Richland County, South Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Richland County was probably named for its "rich land." The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Richland County Courthouse 1701 Main Street Columbia, SC 29201 Phone: 803-576-1950 Richland 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:

Bible Records

 * Family Bible Records: South Caroliniana Library database containing family bible records containing from the late 1700s to the late 1900s. The Bible records contain information on births, marriages, deaths, and other family events.

Biographies

 * Hopkins, Laura Jervey. Lower Richland Planters : Hopkins, Adams, Weston and related families of South Carolina.  120 pages. Hopkins, South Carolina : Hopkins, c1976. Adams, Boydkin, Hopkins, Claytor, Weston, Goodwyn. This book can be found at Richland Library.

Cemeteries

 * For a bibliography and more, see Richland County, South Carolina Cemeteries page
 * National Cemeteries and other sites of veteran burials by National Cemetery Administration

Census Records
Online Census Records and Indexes
 * 1829-1920 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1840 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. FS Library Collection 973 X2pc 1840; FS Library Collection 2321; digital version at Google Books. See South Carolina, Richland District on page 142.

Some Publications
 * 1820 National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. 973 X2m 1820. Includes this county.
 * 1850 Buff, L.H. The Richland District (SC) 1850 Census. Lexington, S.C.: Lexington Genealogy Society, 2000. 975.771 X2r 1850

Church Records

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

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Baptist


 * Columbia - minutes, membership rolls, etc. available on microfilm at the University of NC Davis Library (Serial 1-1274).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * Columbia

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * Richland County has court records from 1793 that are held in the office of the Clerk of Court. Richland County was a part of the Camden District from 1785 - 1800 and the records of Camden District courts are housed in Kershaw County with the Clerk of Court.
 * The South Carolina Archives and History Center has court records available on microfilm for Richland County.
 * The FamilySearch Library collection includes books and microfilm regarding court records for Richland County.
 * Dates Vary Richland County, Eighth Judicial Circuit Court Public Index – index; courts include Circuit Court, Summary Court and Masters-in-Equity, records added periodically

Directories
Columbia, SC city directories provided by South Carolina Digital Library.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

 * Heinegg, Paul. "'Other Free' Heads of Household in the 1790 South Carolina Census, by County," Free African Americans.com. [Includes free blacks in Richland County.]

For plantations, local communities and more, see Richland County, South Carolina African Americans

Genealogies
For a bibliography and other information, see Richland County, South Carolina Compiled Genealogies

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records and Indexes
 * Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868. 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.


 * * Some Camden District records are included with Kershaw County records
 * ** Substitute for lost records taken from equity suits Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868, mentioned above.

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.

Local Histories
Online Histories
 * County Conservation Commission Cultural Heritage Resources - an online inventory of known historic properties in Richland County SC
 * Historic Columbia Foundation - Historic Columbia Foundation manages four historic house museums and their associated artifacts.
 * Walker Local History Room digital collection - features images from the Columbia Army Airbase, Lower Richland County historic houses and several additional collections.

Bibliography
 * Moore, John Hammond. Columbia and Richland County: A South Carolina Community, 1740-1990. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1993. 975.771 H2m.
 * Reviews:
 * By Edward J. Cashin in The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 94, No. 3 (Jul. 1993):213-214. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * By G. Wayne King in The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 60, No. 2 (May 1994):366-367. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * By Rodger E. Stroup in The Journal of American History, Vol. 81, No. 1 (Jun. 1994):242-243. Digital version at JSTOR ($).


