Greenville County, South Carolina Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Greenville
Organized: March 22, 1786
Parent County(s): Non-County Area 3 & 4[1]
Neighboring Counties
Abbeville  • Anderson  • Henderson (NC)  • Laurens  • Pickens  • Polk (NC)  • Spartanburg  • Transylvania (NC)
See County Maps
Courthouse
South Carolina, Greenville, County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Sc-greenville.png
Adoption

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786)

The County is located in the northwest area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Greenville County Courthouse
305 E. North Street
Greenville, SC 29601
Phone: 864-467-8551
Greenville County Website

County Pronunciation
Hear it spoken[3]

Greenville County, South Carolina Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1915 1911 1915 1786 1784 1787 1790
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1915. General compliance by 1918.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • Parent County: Created from Non-County Area 3 and 4, on 22 Mar 1786.[5]
  • County Seat: Greenville [6]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

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:[7]

Cities
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Greenville County, South Carolina online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See South Carolina Cemeteries for more information.

 

Census Records[edit | edit source]

For all existing and online Federal population schedules of South Carolina, see South Carolina Census. See also USGenWeb Census Project, South Carolina, including links to transcribed files.

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1790 6,503 —
1800 11,504 76.9%
1810 13,133 14.2%
1820 14,530 10.6%
1830 16,476 13.4%
1840 17,839 8.3%
1850 20,156 13.0%
1860 21,892 8.6%
1870 22,262 1.7%
1880 37,496 68.4%
1890 44,310 18.2%
1900 53,490 20.7%
1910 68,377 27.8%
1920 88,498 29.4%
1930 117,009 32.2%
1940 136,580 16.7%
1950 168,152 23.1%
1960 209,776 24.8%
1970 240,546 14.7%
1980 287,913 19.7%
1990 320,167 11.2%
2000 379,616 18.6%
2010 451,225 18.9%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1800

  • Phillipa, Oma Dee. Greenville District, South Carolina, 1800 Census. FHL Collection 975.727 X2p 1800

1820 Manufactures
The original manufactures schedules for South Carolina are kept at the NARA, Washington, D.C. FHL copies: FHL Collection 1024517 - 1024518. Published abstract:

  • National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. FHL Book 973 X2m 1820.

1840 Revolutionary War Pensioners

  • 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. FHL Book 973 X2pc 1840, film 2321; digital version at Google Books. See South Carolina, Greenville District on page 143.

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Greenville County Churches identifies dozens of churches in the area, courtesy: South Carolina Genealogical Society.

  • Gower, A.G. A short story of Presbyterian Church life in Greenville: its organizations and beginnings: seventy-fifth anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church, 1848-1923. Greenville, S.C: First Presbyterian Church, 1923?. Digital version at Internet Archive.
  • McKoy, Henry Bacon. A History of the First Presbyterian Church In Greenville, South Carolina. Greenville, S.C: Keys Printing Company, 1962. Digital version at Hathi Trust.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Online Court Indexes and Records

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

African Americans
United States African Americans Gotoarrow.png African American Resources for South Carolina

Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:

  • Austin - Simpsonville - also called Gilder
  • C. Douglas Wilson Farm - also called George Salmon
  • George Salmon - also called C. Douglas Wilson Farm
  • Gilder - Simpsonville - also called Austin
  • Golden Grove
  • Great Plains
  • Oaklawn - Greenville
  • Polly
  • Prospect Hill
  • Spring Garden
  • Tall Pines
  • Tullyton - Fountain Inn

