South Carolina Public Records

United States South Carolina  Public Records

Some records kept by South Carolina town, county, and other officials can include helpful genealogical information. Most are at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History and are thoroughly indexed.

Some of these records have been published, such as the Journal of the Commons House of Assembly, 1736-1754 (Columbia: Historical Commission of South Carolina, 1951-; Family History Library ).

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History also has microfilms of all the surviving manuscripts in the British Public Record Office in London for colonial South Carolina, including correspondence, copies of laws and legislative journals, ship clearings in and out of Charleston, and records of the British occupation of Charleston during the American Revolution. Many of these records are on microfilm at the Family History Library (see Family History Library films ). A guide to these records is Helen C. Carson, Records in the British Public Records Office Relating to South Carolina, 1663-1782 (Columbia, South Carolina: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, 1973; Family History Library book ).

The Family History Library has microfilms of some municipal records, such as commissioners' and town council records. These are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under SOUTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - TOWN RECORDS.

Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies
This collection deals with England's administrative responsibilities over its colonies. Numerous references are made to inhabitants of South Carolina. Free digital versions of Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies for the years 1574 to 1739 are available online at British History Online. Volumes are individually indexed. Skipped volumes cover other parts of the world.


 * Sainsbury, W. Noel, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 1, 1574-1660. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1860. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Sainsbury, W. Noel, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 5, 1661-1668. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1880. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Sainsbury, W. Noel, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 7, 1669-1674. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1889. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Sainsbury, W. Noel, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 9, 1675-1676 and Addenda 1574-1674. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1893. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Sainsbury, W. Noel and J.W. Fortescue, eds. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 10, 1677-1680. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1896. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Fortescue, J.W., ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 11, 1681-1685. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1898. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Fortescue, J.W., ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 12, 1685-1688. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1899. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Fortescue, J.W., ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 13, 1689-1692. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1901. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Fortescue, J.W., ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 14, 1693-1696. 1903. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Fortescue, J.W., ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 15, 1696-1697. 1904. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Fortescue, J.W., ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 16, 1697-1698. 1905. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 17, 1699 and Addenda 1621-1698. 1908. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 18, 1700. 1910. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 19, 1701. 1910. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 20, 1702. 1912. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 21, 1702-1703. 1913. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 22, 1704-1705. 1916. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 23, 1706-1708. 1916. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 24, 1708-1709. 1922. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 25, 1710-1711. 1924. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 26, 1711-1712. 1925. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 27, 1712-1714. 1926. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 28, 1714-1715. 1928. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 29, 1716-1717. 1930. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 30, 1717-1718. 1930. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 31, 1719-1720. 1933. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 32, 1720-1721. 1933. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 33, 1722-1723. 1934. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. and Arthur Percival Newton, intro. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 34, 1724-1725. 1936. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. and Arthur Percival Newton, intro. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 35, 1726-1727. 1936. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. and Arthur Percival Newton, intro. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 36, 1728-1729. 1937. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. and Arthur Percival Newton, intro. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 37, 1730. 1937. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. and Arthur Percival Newton, intro. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 38, 1731. 1938. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. and Arthur Percival Newton, intro. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 39, 1732. 1939. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Headlam, Cecil, ed. and Arthur Percival Newton, intro. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 40, 1733. 1939. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 41, 1734-1735. 1953. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 42, 1735-1736. 1953. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Davies, K.G., ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 43, 1737. 1963. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Davies, K.G., ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 44, 1738. 1969. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Davies, K.G., ed. Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Volume 45, 1739. 1994. Digital version at British History Online.
 * Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies, Addenda for 1688-1696. 1969. Digital version at British History Online.