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Chester County is a county located in
the U.S. state of South
Carolina. Chester
County and
its county seat, the city
of Chester,
were named for Chester County, Pennsylvania. Originally the area that now encompasses
Chester County was located within Tryon County North Carolina. Tryon County was formed from Mecklenburg
County in 1768 and abolished in 1779 to form Rutherford and Lincoln counties
in North Carolina. At its formation and until the border survey of 1772, Tryon County
included all or portions of the South Carolina counties of York, Chester,
Union, Spartanburg and Cherokee counties. Records of early ancestors who
lived in the current area of Chester County may be found any of these
counties, including the North Carolina counties of Lincoln, Rutherford and
Mecklenburg and their neighbors. The county was formed in 1785 as part
of the larger Camden District but was later transferred to Pinckney District
(1791-1800); it became a separate district in 1800. Scotch-Irish settlers
from Pennsylvania and Virginia moved into this upstate region beginning about
1755. During the Revolutionary
War, American forces under General Thomas Sumter were defeated here at the battle of
Fishing Creek in August 1780; the Americans were victorious at Fishdam Ford in November of the same year. The Landsford Canal was built in 1823 to allow boats and
barges to bypass rapids on the Catawba River; this canal is now open as a
state park. In later years the availability of hydroelectric power encouraged
the establishment of textile mills in the area. The following counties lie adjacent to
Chester: York County, South Carolina – north; Lancaster County, South Carolina – east; Fairfield County, South Carolina – south;
and Union County, South Carolina – west. |
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Researching
by surname
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The following are
names of persons, found within our databases as having been either
born, married or died in this location. Names in dark red denote direct ancestral
lines. To find out more
about each surname listed click on the corresponding Link. |
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Bishop; Carter;
Dickson; Neely |
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Click on this link to find out more about each surname listed
above as well as other surnames found within our three family databases. |
This link will also lead you to surname resources at Rootsweb, and information about
the world-wide distribution of a surname. |
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Use this free genealogy site to help you get the
best genealogy searches from Google™ by using your family tree, for your
research. It will create a series of different searches using tips or "tricks" |
that will likely improve your
results. The different searches will give you many different ways of using
Google and the Internet to find ancestry information about this
or any other
Surname. |
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The world’s largest free genealogy search engine,
Mocavo.com, provides genealogists access to the best free genealogy content
on the web |
including
billions of names, dates and places worldwide. Mocavo.com seeks to index and
make searchable all of the world’s free genealogy information. |
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Click
on the LINK to
the right to see more information about the World distribution of any
surname. You can get greater |
detail
for any of the maps by clicking on the area, i.e
state, county that you are interested in. |
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ancestral gen-sites
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Family history notes
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For
most of their married lives Michael Dickson and his wife Sarah Neely lived in
the area of South Carolina that is now Chester County. When they located there it was then a part
of Craven county. The home of Michael
and Sarah Dickson, was situated upon a 48 acre tract, received by grant, from
Governor Tryon, on October 24, 1767, while it was yet in Mecklenburg Co.,
N.C. This real property joined some of
their other land holdings, and lay, "between the Broad and Catawba
rivers on both sides of Rocky Creek, at the ford of the "Saludy (Saluda) road". The South Caroliniana
Library, University of South Carolina, cites Robert Mills' 1825, Atlas to
locate the point where "The Saludy Road
crosses Rocky Creek". The Saluda Road, from the time of Michael and
Sarah Dickson, evolved to be present day Route 72, and crosses Rocky Creek
some three and one half miles northeast of present day Chester, South
Carolina. It is believed that Michael
and Sarah were living there, before, and during the Revolution, until they
moved, about 1789, to Pendleton County, (later Pendleton District) South
Carolina. Other Evidence that they lived along the Saluda Road comes from the
1786, Chester County Court Minutes. In appointing road maintenance overseer's, Richard Evans was appointed to oversee
maintenance from, "Tim's old place to Michael Dickson's, with the usual