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

  • [Arnold] MacIvor, Hazel Arnold. Some Ancestors and Descendants of Benjamin Arnold, King William County, Virginia and Greenville, South Carolina. Lake Orion, Mich.: Arnold Family Association of the South, 1974. FHL 929.273 Ar64a
  • [Blassingame] Lafo, Susan, Phyllis Harrison, Barbara Bleades, and Larry Tyner. "Blassingame Myths and Facts," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 26, No. 2 (Spring 1998):70-76. FHL Book 975.7 B2sc v. 26
  • [Brown] Brown, Richard L. and Robert E. Brown. A Brown Family of Spartanburg and Greenville Counties, South Carolina. Maplewood, N.J.: R.L. & R.E. Brown, 1963. FHL 1454551 Item 5
  • [Butler] "A Butler Family of Greenville District," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Winter 1985):13-15. FHL Book 975.7 B2sc v. 13
  • [Cunningham] Paget, James Suddarth. Descendants of William Cunningham of Fauquier County, Virginia and Greenville County, South Carolina 28 July 1770 - 14 October 1853. Greer, S.C.: J.S. Paget, 1994. FHL 929.273 C917pa
  • [Davis] Davis, Robert S. "The Descendants of Jonathan Davis," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 17, No. 2 (Spring 1989):86-87. FHL Book 975.7 B2sc v. 17
  • [Evans] Roberts, Lesbia Word. The Family of Philip Evans, Greenville Co., S.C. Fort Worth, Texas: Mrs. W.E. Roberts, Jr., 1996. FHL 929.273 Ev15rL
  • [Forrester] Ambrose, Lorene Burton. Mills, Stokes, Forrester of Primarily Greenville County, South Carolina. Greer, S.C.: L.B. Ambrose, 1979. FHL 929.273 M624ab
  • [Fowler] The House of Fowler. 1940. Free Lookups Available!
  • [Fuller] "An Unusual Migration in the Fuller Family," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 27, No. 4 (Fall 1999):208-209. FHL Book 975.7 B2sc v. 27
  • [Kemp] Taylor, Jamie Kay Kemp. Kemps with Roots in Greenville County, South Carolina. Abernathy, Tex. J.K.K. Taylor, 1994. FHL 1440585 Item 8
  • [Lendermon] Boswell, Imogene May and Jean Boswell Pippenger. The Ancestors and Descendants of Henry D. Lendermon Randolph County, North Carolina; Greenville County, South Carolina; Maury County, Tennessee; Carroll County, Tennessee; Marshall County, Mississippi. Carrollton, Texas: I.M. Boswell & J.B. Pippenger, 1988. FHL 929.273 L546p
  • [Lester] Owen, Thomas McAdory. "Bryant Lester, of Lunenburg Co., Va., and His Descendants," Southern History Association. Its Publications, Vol. 1 (1897):127-137. Digitized by Internet Archive - free. Available in book form at Virginia Historical Society.
  • [McBee] McBee, Vardry. Portraiture of Vardry McBee of South Carolina Born in Spartanburg District, 19 June 1775; Died in Greenville, 23 January 1864. n.p.: n.p., 1852. FHL 6104945
  • [Mills] Ambrose, Lorene Burton. Mills, Stokes, Forrester of Primarily Greenville County, South Carolina. Greer, S.C.: L.B. Ambrose, 1979. FHL 929.273 M624ab
  • [Nash] Nash, James Henry. The Georgia Descendants of Edward Nash of Greenville County, South Carolina: and Some Related Families. Somerville, Tenn.: J.H. Nash, 1973. FHL 929.273 N172a
  • [Peden] Hewell, Eleanor M. The Pedens of America. Free Lookups Available!
  • [Snow] Franklin, Wanda Snow. Snow Family of Upper South Carolina Some Descendants of Barksdale Snow (c. 1786-1854) of Greenville District, South Carolina. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 2000. FHL 929.273 Sn61f.
  • [Stokes] Ambrose, Lorene Burton. Mills, Stokes, Forrester of Primarily Greenville County, South Carolina. Greer, S.C.: L.B. Ambrose, 1979. FHL 929.273 M624ab
  • [Sullivan] Bland, Carolyn Copeland. "James Sullivan of Charlotte County and the Problem of Entrenched Disinformation," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Nov. 1987):3-13. Digital version at Ancestry ($); FHL Book 975.5 B2vs.
  • [Trammell] "Some Clues for the Trammell Genealogy," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 27, No. 4 (Fall 1999):211-212. FHL Book 975.7 B2sc v. 27
  • [Turner] Lennon, Rachael Mills. "The Wives of Jonathan Turner: Identification of Women in Pre-Twentieth-Century South Carolina," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 92, No. 4 (December 2004):245-255. FHL Collection 973 B2ng v. 92 (2004)
  • [Walker] Russell, Judith F. "Samuel Walker of South Carolina: Three Revolutionary Soldiers," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Winter 2003):17-20. FHL Book 975.7 B2sc v. 31
  • [Watson] Descendants of John Watson I 1752-1823. Free Lookups Available!
  • [West] West, Broadus B. Genealogy of Isaac West, of Greenville County, South Carolina. Spartanburg, S.C.: unknown, 1929. FHL 1036182 Item 1; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Because South Carolina was an agricultural state, many residents owned land. For earliest records, search 1) Charleston District, 2) your ancestor’s residential district, 3) neighboring districts, 4) the residential county, 5) neighboring counties. Not all districts and counties kept records. See also South Carolina Land and Property.

