Charleston County, South Carolina Vital RecordsEdit This Page

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United States Gotoarrow.png South Carolina Gotoarrow.png Charleston County Gotoarrow.png Vital Records

Birth, marriage, and death records were not recorded by South Carolina until the 1900s, thus leaving a lack of vital records. Substitute records, when available, are used to obtain this information. These substitute records including newspapers, court records have been added to this page, when applicable.

Contents

Birth

Gotoarrow.png See also Charleston County, South Carolina Cemeteries

Charleston began recording birth records in 1877.  Copies can be obtained from the Charleston County Public Library.  Requests can be made through email or mail.  The only cost is for copies. Copies can also be obtained from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History for a fee.

State-wide birth registration began in 1915.  For a copy of a birth from 1915 or later, contact the South Carolina Department of Health.  The Charleston County Health Department also has copies but they provide only an abbreviated form with limited information.  For more information, see the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Births - Indexes and Records

  • 1877-1901 - South Carolina Delayed Births, 1766-1900 and City of Charleston, South Carolina Births, 1877-1901.[1] - Available at Ancestry ($) - index and records
  • 1877 - Charleston Birth Index 1877. Batch C733561 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1878 - Charleston Birth Index 1878. Batch C733562 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1879 - Charleston Birth Index 1879. Batch C733564 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1880 - Charleston Birth Index 1880. Batch C733566 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1881 - Charleston Birth Index 1881. Batch C733568 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1882 - Charleston Birth Index 1882. Batch C733571 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1883 - Charleston Birth Index 1883. Batch C733573 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1884 - Charleston Birth Index 1884. Batch C733575 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1885 - Charleston Birth Index 1885. Batch C745379 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1886 - Charleston Birth Index 1886. Batch C745380 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1887 - Charleston Birth Index 1887. Batch C745381 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1888-1890 - Charleston Birth Index 1888-1890. Batch C745382 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1891-1892 - Charleston Birth Index 1891-1892. Batch C745383 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1893-1894 - Charleston Birth Index 1893-1894. Batch C745384 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1894 - Charleston Birth Index 1894. Batch C745385 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1895 - Charleston Birth Index 1895. Batch C745386 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1896 - Charleston Birth Index 1896. Batch C745387 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1897 - Charleston Birth Index 1897. Batch C745388 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1898 - Charleston Birth Index 1898. Batch C736244 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1899 - Charleston Birth Index 1899. Batch C736245 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1900 - Charleston Birth Index 1900. Batch C736246 at FamilySearch - free.[2]
  • 1877-1901 - Births, 1877-1901, by Charleston, South Carolina Board of Health.[3]  Microfilm, FHL Collection - index and records

Marriage

In South Carolina, marriage licenses were not required by local governments until 1 July 1911. However, in the 1700s, the Church of England parish churches were required to record all marriages - even if the couple were not members of the denomination. Not all churches recorded these marriages and some have not survived. See South Carolina Vital Records for more information.

The Charleston County probate court holds marriage licenses issued from 1 July 1911 to the present. Statewide registration of marriages began in July 1950 and the South Carolina Division of Vital Records has copies of licenses issued after 1 July 1950 through November 2009.

The city of Charleston recorded marriage records for a short time from 1877 to 1887. Copies can be obtained from the Charleston County Public Library.  Requests can be made through email or mail.  The only cost is for copies. Copies can also be obtained from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History for a fee.

Newspapers are used as a substitute to locate marriage information.  See South Carolina Newspapers.

Marriages and Marriage Substitutes - Indexes and Records 

Death

Gotoarrow.png See also Charleston County, South Carolina Cemeteries

The city of Charleston began keeping death records in 1821. Copies can be obtained from the Charleston County Public Library.  Requests can be made through email or mail.  The only cost is for copies. Copies can also be obtained from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History for a fee.

State-wide death registration began in 1915.  For a copy of the death certificates from 1915 or later, contact the South Carolina Department of Health. The Charleston County Health Department only has copies for deaths occurring in the last 5 years.  For more information, see the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Deaths and Death Substitutes - Indexes and Records

For an estimate of mortality rates in Colonial Charleston, see:

  • Coclanis, Peter A. "Death in Early Charleston: An Estimate of the Crude Death Rate for the White Population of Charleston, 1722-1732," The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 85, No. 4 (Oct. 1984):280-291. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

A study of Charleston's early death records was written by Professor James Hagy:

  • Hagy, James W. "The Death Records of Charleston," The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 91, No. 1 (Jan., 1990), pp. 32-44. Digital version at JSTOR ($).

