Wednesday, Friday &amp; Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Tuesday &amp; Thursday 10:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m., closed Sundays year-round.
 * Nancy Carson Library in North Augusta Address: 135 Edgefield Road North Augusta, SC 29841 Telephone: 803-279-5767 Hours of operation: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday - 10"00 a.m to 9:00 p.m.; Wednesday, Friday - 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.; Sunday Closed
 * ABBE Regional Library System A.B.B.E. Regional Library System (The Aiken-Bamberg-Barnwell-Edgefield Regional Library System) is headquatered in Aiken and serves the four South Carolina Counties named in its title. It has 14 brances and a bookmobile.

Museums
The Museum is housed in a 1930's Winter Colony mansion named "Banksia". Its 3.5 acre grounds are also home to a 1890's one-room schoolhouse and a log cabin built in 1808. The purpose of the museum is to collect and preserve historical material relating to Aiken County and to display and interpret such information to the public. It operates under the direction of the Aiken County Historical Commission, There is no charge to visit the Museum.
 * Aiken County Historical Museum Address 433 Newberry St SW Aiken, SC 29801 Telephone: 803-642-2015 Email: [mailto:museum@aikencountysc.gov museum@aikencountysc.gov] Normal Hours: Normal Hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Societies
Aiken County South Carolina Genealogy Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
 * Aiken-Barnwell Genealogical Society P.O. Box 415 Aiken SC 29082 Email: [mailto:aikenbarnwellgenealogy@gmail.com aikenbarnwellgenealogy@gmail.com] Facebook
 * Aiken County Historical Society PO Box 1775 Aiken, SC 29802 Website

Websites

 * Aiken County, SCGenWeb
 * Aiken 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: Aiken County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
 * W.P.A. Inventory of the County Archives of South Carolina, No. 2, Aiken County (Aiken). Columbia, S.C.: Historical Records Survey, 1938.