 * Moore, John Hammond. Columbia and Richland County: a South Carolina Community, 1740-1990. (Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, c1993). 521 pages. Family papers, reminiscences, institutional histories, census returns, official and unofficial documents, files of local newspapers, personal recollections and casual conversations have all contributed to this history. Book found at and Other Libraries
 * Shoolbred, Florence Wilson. Places and People of Interest in Lower Richland. 23 leaves. Communities, churches, early schools, homes and plantations, Hopkins, Eastover, Congaree, Acton, Eastover area, Gadsden, Wateree. Article can be found at Richland Library.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Richland County, South Carolina at SCIWAY. This resource includes: historic maps of Columbia; map of Fort Jackson; points of interest in downtown Columbia
 * FamilySearch Places Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

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


 * Occaneechi Path pre-historic
 * Camden-Charleston Path 1732
 * Fall Line Road about 1735 (overlapped Occaneechi Path in Richland County)
 * Great Valley Road (south fork) 1740s (overlapped Occaneechi Path in Richland County)
 * Old South Carolina State Road 1747

Military Records
General
 * "Fort Jackson Military Reservation Cemetery List," Columbia Chronicle, April 1999. Columbia Chapter of the South Carolina Genealogical Society: Columbia, SC.
 * "Seminole War troops, 1836," Columbia Journal, December 1984, Issue 9. Columbia Chapter of the South Carolina Genealogical Society: Columbia, SC.

Revolutionary War
 * "Revolutionary Soldiers Receiving Pensions, Lists, 1818, 1832," Columbia Chronicle, April 2004. Columbia Chapter of the South Carolina Genealogical Society: Columbia, SC.
 * "Annuities for Those Injured in Service, 1778-86," Chester District Genealogical Society Bulletin, September 1985, Volume 8, Issue 3. Chester County Genealogical Society: Richburg, 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. Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Richland County, p. 188. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 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. Civil War service men from Richland County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies and regiments that were formed of men from Richland County:
 * - 1st Battalion, South Carolina Sharpshooters, Company A (also known the Union Light Infantry and German Fusiliers) and Company B (also known as the Sumter Guards)
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Artillery, Company A (also known as Calhoun's Battery; Sumter Light Artillery, Sumter Battery, Preston's Battery, Blake's Battery and other name variations)
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (6 months, 1861), Company A (also known as the Richland Rifles)
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Butler's) (1st Regulars), Company B (also called Company E)
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (McCreary's) (1st Provisional Army), Company C (also known as Richland Guard or Richland Rifles) and Company A (also known as Richland Rifles)
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (2nd Palmetto Regiment), Company A (also known as Governor's Guards) and Company C (also known as Columbia Grays)
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops Junior Reserves (State Militia), Company A and Company F
 * - 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry, Company A (also known as the Boykin Mounted Rangers and Hampton Scouts), Company C (also known as Hapmton Detachment and Congree Mounted Riflemen), Company G (also known as Bonham's Light Dragoons and Lipscomb's Troop), Company H (also known as Congaree Troops), and Company I (also known as the Edgefield Hussars or formerly known as Company A, Cavalry Battalion, Hampton Legion, and the Edgefield Dragoons)
 * - 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry, Company B (also known as the Congaree Rangers and Captain Frank Hampton's Company)
 * - 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Lauren's) (James'), Company F (also known as the Harper Rifles)
 * - 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Light Artillery (Palmetto Battalion), Company B (also known as Waites's Light Battery, Captain John Waites's Company; and Columbia Flying Artillery), Company G (also known as the DeSaussure Light Artillery and the DePass Light Battery), and Company K (also known as Richardson's Company)
 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina State Troops, Company A and Company G
 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina State Troop Junior Reserves, Company D
 * - 5th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Brown's), Company A
 * - 5th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company A
 * - 6th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Aiken's Partisan Rangers) (1st Partisan Rangers), Company B, Company G, and Company H
 * - 7th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Nelson's) (Enfield Rifles), Company C, Company E, Company G, and Company H
 * - 7th Regiment, South Carolina Reserves (90 days 1862-63), Company B
 * - 7th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry, Company D, Company H, and Company K
 * - 8th Regiment, South Carolina Reserves
 * - 9th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company B
 * - 12th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company D
 * - 15th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company A
 * -20th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Reorganized Company M
 * - 24th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company G
 * - Garden's Company, South Carolina Light Aritillery (Palmetto Light Battery)
 * - Shiver's Company, South Caroline Local Defense Troops