hands that formerly labored on that Boundary". Christopher Streight (Street) was assigned to oversee the section,
"from Major Michael Dickson's, along Saludy
road, (as) far as Chester County extends, with the hands that formerly
Labored on that boundary". About
1789, Michael and Sarah Dickson moved westward from the Chester District of
South Carolina to that part of the old Pendleton District that now falls into
Anderson County, South Carolina. Nicholas Bishop, III was about six years old when he accompanied the family of his father and mother Nicholas and Hannah (Bracken) Bishop to South Carolina. Nicholas lived in Chester District until some time after the Revolutionary War, and held lands there even after moving to Pendleton County. After the war he married Jane Dickson, a daughter of his friend Major Michael Dickson. It is believed that this event most likely occurred around 1785 in what is now known as Chester County. At least seven children, (2 sons and 5 daughters) are known to have been produced of this union. Around 1789 Nicholas moved with his father-in-law Michael Dickson to the newly created Pendleton County that was formed as a result of the Treaty of Hopewell in 1785 by which the Cherokee's relinquished their lands to the State of South Carolina. |
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Map of the county
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The |
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from the keyboard you can
increase or decrease the zoom value in 10% increments. To zoom |
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Gen-site profiles
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Chester
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LOCATION: Coordinates/Map: 34.705556, -81.211667 |
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NAME / DESCRIPTION: Chester
County Courthouse, 140 Main Street, Chester, SC Click on Thumbnail |
Early settlers were part of
the Scotch-Irish immigration south from Pennsylvania - hence the similar names
of cities located in each state. The settlers traveled to South Carolina on
the Great Wagon Road or from the Port of Charleston. The western section of
the County was settled for the most part by immigrants from Virginia, most of
English extraction. Many of the early settlers put down roots along or near
the Catawba River. Chester County was the scene of several
Revolutionary War battles, including Beckhamville,
Fishing Creek, and Fish Dam Ford. The City of Chester grew as the County seat
of government and was founded in 1790. |
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ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE: |
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INTERNET WEB LINK(S): Chester,
South Carolina - Wikipedia |
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Michael Dickson Home
and Tavern
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LOCATION: Directions: The
Saluda Road, from the time of Michael and Sarah Dickson, evolved to be
present day Route 72, and crosses Rocky Creek some three and one half miles north
east of present day Chester, South Carolina. Coordinates/Map: N 34.73890 W 81.17021 |
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NAME / DESCRIPTION: Click on
Thumbnail The crossing at Rocky Creek near Chester, South
Carolina. Upon this spot stood the
home and tavern of Michael and Sarah Neely Dickson. Based upon the lay of the land, and old roadbeds,
their housed was likely situated across the bridge where the road now passes. |
The home of Michael and
Sarah Dickson, was situated upon a 48 acre tract, received by grant, from
Governor Tryon, on October 24, 1767, while it was yet in Mecklenburg Co.,
N.C. This real property joined some of
their other land holdings, and lay, "between the Broad and Catawba
rivers on both sides of Rocky Creek, at the ford of the "Saludy (Saluda) road". The Saluda Road, from the time of Michael
and Sarah Dickson, evolved to be present day Route 72, and crosses Rocky
Creek some three and one half miles northeast of present day Chester, South
Carolina. It is believed that Michael
and Sarah Were living there, before, and during the Revolution, until they
moved, about 1789, to Pendleton County, South Carolina. Other Evidence that
they lived along the Saluda Road comes from the 1786, Chester County Court
Minutes. In appointing road maintenance overseer's,
Christopher Streight (Street) was assigned to
oversee the section, "from Major Michael Dickson's, along Saludy road, (as) far as Chester County extends….” From the Chester County Court Records of
1785, order book "A" comes the following statement; "Michael
Dickson (is) permitted to keep tavern in his house, John Mills and
Christopher Street, securities for 100 pounds". Knowing the religious
convictions of Michael and Sarah Dickson, it is certain that
"Tavern" referred to it's
definition as an Inn for the overnight keeping of travelers along the Saluda
Road, as opposed to it's present day definition as
a place where alcoholic beverages are served.
Evidence in support of this claim comes from page 4 of the order book.