Online Land Indexes and Records
The following chart show where you may best expect to find land records.

Tracing Land Currently in Greenville County with Parent Counties and Districts [8]
Date Government Office
1868-present Greenville County
1800-1868 Greenville District
1795-1800 Greenville County (old) in Washington District
1786-1795 Greenville County (old) in Ninety-Six District
1785-1786 Some records in Laurens County
Pre-1786 Indian Lands

Greenville County includes many Revolutionary War bounty land allotments. The original Greenville County deed books are kept at the county courthouse. Deed books have been digitized and the digital version must be used. The Register of Deeds Office does maintain the old books covering the time frame 1784-1787 which are referenced as Plats for land north of the Saluda River. These surveys were authorized by statute March 1784 and are not included in the deed indexes for the county. The years 1786 to 1865 have been microfilmed: FHL Collection. Books A through R have been published:

  • 1787-1835 Pruitt, A.B. Abstracts of Deeds, Greenville County, S.C. (1787-1835). Multi-volume. n.p.: A.B. Pruitt, 1997-2007. FHL Collection

Greenville County has placed the following records from their land and probates records online.

Greenville County Register of Deeds
Conveyance Books 1865 to 1872
Book AA 1865 - 1868 - 562 Viewable Page(s)
Book BB 1868 - 1870 - 531 Viewable Page(s)
Book CC 1870 - 1871 - 417 Viewable Page(s)
Book DD 1872 - 1872 - 443 Viewable Page(s)
Grantee Indexes 1787 to 1913
Book A 1897, 1900 - 1912 - 272 Viewable Page(s)
Book G 1801 - 1819 - 188 Viewable Page(s)
Book H 1819 - 1837 - 245 Viewable Page(s)
Book I 1838 - 1846 - 85 Viewable Page(s)
Real Estate Mortgage Books 1879, 1887 to 1889, 1893 to 1894, 1900 to 1901
Book II 1893 - 1894, 1901 - 585 Viewable Page(s)
Book J 1879 - 422 Viewable Page(s)
Book UU 1900 - 1901 - 459 Viewable Page(s)
Book W 1887 - 519 Viewable Page(s)
Book X 1887 - 1889 - 519 Viewable Page(s)

Warrants for Surveys 1868 to 1880

Greenville County Probate Court Records

Account Book 1896 to 1905, 154 pages
Estate Records over 80,000 pages

Guardian and Trustee Accounts 1865 to 1878, 410 pages

Index to Estate Papers 1787 to 1976

Miscellaneous Administration and Guardianship Bonds
1816 to 1857, 1874 to 1905 1837 - 1848 - 191 Viewable Page(s)
1845 - 1857 - 217 Viewable Page(s)
1874 - 1888, 1894 - 214 Viewable Page(s)
1888 - 1905 - 481 Viewable Page(s)
Book A, 1816 - 1838 - 250 Viewable Page(s)

Returns 1817 to 1824, 27 pages

  • Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868 For information about the State Land Grants, see State Land Grants

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Greenville District land plats. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

  • Crittenden, S.S. The Greenville Century Book: Comprising an Account of the First Settlement of the County, and the Founding of the City of Greenville, S.C. Greenville, S.C.: Greenville News, 1903. Digital version at Google Books.
  • Richardson, James McDowell. History of Greenville County, South Carolina: Narrative and Biographical. (Atlanta, Ga.: A.H. Cawston, 1930), 368 pages. FHL Book 975.727 D3r 1993 ▲ [WorldCat 6790361. Digital version at [http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=22828 Ancestry] ($).
  • South Carolina Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.greenville/ Greenville

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Polk CountyHenderson CountyTransylvania CountySpartanburg CountyLaurens CountyAbbeville CountyAnderson CountyPickens CountySC GREENVILLE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Early migration routes to and from Greenville County for European settlers included:[9], and William E. Myer, Indian Trails of the Southeast. [10]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

General

  • "Musters and Muster grounds 1794-1836," Greenville County Historical Society Proceedings and Papers, 1964, Volume 2. Greenville County Historical Society: Greenville, SC.