Other Resources
 * Moore, John Hammond. Columbia and Richland County: a South Carolina Community, 1740-1990. (Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, c1993). 521 pages. Family papers, reminiscences, institutional histories, census returns, official and unofficial documents, files of local newspapers, personal recollections and casual conversations have all contributed to this history. Civil War pages 181-208. Book found at and Other Libraries

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * United States. District Court. Naturalization records, Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, 1907-1910, 1918. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1987-1989. 2 microfilm reels  35 mm.  Declarations of intention v. 47 1907-1910, Index to naturalization records - Camp Jackson (alphabetically) v. 21 1918, Index to naturalization records - Camp Jackson (by petition numbers) v. 26 1918. This microfilm series can be found in the catalog and viewed at FamilySearch Centers and Affiliates.

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry ($)
 * Richland County Public Library Obituary Index


 * Richland County Public Library offers an online obituary index for The State and the Palmetto Leader newspapers. The index is a work in progress. Additional years are added as they are completed. An online request form is available to request the full text of an obituary.


 * Richland County Public Library Local Magazine and Newspaper Index. This index contains records from several Columbia magazines and clippings found in the Walker Local History Room vertical files.

Historic Newspapers - Digitized

See Columbia newspapers for a list of newspapers digitized by the South Caroliniana Library. Available online for free through the Chronicling America website.

Obituaries
1892-2000 Richland County, South Carolina, Obituary Index, 1892-2000. Online at: Ancestry($) : Look for more sources that help you with historical context such as photos.

1859-1877 Columbia, South Carolina Obituaries, 1859-1877. Online at: Ancestry ($): This covers 1859-1877 and court records were destroyed for Richland County.

Periodicals

 * Columbia Chronicle

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 — images
 * 1732-1964 at FamilySearch — images
 * 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

Probate records for Richland County may be found in the court of ordinary, the probate court, and the court of equity. Estate records for the probate court, 1787-1941, also available on microfilm through the FamilySearch Library, with an index covering 1787-1950. Also check miscellaneous estate records, 1799-1955.

Transcripts
 * Wills 1787-1796 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Wills, Bk C. (transcripts) See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Wills, Bk G, 1806-1827 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Wills, Bk H, 1823-1834 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Wills, 1834-1839 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers
 * Wills, 1840-1858 (transcripts). See names of testators. South Carolina Pioneers

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
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

 * South Carolina Department of Archives and History tax lists for Richland County.

Birth

 * 1766-1900 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1915-1917 South Carolina, U.S., Births, 1915-1917 at Ancestry - index & images ($)

Marriage
Marriages and Marriage Substitutes - Indexes and Records
 * 1838-1860 - Marriage and Death Notices from Columbia, South Carolina Newspapers, 1838-1860 by Brent Holcomb and Shelley Palmer WorldCat, Digital version at Ancestry.com($) - abstracts
 * 1911 to Present Marriage License Inquiry by Richland County Probate Court - online index
 * 1911-1952 - Richland County, South Carolina Registers, 1911-1952; Marriage Licenses, 1911-1922  - records
 * 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 and Death Substitutes - Indexes and Records
 * 1816-1990 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1821-1969 South Carolina, U.S., Death Records, 1821-1969 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1915-1943 South Carolina, Deaths, 1915-1943 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
 * 1838-1860 - Marriage and Death Notices from Columbia, South Carolina Newspapers, 1838-1860 by Brent Holcomb and Shelley Palmer WorldCat - abstracts
 * 1859-1877 - Record of Deaths in Columbia, South Carolina and Elsewhere as Recorded by John Glass, 1859-1877 by Brent Holcomb WorldCat, digital version at Ancestry.com($) - abstracts
 * 1915-1965 at FamilySearch — index and 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.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Camden South Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Columbia South Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Lexington South Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Sumter South Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * West Columbia South Carolina FamilySearch Center


 * Richland County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
South Caroliniana Library 910 Sumter St. University of South Carolina Columbia, S.C. 29208 Telephone for Main Office: (803) 777-3131 FAX South Caroliniana Library: (803) 777-5747 Email: sclref@mailbox.sc.edu with any questions regarding South Caroliniana Library and its holdings.