"....Said Michael Dickson shall keep good Wholsom
diet Cleanly Lodgings Stables pasturage & provide as Also keep up in his
House the rates of everything necessary to supply the public...." |
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ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE: Michael Dickson, Sarah Neely and family lived
here. John, Elizabeth, Hugh, William and Nancy Dickson were born here between
1768 and 1776. Jane Dickson was
probably married here to Nicholas Bishop around 1785. |
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INTERNET WEB LINK(S): |
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Neelys’ Creek
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LOCATION: Coordinates/Map: 34.4859N 80.5727W |
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NAME /
DESCRIPTION: Click on
Thumbnail |
At the left is a map
showing the location of Neely’s Creek and it watershed. Neelys
Creek is a tributary of Tinkers Creek. The watershed occupies 17,005 acres of
the Piedmont region of South Carolina. Land use/land cover in the watershed
includes: 86.7% forested land, 8.8% agricultural land, 3.6% scrub/shrub land,
0.4% water, 0.4% urban land, and 0.1% barren land. Tinkers Creek accepts the
drainage of Rum Branch and Neelys Creek before
draining into Fishing Creek. There are a total of 41.3 stream miles and 15.1
acres of lake waters in this watershed. |
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ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE: Most probably the area where Samuel Henry Neely settled sometime prior to 1758. |
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INTERNET WEB LINK(S): |
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populated places
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gazetteer
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The list below will assist in your research
regarding the matching of your ancestor’s birth, marriage, death dates and
the place(s) within this locality at which these events may have occurred. |
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Profiles for 51 cities, towns and other populated
places in Chester County, South Carolina |
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Map of Chester County South Carolina Chester County Physical, Cultural &
Historic Features | Schools Chester County ZIP Codes | Area Codes Chester County Land - Property, Farms &
Ranches |
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Chester
County, South Carolina, United States
Details | Resources | Cities | Cemeteries |
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Links To Populated Places Within This County |
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City and Towns
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· Chester |
· Lowrys |
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Richburg |
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Other Populated Places
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· Edgemoor |
· Lando |
· Leeds |
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Find Physical Features* Within This County |
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* includes but not limited to
Cemeteries, Churches, Locales, Schools, Military
Installations; Populated Places, Post
Offices, Streams, and Trails |
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County boundary
changes
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Conducting genealogical
research in the United States requires an understanding of county
boundaries. As the population grew
more counties were created to meet the public’s need for localized governments. This phenomena was
common in all states during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. As such you must be sure that you are not
looking for records in the wrong county or state. The web-site for the Atlas of Historical County Boundary Project provides interactive
maps for all states. This Atlas is meant to be a resource for people seeking
records of past events, and people trying to
analyze, interpret and display county-based historical data like Land Records, Probate Records, Court Records, Tax Records,
and Vital Records
that document birth, death, and marriage.
Listed below are the boundary changes for this county, the dates they
occurred, as well as the government statute that decreed the change. To see actual changes in a mapping format
follow this LINK to the Atlas of Historical
County Boundary Project . |
Map of 1785 -
Present Chester County
Boundaries (heavy
black line) |
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01 Jan 1800 - Chester District created from
Pinckney District, with same boundaries as CHESTER County. Between 1 January
1800 and 16 April 1868, judicial districts were the principal administrative
subdivisions of the state, while counties survived mostly as geographical
references. (S.C. Acts 1798, pp. 37-44) 16 Apr 1868 - Chester District eliminated
when new state constitution abolished all judicial districts. CHESTER County
continued and assumed all functions of local government from both judicial
districts and parishes. (Swindler, 8:497) Chester County: 12 Mar 1785 - CHESTER created within Camden
District. (S.C. Statutes, 4:661-666; S.C. Acts 1797, pp. 144-145) 19 Feb 1791 - CHESTER became part of newly created
Pinckney District . (S.C. Acts 1791, Jan. sess., pp.
20-21, 28-29) 01 Jan 1800 - Chester District created from
Pinckney District, with same boundaries as CHESTER County. Between 1 January
1800 and 16 April 1868, judicial districts were the principal administrative
subdivisions of the state, while counties survived mostly as geographical
references. (S.C. Acts 1798, pp. 37-44) 16 Apr 1868 – Chester District eliminated when
new state constitution abolished all judicial districts. CHESTER County continued
and assumed all functions of local government from both judicial districts
and parishes. (Swindler, 8:497) |
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Use this link to find more resources
regarding the historical |
changes of county boundaries in all
50 U.S. States. |
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State-Wide Resources
For more information about
the U.S. State in which this county is located click
on these LINKS: |
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Where in
the world
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Resources which enhance
our knowledge of the places inhabited by our ancestors are almost as
important as their names. This |
LINK will take you to Maps, Gazetteers, and other helpful resources that will assist you in discovering
Ancestral Locations. |
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gen tool-kit
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Our “Gen-Tool Kit” has been primarily designed for those researchers who may be traveling to this location to perform on-site studies of their family history, or to just visit some of the interesting historical sites located in the area. It can be very satisfying to mix research with sightseeing at historical and scenic spots. Such activity not only gives you an understanding of the land but a needed break from intense research sessions. When visiting an ancestral county for genealogical research we’ve found that the three most important places to visit are the county courthouse; the county library; and the county historical and/or genealogical societies. It is also good to plan ahead by contacting any site you intend visiting in order to ascertain where it is and when it will be open. This is especially true with regard to historical and genealogical societies. We hope that the following information will provide you with a better idea of what resources are available, within this county, to the family historian. |