Revolutionary War

  • "William and Behethland Foote Moore butler bio., 1764-1853," Greenville Chapter Journal, Winter 2007, Volume 18, Issues 1-2. Greenville Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Greenville, SC.
  • "Battle of the Cane Brake, 1775," Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History, August 2006, Volume 20, Issue 3. Piedmont Historical Society: Spartansburg, SC.
  • "Colonel John Thomas reminiscences and family, 1800s-1900s," Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History, August 2006, Volume 20, Issue 3. Piedmont Historical Society: Spartansburg, SC. Also War of 1812.
  • "Selected final pension vouchers index, 1818-1864," Old Pendleton District Newsletter, March 2006, Volume 20, Issue 3. Old Pendleton District Chapter, South Carolina Genealogical Society: Easley, SC.
  • "Lebanon Church monument to Revolutionary soldiers, 1770s - 1850s," Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History, November 2005, Volume 19, Issue 4. Piedmont Historical Society: Spartansburg, SC.
  • "Battle of the Great Cane Brake on the Reedy River, 1775," Greenville County Historical Society Proceedings and Papers, 2005, Volume 12. Greenville County Historical Society: Greenville, SC.
  • McGowan, William Campbell, "Washington the Great: Celebration of the Sixteenth Anniversary of the Greenville Guards, with the oration of Captain W.C. McGowan, of Abbeville, S.C. Greenville, South Carolina, Washington's day 1893" Greenville, SC, Press of the Daily News, 1893. (Includes names of the Greenville Guards. Digital version at the Internet Archive.)

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. FHL Book 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Greenville County, p. 185. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

Regiments. Civil War service men from Greenville County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Greenville County or had many Greenville County men.

- 1st Battalion, South Carolina Reserves, Company B
- 1st Battalion, South Carolina Sharpshooters, Company B - (also known as the Sumter Guards)
- 1st Regiment, South Carolina Artillery, Company C
- 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company K
- 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Butler's) (1st Regulars), Company B (also called Company E)
- 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Hagood's), 2nd Company F (also known as the Dixie Guards)
- 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (McCreary's) (1st Provisional Army), Company M - (also known as the Furman Guards and William H. Campbell's Company)
- 1st Regiment, South Carolina Rifles (Orr's), Company L (also known as Calhoun Guards)
- 1st Regiment, South Carolina State Troops Junior Reserves (State Militia), Company A
- 1st Regiment, South Carolina Militia, Saluda Battalion and Tyger Battalion.
- 1st Regiment, South Carolina State Troops, Company E and Company H
-2nd Battalion, South Carolina Reserves, Company C (also known as the Spartan Rangers, the Spartanburg Rangers and the Spartan Rangers Independent Cavalry Reserves)
- 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (2nd Palmetto Regiment), Company B (also known as Butler's Guards)
- 2nd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops Junior Reserves (State Militia), Company K
- 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Rifles, Company E, Company G, Company L
- 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry, Company E (also known as Dean's Cavalry), Company F (also known as the Easley's Cavalry), Company K (Formerly known as Company B, Cavalry Detachment, Hampton Legion, Brooks' Troops)
- 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry, Company A (possibly called Captain Easley's Company)and Company C (also known as Captain Dean's Company)
- 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Lauren's) (James'), Company C and Company D
- 3rd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company A and Company F
- 3rd Regiment, South Carolina Militia
- 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Light Artillery (Palmetto Battalion), Company A - (also known as Furman Artillery and Earle's Artillery), Company H and Company I (also known as Bowden's Battery Light Artillery)
- 3rd Regiment, South Carolina Reserves (90 days 1862-63), Company A, Company B, Company C, Company D, Company E, Company F, Company G, Company I, and Company K
- 3rd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops (6 months 1863-64), Company G, Company I, and Company K
- 4th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry , Company A, Company F (also known as Tyger Volunteers), Company G (also known as Saludia Guards) and Company I
- 4th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Captain AC Earle's Company
- 6th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Aiken's Partisan Rangers) (1st Partisan Rangers), Company A and Company H
- 6th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company K
- 7th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Nelson's) (Enfield Rifles), Company H
- 7th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry , Company C, Company G, and Company K
-13th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (4th) (Mattison's), Company B and Company D
- 16th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Greenville Regiment), Company C, Company D, Company E, Company F, Company G, Company I, and Company K
- 16th Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry, Company A
- 18th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company E
- 22nd Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company H
- Palmetto Sharpshooters Regiment, South Carolina (Jenkins') (1st Palmetto), Company I
- South Carolina State Troop Regiments Seed Corn Units, Junior Reserves, 2nd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops Junior Reserves (State Militia)

