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South Carolina, USA

A Guide for Your
Family History Research

introduction

Introduction

South Carolina is a state in the Southeastern United States. It is bordered to the north by North Carolina; to the south and west by Georgia, located across the Savannah River; and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was the first of the 13 colonies that declared independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution. The colony was originally named by King Charles II of England in honor of his father Charles I (Carolus being Latin for Charles). South Carolina was the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, the 8th state to ratify the US Constitution on May 23, 1788. South Carolina later became the first state to vote to secede from the Union which it did on December 20, 1860. It was readmitted to the United States on June 25, 1868. South Carolina comprises 46 counties. The capital and largest city of the state is Columbia.

Surname

The following are surnames of persons, found within our databases, as having been either

born, married or died in this U.S. State. Names in dark red denote direct ancestral surnames.

McVicker; Moreland; Pinnell; Scruggs and allied families

· Bishop

· Carter

· Clemmons

· Cureton

· Dickson

· Douglass

· Edwards

· Elder

· Ham

· Henderson

· Humphrey

· James

· Kerr

· Long

· Miller

· Montgomery

· Moreland

· Morrow

· Neely

· Pickens

· Pinnell

· Scruggs

· Sims

· Yarborough

Bozarth; Peiffer; Quigley; Rhubart and allied families

Dellinger; Knecht; Pfeffer; Silar and allied families

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.

searching the web (gold)

Free Surname
Search Engines

searching the web (gold)

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.

Looking for world (gold)

Where in the World do These
Surnames Come From?

Looking for world (gold) right

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.

research location

Our Ancestral Counties

Gazetteer of Places

Historical Changes in County Boundaries

County Research (Genealogical)

Our Ancestral Counties

The following named counties are associated with the history of our DIRECT ancestors. To select a specific ancestral county, go to our ANCESTRAL LOCATIONS home page. Here you will find additional links to our county pages where you can obtain information about our family gen-sites, images of localities, and surnames of persons, in our database, who have lived in the selected county.

Click on this thumbnail map for a full-sized version.

Anderson; Chester; Greenville; Pickens; Union; York

populated places left (lt green)

Gazetteer of Places

Gazetteer
of Places

populated places right (lt green)

The following Links will take you to gazetteers that identify places within this U.S. State. These resources feature profiles of cities, towns, neighborhoods and subdivisions. In addition this site contains maps, data and directions for a wide variety of physical, cultural and historic features.

South Carolina Cities - profiles of 4,771 South Carolina cities, towns & neighborhoods

South Carolina Schools search by city, county, or address

South Carolina Physical Features such as lakes, islands & steams

South Carolina Cultural Features such as parks, hospitals & airports

South Carolina Civil Features such as Native Areas and Political Subdivisions

Search by Name, County, ZIP Code or Area Code

* includes but not limited to Cemeteries, Churches, Locales,

Military Installations; Populated Places, Post Offices, Schools, Streams, and Trails

South Carolina, United States

Boundary changes

Conducting genealogical research in the United States requires an understanding of State and 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 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries. As such you may be 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. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries is meant to be a resource for people seeking records of past events, as well as 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. The following link will take you to a list of all the boundary changes to this State and each county or equivalent within this U.S. State, as well as the date these changes occurred. Each entry is followed by a citation to the primary source(s) used to determine the change.

View Interactive Map - Maps and text covering the historical boundaries, names, organization, and attachments of every county, extinct county, and unsuccessful county proposal from the creation of the first county through 31 December 2000. Choose a date (day, month, and year) to view historical county configurations against the modern county network. Use the toolbar to zoom, pan, measure, view descriptions and citations, or print a desired map. Use the Help button on top right of the interactive map frame to read full descriptions of how to use the layers and tools on the interactive map site.

View Index of Counties and Equivalents - Complete index of every county, county equivalent, or other area relevant to the evolution of state and county boundaries; includes extinct and proposed counties, non-county areas, and provides cross references for name changes, and hyperlinks to corresponding entries from the Individual County Chronologies. Also accessible from the County Index link at the bottom of the interactive map frame.

View Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries - Organizes the historical data chronologically, combining all the county events into a single composite entry for each date. Each entry is followed by a citation to the primary source(s) used to determine the change. Also accessible from the Chronologies link at the bottom of the interactive map frame.

View Individual County Chronologies - Organizes the historical data alphabetically by county name with each entry covering all the changes to a single county or equivalent. Each entry is followed by a citation to the primary source(s) used to determine the change. Also accessible from the Chronologies link at the bottom of the interactive map frame.

County Research (Genealogical)

Clicking on a Link (below) will take you to the County’s website. Here you will find additional links to more information specific to that location. The USGenWeb Project also sponsors important Special Projects, at the national level, that were created to collect and disseminate data that goes beyond county and state lines.

Abbeville; Aiken; Allendale; Anderson; Bamberg; Barnwell; Beaufort; Berkeley; Calhoun; Charleston; Cherokee; Chester; Chesterfield; Clarendon; Colleton; Darlington; Dillon; Dorchester; Edgefield; Fairfield; Florence; Georgetown; Greenville; Greenwood; Hampton; Horry; Jasper; Kershaw; Lancaster; Laurens; Lee; Lexington; Marion; Marlboro; McCormick; Newberry; Oconee; Orangeburg; Pickens; Richland; Saluda; Spartanburg; Sumter; Union; Williamsburg;

County Research (General)

County Research
(General)

Wikipedia is a multilingual, Web-based, free-content encyclopedia project based mostly on anonymous contributions. Clicking on a Link (below) will take you to the Wikipedia article about the county. Here you will find additional links to guide the user to related pages with additional information.

Looking for world (LT GREEN)

Where in the World are My Ancestors?

Looking for world (LT GREEN) right

Resources which enhance our knowledge of the places inhabited by our ancestors are almost as important as their names. The LINK

to the right will take you to Maps, Gazetteers, and other helpful resources that will assist you in discovering Ancestral Locations.

Gen tool-kit

Gen Tool-Kit

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 therein. 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 state for genealogical research we’ve found that the three most important places to visit are the State Archives; the State Library; and the State 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.

Most if not all of these links are to websites that do not require a subscription. 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.

(History & Genealogical)