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Cemeteries
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·
Armenia
UMC Cemetery, Armenia, SC (partial) ·
Cemeteries
of Chester County ·
Cemetery
Survey Book Resources ·
Chester
County SC
Cemetery Project |
·
Chester
County Cemetery Registration ·
Chester
County SC Cemetery GPS Project ·
Chester
County, SC Cemetery Mapping Project |
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History
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Your LINK to the Historical Places and Districts in CHESTER County |
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·
South Carolina Reference Room - Chester
County ·
Catholic Presbyterian Church,
Chester, SC ·
Harmony Baptist Church Edgemoor, SC |
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Libaries, Museums, Archives
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·
PERiodical Source Index Search
Chester Co., SC |
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Maps and Gazetteers
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·
Chester County
- 1895 U.S. Atlas · Chester County Post Offices 1846 · Chester County Topo Maps and Aerial Photos · Chester County, 1912 Soil Survey Map |
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County Records
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·
Livingston's Law Register, 1851
Chester District Lawyers ·
Chester County Probate Records and Wills ·
South Carolina Probate Records
1732-1964 ·
South Carolina Probate Records
Bound Volumes 1671-1977 ·
Chester County, South Carolina
Naturalizations 1783-1850 ·
Chester County,
South Carolina Military Index ·
List of
Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883 ·
Chester County,
South Carolina World War II Casualties |
·
Migrations
through Chester County ·
Chester County Newspaper Abstracts ·
Chronicling America Chester
County ·
Christopher King Funeral Homes
Chester and Rock Hill, SC ·
The Herald Newspaper: York, Chester, and Lancaster Counties ·
News & Reporter - Obituaries ·
(Biggers) Mobley Plantation – Slave Records ·
Chester County –
Slave Records ·
United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1850
Chester Co. |
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Use
this link to find specific
information about the historical and |
genealogical public records
maintained by the government of this county. |
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Societies
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Mary Adair Chapter
Chester, D.A.R. |
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resources
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This search engine may provide you with additional |
information to assist with your research about this topic. |
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General Resources
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·
United States Research Wiki – Family Search ·
U.S.
County Resources at Rootsweb ·
Genealogy
Trails History Group ·
Genealogy.com:
Resources by county ·
Family
Search, USA IGI Batches, Localities ·
Birth & Marriage Records Indexes for
USA ·
Record Search
- Family Search.org |
·
Genealogy Forum: U.S. States ·
Rootsweb.com –
U.S. Message Boards ·
Cyndi's
List – United States Index ·
Data Base Collections at Ancestry.com$ ·
Histopolis.com
– Collaborative Genealogy and History ·
DistantCousin.com - archive of genealogy records ·
Searchable Death Indexes & Records ·
Census Finder –Free
Census and other Records |
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·
Locality Specific
Resources
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·
Genealogy
Links - Chester County ·
Research Wiki - Chester County ·
Kindred Trails.com – Chester
County |
·
Genealogy
Forum - Chester County ·
Rootsweb Message Board – Chester County ·
Cyndi's List – Chester County ·
USGenWeb
Archives – Chester County |
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Free Records
& Databases
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All of
the records and databases we’ve collected are FREE and can be accessed and searched online without
having to pay for a subscription. We
have divided our collected into 14 record types as follows: Biographical; Birth;
Cemetery; Census & City Directories; Church; Court; Death; Immigration
& Naturalization; Land; Marriage; Military; Newspapers; Occupational; and
Tax Records. We try not to list any sites that have only
a few records for the purpose of getting you to a website that will charge a
fee to actually see the record beyond just a name. |
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This Link will take you to our |
collections of FREE Records. |
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Genealogy Reference
Library
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The following Link will take you to our library of genealogy
reference books. Here you may find
books about the history and records of this county and other places such as towns and churches. The collection also contains research works
about military units and personnel during America’s wars, in addition too resource texts about the ethnic and religious groups
who may have settled in this locality. |
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This Link will take you to our |
collections of reference
books. |
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Gallery
Image Gallery
During our research we have collected images and
photographs that are of general interest to a variety of localities. Some of them are presented on this website
because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional
information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors past lives. |
Chester County Court
House 140 Main Street,
Chester, SC |
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Use this LINK to see the picture |
gallery
that
pertains to this location. |
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Use the power of Google™ to find more interesting images about this topic. A Click on this button will link you to the Google Images Search page. Enter the |
topic you are searching in the box and click “Search
Images”. At the “Images” display page you will see the image, as well
as the website to which it is linked. |
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About thiswebpage
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CONTACT INFORMATION
We do like to hear from others who are researching the same people and
surnames. We need your help to keep growing!
So please Email photos,
stories, and other appropriate information about this topic. RULES OF USE We only ask
that if you have a personal website please create a link to our Home Page. -- This
webpage was last updated on -- 01 January
2012 |
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