Other Resources

  • Units From Greenville County. Internet site, accessed 12/30/2010. Lists rosters for the 16th South Carolina Headquarters and Command, references to other units associated with Greenville County soldiers, and resource materials.
  • Eaton, Lafayette Claud. """Butler Guards: Company B, 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment, Confederate States army""" (Vallejo, Calif.: L.C. Eaton, 1996?), 151 pages. Includes index. Includes the final roll call of the original Butler Guards present at the surrender at Greensboro.The Butler Guards were originally a South Carolina state militia that became the core of Company B of the 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment. They later became a part of the United Confederate Veterans. Book found at FHL Book 975.727 M2e

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Historic
The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Greenville County, South Carolina on their Chronicling America website. For publication details, including dates of publication, frequency, preceding and succeeding titles, and to find out which libraries have holdings, click on the newspaper title.

The Furman Library has digitized various issues (published 1851-1926) of the following Greenville newspapers. See Furman Library website.

  • Cohen's Weekly
  • The Cotton Plant
  • The Daily Herald
  • Evening Observer
  • The Evening Piedmont
  • Greenville Daily Herald
  • Greenville Daily News
  • Greenville Democrat
  • Greenville Republican
  • Greenville Weekly News
  • Semi-Weekly Mountaineer
  • Semi-Weekly Times
  • Southern Herald and Working Man
  • The Southern Patriot Weekly
  • The Sunday Times
  • The Tri-State Odd Fellow
  • The Tri-Weekly Southern Patriot
  • The Weekly Democrat

University of South Carolina Library Catalog

Current

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Tap into the minds of local experts. Editors of genealogical periodicals publish unique sources that researchers new to their area may not encounter. Periodicals at various levels (county, region, and state) may carry articles useful to research in this area. For more information and links, see South Carolina Periodicals.

See: Periodicals for description.

  • Greenville Chapter Newsletter-South Carolina Genealogical Society (Family History Library book 975.727 D25g .)
  • Greenville Mountaineer
  • Piedmont Historical Society Quarterly
  • Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Various types of records are created throughout the probate process of settling estates and property, usually after death. These may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. For further information see probate records in South Carolina Probate Records.

Online Probate Indexes and Records
Greenville County has placed some of their probate records online. The record sets below are viewable.
Will Books 1820 to 1907

  • Book B, 1820-1840, 298 Viewable Page(s)
  • Book C, 1840-1853, 519 Viewable Page(s)
  • Book D - E, 185-1881, 294 Viewable Page(s)
  • Book F - G, 1881-1897, 654 Viewable Page(s)
  • Book H, 1896-1907, 81 Viewable Page(s)

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has microfilms or typescripts of wills, inventories, bills of sale, power of attorneys, bonds, notes, administrations, judgments, and sales records. They have placed Will Transcriptions for 1782 to 1855 online. Index searchable by name and the image is available.

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Tax-related records are kept by the offices of the county Assessor, Auditor, Sheriff, and Treasurer. Taxes were levied on real and personal property and can help establish ages, residences, and relationships. See South Carolina Taxation for online resources and suggestions.

Online Tax Indexes and Records

  • South Carolina Department of Archives and History tax lists for Greenville County.

Published abstracts

  • 1865-1867 Excise Tax and Licenses, 1865-67 (sel.), Greenville Chapter Newsletter-South Carolina Genealogical Society, Vol. 11, No. 9 (Oct. 1985)
  • 1883 Tax Ledger, 1883, Piedmont Historical Society Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Apr. 1983); Vol. 1, No. 3 (Jul. 1983); Vol. 1, No. 4 (Oct. 1983).

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Birth, marriage, and death records were not recorded by South Carolina until the 1900s, thus leaving a lack of vital records created by Civil authorities. See South Carolina Vital Records for online resources and suggestions.