Websites

References

  1. ↑ Ancestry.com. South Carolina Delayed Births, 1766-1900 and City of Charleston, South Carolina Births, 1877-1901 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.35 2.36 2.37 2.38 2.39 2.40 2.41 2.42 2.43 2.44 2.45 2.46 2.47 2.48 2.49 2.50 2.51 2.52 2.53 2.54 2.55 2.56 2.57 2.58 2.59 2.60 2.61 2.62 2.63 2.64 2.65 2.66 2.67 2.68 2.69 2.70 2.71 2.72 2.73 2.74 2.75 2.76 2.77 2.78 2.79 Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/b/b2/Igisouthcarolina.pdf.
  3. ↑ Charleston (South Carolina). Board of Health, Births, 1877-1901. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1954.
  4. ↑ "Marriage and Death Notices From Charleston Courier for 1806," The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 29, No. 3 (Jul., 1928):258-263; Vol. 29, No. 4 (Oct. 1928):329-338; Vol. 30, No. 1 (Jan. 1929):60-68; Vol. 30, No. 2 (Apr. 1929):117-124; Vol. 30, No. 3 (Jul. 1929):185-191.
  5. ↑ Hagy, James W. and Bertrand Van Ruymbeke. "The French Refugee Newspapers of Charleston," [1790s-1810s] The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 97, No. 2 (Apr., 1996), pp. 139-148.
  6. ↑ Holcomb, Brent. Marriage and Death Notices from the Charleston Observer, 1827-1845. Greenville, SC, USA: A Press, 1980.
  7. ↑ Griffin, Inez H. "Marriages and Death Notices from the Charleston Gazette, 1828," The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 75, No. 3 (Jul., 1974), pp. 184-186.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Ancestry.com. Charleston, South Carolina, Marriage Records, 1877-1887 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. [Original data: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.]
  9. ↑ "Marriage and Death Notices From Charleston Courier for 1806," The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 29, No. 3 (Jul., 1928):258-263; Vol. 29, No. 4 (Oct. 1928):329-338; Vol. 30, No. 1 (Jan. 1929):60-68; Vol. 30, No. 2 (Apr. 1929):117-124; Vol. 30, No. 3 (Jul. 1929):185-191.
  10. ↑ Hagy, James W. and Bertrand Van Ruymbeke. "The French Refugee Newspapers of Charleston," [1790s-1810s] The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 97, No. 2 (Apr., 1996), pp. 139-148.
  11. ↑ Ancestry.com. South Carolina Death Records, 1821-1955 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: South Carolina. South Carolina death records. Columbia, SC, USA: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
  12. ↑ Holcomb, Brent. Marriage and Death Notices from the Charleston Observer 1827-1845. Greenville, SC, USA: A Press, 1980.
  13. ↑ Griffin, Inez H. "Marriages and Death Notices from the Charleston Gazette, 1828," The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 75, No. 3 (Jul., 1974), pp. 184-186.

v • d • e
Links to Charleston County, South Carolina-related articles
v • d • e
Links to South Carolina-related articles
Topics
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Routes
Savannah River · Augusta and Cherokee Trail · Augusta-Savannah Trail · Augusta-St. Augustine Trail · Camden-Charleston Path · Catawba and Northern Trail · Catawba Trail · Charleston-Ft. Charlotte Trail · Charleston-Savannah Trail · Cisca and St. Augustine Trail (or Nickajack Trail) · Coosa-Tugaloo Indian Warpath · Fall Line Road (or Southern Road) · Fort Charlotte and Cherokee Old Path · Fort Moore-Charleston Trail · Great Valley Road · King's Highway · Lower Cherokee Traders' Path · Lower Creek Trading Path · Middle Creek Trading Path · Occaneechi Path · Old Cherokee Path · Old South Carolina State Road · Savannah-Jacksonville Trail · Secondary Coast Road · Tugaloo-Apalachee Bay Trail · Unicoi Trail · Upper Road · Ports:  Beaufort · Charleston · Georgetown
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  • This page was last modified on 30 March 2013, at 23:09.
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