Main Library 1431 Assembly Street Columbia, SC 29201 Telephone: (803) 799-9084 Hours: Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., Friday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sunday 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
 * The Walker Local History Room, on the third level of the Richland County Public Library’s Main Library, contains genealogy and local history resources. It is is open during regular library hours and the collection emphasizes information about the Midlands area of South Carolina, including Richland, Lexington, Kershaw, Newberry, Fairfield, Orangeburg, Sumter and Calhoun counties.
 * The Walker Local History Room is also a FamilySearch affiliate.

The Richland County Public Library System serves several counties in the area. It has a presence on YouTube and Flickr. Branches are listed below. It has several online digital collections, including:
 * - an online obituary index and a Walker Local History Room digital collection.
 * - Online catalog
 * - The print collection does not circulate, but there are many resources available online. All of the local history photographs are available for viewing on Flickr. RCPL also maintains an online obituary index. Many of the oral histories are available to download through RCPL’s Overdrive. These resources are all available in the Digital Library.
 * Workshops demonstrating RCPL’s online resources for family history research are available several times a year. The Genealogy section in Research Tools includes links to South Carolina online resources and provides RCPL patrons with access to library-supported genealogy databases.

Blythewood Branch 218 McNulty Road Blythewood, SC 29016 Telephone: (803) 691-9806 Hours: Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Cooper Branch 5317 North Trenholm Road Columbia, SC 29206 Telephone: (803) 787-3462 Hours:Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Eastover Branch 608 Main Street Eastover, SC 29044 Telephone: (803) 353-8584 Hours: Monday - Tuesday 9:00 a.m. to 800 p.m., Wednesday 9:00 a.m.to 6:00 p.m., Thursday 9:00 a.m.to 1:00 p.m., Friday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

North Main Branch 5306 North Main Street Columbia, SC 29203 Telephone: (803) 754-7734 Hours: Monday to- Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Northeast Regional 7490 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223 Telephone: (803) 736-6575 Hours: Monday to Thurs., 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., Friday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sandhills Branch Summit Parkway Columbia, SC 29229 Telephone: (803) 699-92301 Hours: Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Southeast Regional 7421 Garners Ferry Road Columbia, SC 29209 Telephone: (803) 776-0855 Hours: Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday: 9:00 a.m.to 6:00 p.m.

St. Andrews Regional 2916 Broad River Road Columbia, SC 29210 Telephone: (803) 772-6675 Hours: Monday to Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Wheatley Branch 931 Woodrow Street Columbia, SC 29205 Telephone: (803) 799-5873 Hours: Monday, Wednedsay, Fririday, Saturday 9:00 a.m.to 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday 9:00 a.m.to 8:00 p.m.

Societies
Columbia Chapter SCGS PO Box 24526 Columbia, SC 29224-4526 Website Historic Columbia Foundation 1601 Richland Street Columbia SC 29201-2633 Website

Websites

 * Richland County USGenWeb project May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * The Dead Librarian Walker Local History Room Librarian, Debbie Bloom, keeps South Carolina researchers up to date on new online resources for genealogical research. The blog highlights online obituary indexing provided by South Carolina public libraries.
 * Richland County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History in Linkpendium, an aggregation of links to Internet sites about Richland County genealogy arranged by topic.
 * South Caroliniana Library (About SCL) describes Univ. of SC library, databases online, manuscripts, oral histories, collections, visual materials, and publications.
 * Richland County Genealogy (South Carolina Genealogy) links about Richland county genealogy
 * Richland County, South Carolina - Genealogy Resources (SCIWAY) has links to genealogy resources for Richland County and each county in South Carolina.


 * – 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: Richland County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
 * W.P.A. Inventory of the County Archives of South Carolina No. 40, Richland County (Columbia). Columbia, S.C.: S.C. Historical Records Survey Project, 1940. ; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.