Birth[edit | edit source]

State-wide birth registration did not begin until 1915. For records after 1915, see the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Marriage[edit | edit source]

In South Carolina, Probate Courts issued and still keep marriage licenses from 1 July 1911 to the present. Licenses were not required before 1911. 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. Statewide registration of marriages started in July, 1950. See South Carolina Vital Records for indexes and more information.

Online Marriage Records and Indexes

  • 1826-1854 Some South Carolina Marriages and Obituaries and Miscellaneous Information, 1826-1854, Abstracted from Early Newspapers: the Greenville Republican, the Greenville mountaineer, the Laurensville Herald by Robert F. Simpson and Mrs. Charles R. Barham [11] FHL Collection ▲ WorldCat 11574003 - index
  • 1826-1863 Marriage and Death Notices from the Up-Country of South Carolina as Taken from Greenville Newspapers, 1826-1863 by Brent H. Holcomb [12] FHL Collection ▲ WorldCat 10019454; digital version at Ancestry ($) - index
  • 1916 to Present Greeville County Marriage License Search - index
  • 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[edit | edit source]

State-wide death registration began in 1915. For information and online records, see the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Online Death Records and Indexes

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Greenville County. For state-wide library facilities, see South Carolina Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in Greenville County. For state-wide library facilities, see South Carolina Archives and Libraries.

The Greenville County Library system has 11 libraries plus a bookmobille. The branches have wireless capability. To view their online catalog, Click Here. Hughes Main Library
Address:
25 Heritage Green Place
Greenville, SC 29601
Telephone: 864-242-5000
Fax: 864-235-8375
Email: maincirc@greenvillelibrary.org
Hours of Operation: Monday thru Friday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Sunday 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

The South Carolina Room in the Hughes Main Library (email: scroom@greenvillelibrary.org) has an extensive collection of historical and genealogical research. While the major focus of the collection is Greenville and the Upstate South Carolina, there are many sources for other locations in the state and for other states. The information is available in books, manuscripts, microform, periodicals, databases, photographs, maps, and newspapers. Some of the specific records include obituaries from the Greenville News 1912-1993. An index is online. The South Carolina Room staff is available to assist researchers in person or through the Records Search Form. There are online research guides for various topics that can be downloaded. They include topics like African American, Cherokee Indian, getting started, German-Americans, North Carolina resources, and South Carolina sources for land, marriage, newspaper, and probate.

The Library has obituaries from the Greenville News 1907-current. An index is online. to search the index, Click Here.
Website

  • Anderson Road - West Branch
    Address:
    2625 Anderson Rd
    Greenville, SC 29611
    Telehone: 864-269-5210
    Fax: 864-269-3986
    Email: west@greenvillelibrary.org
    Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to Saturday 9:00AM to 6:00 PM
  • Augusta Road - Ramsey Family Branch
    Address:
    100 Lydia St
    Greenville, SC 29605
    Telephone: 864-277-0161
    Fax: 864-277-2673
    Email: augustaroad@greenvillelibrary.org
    Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to-Sat 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
  • Berea
    Address
    111 N. Hwy. 25 Byp
    Greenville, SC 29617
    Telehone: 864-246-1695
    Fax: 864-246-1765
    Email: berea@greenvillelibrary.org
    Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00AM to 9:00 PM; Friday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
  • Fountain Inn - Kerry Ann Younts Culp Branch
    Address
    311 North Main St
    Fountain Inn, SC 29644
    Phone: 864-862-2576
    Fax: 864-862-6376
    Email: fountaininn@greenvillelibrary.org
    Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM; Friday to Saturday 9:00A to 6:00 PM
  • Greer - Jean M. Smith Branch
    Address:
    505 Pennsylvania Avenue
    Greer, SC 29650
    Phone: 864-877-8722
    Fax: 864-877-1422
    Email: greer@greenvillelibrary.org
    Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:0 0M to 9:00 PM; Friday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
  • Mauldin - W. Jack Greer Branch
    Address:
    800 West Butler Rd
    Greenville, SC 29607
    Phone: 864-277-7397
    Fax: 864-277-7389
    Email: mauldin@greenvillelibrary.org
    Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
  • Pelham Road- F.W Symmes Branch
    Address:
    1508 Pelham Rd
    Greenville, SC 29615
    Phone: 864-288-6688
    Fax: 864-675-9149
    Email: pelhamroad@greenvillelibrary.org
    Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to Saturday 9:00AM to 6:00 PM
  • Simpsonville - Hendricks Branch
    Address:
    626 NE Main St
    Simpsonville, SC 29681
    Phone: 864-963-9031
    Fax: 864-228-0986
    Email: simpsonville@greenvillelibrary.org
    Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to Saturday 9:00AM to 6:00 PM
  • Taylors- Burdette Branch
    Address:
    316 W. Main St
    Taylors, SC 29687
    Phone: 864-268-5955
    Fax: 864-268-4275
    Email: taylors@greenvillelibrary.org
    Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 P M
  • Travelers Rest- Sargent Branch
    Address:
    17 Center Street
    Travelers Rest, SC 29690
    Phone: 864-834-3650
    Fax: 864-834-4686
    Email: travelersrest@greenvillelibrary.org
    Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Friday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Bob Jones University,
J.S. Mack Library, Special Collections
Address:
1700 Wade Hampton Boulevard
Greenville, SC 29614-0001
Get Directions
Campus Map
Telephone: (864) 770-1331
For hours Click Here.Website

Bob Jones University located in Greenville, South Carolina, is the foremost fundamental Christian university, with students from every state and more than 40 foreign countries. The Special Collections of the J.S. Mack Library has copies of the Greenville Mountaineer, one of the earliest newspapers from the local community. Copies date from 1826-1853.

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Greenville County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see South Carolina Societies.

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Newberry
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, Greenville County, South Carolina in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville_County,_South_Carolina." accessed 27/06/2019
  3. ↑ Voice of Phillip Stalvey, resident of Myrtle Beach, S.C. (2011).
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Greenville County, South Carolina. Page 611-615 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 607-608.
  5. ↑ South Carolina Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), South Carolina .At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Greenville County, South Carolina," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville_County,_South_Carolina, accessed 24 December 2019.
  8. ↑ Schweitzer, George K. , South Carolina Genealogical Research (Knoxville, Tennessee: s.p. 1985), 39-42, FHL book 975.7 D27s
  9. ↑ WorldCat 50140092 FHL Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed.] (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002)
  10. ↑ (Nashville, Tenn.: Blue and Gray Press, 1971), 12-14, and the book's pocket map "The Trail System of the Southeastern United States in the early Colonial Period" (1923). (FHL Book 970.1 M992i) ▲ WorldCat 1523234.
  11. ↑ Simpson, Robert F. and Mrs. Charles R. Barham, Some South Carolina Marriages and Obituaries and Miscellaneous Information, 1826-1854, Abstracted from Early Newspapers: the Greenville Republican, the Greenville mountaineer, the Laurensville Herald, [S.l.: s.n.], c1978.
  12. ↑ Holcomb, Brent H., Marriage and Death Notices from the Up-Country of South Carolina as Taken from Greenville Newspapers, 1826-1863, Columbia, SC: SCMAR, 1983.
  13. ↑ Simpson, Robert F. and Mrs. Charles R. Barham, Some South Carolina Marriages and Obituaries and Miscellaneous Information, 1826-1854, Abstracted from Early Newspapers: the Greenville Republican, the Greenville mountaineer, the Laurensville Herald, [S.l.: s.n.], c1978.
  14. ↑ Holcomb, Brent H., Marriage and Death Notices from the Up-Country of South Carolina as Taken from Greenville Newspapers, 1826-1863, Columbia, SC: SCMAR, 1983.
v • d • e
Links to South Carolina-related articles
Topics
Counties
Extinct
Counties
Overarching
Districts
Districts
that became
Counties
1800–1868
Colonial
Parishes
Colonial
Townships
Major
Repositories
South Carolina Dept. of Archives and History · South Carolina State Library · South Carolina Historical Society · Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina Archives · Camden Archives and Museum · Charleston County Public Library · Charleston Library Society · Darlington County Historical Commission · Greenville County Library System Hughes Main Library · Orangeburg County Historical Society Library · South Carolina Genealogical Society · South Caroliniana Library · Sumter County Genealogical Center · Dallas Public Central Library · Chattanooga Public Library Downtown · National Archives at Atlanta · Santa Cruz Public Library Downtown
Migration
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  · Cisca and St. Augustine Trail · Coosa-Tugaloo Indian Warpath · Fall Line Road · Fall Line 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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