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Horry County, South Carolina Genealogy

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Guide to Horry 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: Conway
Organized: April 16,1868[1]
Parent County(s): Horry District (eliminated)[2]
Neighboring Counties
Brunswick (NC)  • Columbus (NC)  • Dillon  • Georgetown  • Marion  • Robeson (NC)
See County Maps
Courthouse
South Carolina, Horry County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Sc-horry.png
Adoption

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The County was named for the county residents to become an extremely independent populace, and they named their county "The Independent Republic of Horry". The county was named after, and in honor of, Revolutionary War hero Peter Horry who was born in South Carolina around 1743. Horry started his military career in 1775 as one of 20 captains, elected by the Provincial Congress of South Carolina, to serve the 1st and 2nd Regiments. In 1790, he was assigned to the South Carolina militia under Brigadier General Francis Marion. The County is located in the east-central area of the state.[3]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Horry County Courthouse
1301 Second Avenue
Conway, SC 29526
P.O. Box 677
Conway, SC 29528
Phone: 843-915-5081
Horry County Website

County Pronunciation
Hear it spoken[4]

Horry 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[5]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1915 1911 1915 1803 1803 1799 1790
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1915. General compliance by 1918.


Record Loss[edit | edit source]

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

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:[8]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business and Commerce[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Horry 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. %±
1810 4,349 —
1820 5,025 15.5%
1830 5,245 4.4%
1840 5,755 9.7%
1850 7,646 32.9%
1860 7,962 4.1%
1870 10,721 34.7%
1880 15,574 45.3%
1890 19,256 23.6%
1900 23,364 21.3%
1910 26,995 15.5%
1920 32,077 18.8%
1930 39,376 22.8%
1940 51,951 31.9%
1950 59,820 15.1%
1960 68,247 14.1%
1970 69,992 2.6%
1980 101,419 44.9%
1990 144,053 42.0%
2000 196,629 36.5%
2010 269,291 37.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1810

  • Teel, Dorothy Owens and Three Rivers Historical Society (Hemingway, S.C.). The 1810 Census of Georgetown District and the 1810 Census of Horry District, South Carolina. 199-?. FHL Collection 975.78 X2t 1810

1850

  • Woodard, Janet H. Population Schedules of the Seventh Census of the United States, 1850, Roll 854, Horry County, South Carolina Original Returns of the Assistant Marshals, White and Free Colored Population. 1980. FHL Collection 975.787 X29w 1850

1860

  • Lewis, Catherine Heniford and Ashley Patterson Cox. Index to the 1860 Census of Horry County, South Carolina. Macon, Ga.: Waccamaw Records, 1989. FHL Collection 975.787 X22L 1860
  • Lewis, Catherine Heniford, Ione Woodall and Ashley Patterson Cox. 1860 Census of Horry County, South Carolina Publication No. 4; Combining Original Copy Prepared by Ione Woodall and an Index Prepared by Catherine H. Lewis and Ashley P. Cox, Jr. Macon, Ga.: Waccamaw Records, 1996. FHL Collection 975.787 X2L 1860

1880

  • Horry County Historical Society. 1880 Census of Horry County, South Carolina. Conway, S.C.: Horry County Historical Society, 1970. FHL Collection 975.787 X2c

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Baptist Church
Special Collections and Archives
206 James B. Duke Library
Furman University
3300 Poinsett Highway
Greenville, SC 29613
Phone: (864) 294-2194

Email: specialcollections@furman.edu

South Carolina Baptist Historical Collection Records of over 500 individual South Carolina Baptist churches from published books, church histories, congregational records, associational minutes, biographical materials, newsletters, hymnals, and sermons. Microfilmed records can be borrowed through the InterLibrary Loan department of your local university or public library.

Episcopal Church
Early residents of what is now Horry County were served by these colonial parishes.[9]

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

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:

  • Ark - Surfside Beach
  • Buck's Upper Mill - also called Upper Mill
  • Cherry Grove - North Myrtle Beach
  • Jeremiah Vereen's - Myrtle Beach
  • Long Bay
  • Longwood - Murrells Inlet
  • Lucas Bay - Youhannah
  • Old Oliver Place - Waccamaw River
  • Oregon
  • Peachtree
  • Peter Vaught's - Myrtle Beach
  • Snow Hill - Conway
  • Thomas Randall's - Little River
  • Tilghman Point - also called Little River, Thomas Randall's
  • Upper Mill - also called Buck's Upper Mill
  • Withers - Myrtle Beach
  • Woodbourne

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

General
Surname indexes to Leonardo Andrea's Files | Folders | Resources are available online, courtesy: The Andrea Files: South Carolina Genealogical Research. Gotoarrow.png Learn more. Horry County families he studied include Bell (Folder no. 58 FHL Film 954526), Gore (Folder no. 343 FHL Film 954542), Livingston (Folder no. 520 FHL Film 954550), Thomas (Folder no. 889 FHL Film 954596).

  • Andrea, Leonardo. Horry Co., S.C. Data. Typescript, microfilmed 1974. FHL 954248 Item 13

Bibliography

  • Cooper - Cooper, John P. Sketches of John Purley Cooper and Wife Ethel Mae Bethea: with Notes on Their Ancestry, Descendants, Some Kindred and Random Recollections. Ruxton, Md.: J.P. Cooper, 1989. FHL Book 929.273 C784cj.
  • Davis The Jones, Skipper and Davis Family of England, Wales and America. FHL Book 929.273 A1 no. 7120.
  • Durant- Andrea, Leonardo. Durant. Typescript, Polk County Historical Library, Bartow, Fla. Microfilmed 1975: FHL Film 978080 Item 2.
  • Hankins Media Research Bureau (Washington, D.C.). The Hankins Family with Data on Descendants of Rev. Dennis Hankins of Horry District, South Carolina and Madison County, Florida. MSS., 1950. FHL 978076 Item 15
  • Hughes Hughes, Virginia Hayden and Charles Evan Hughes. Hughes, Hardee, McCumbee, Milligan Connection of the Carolinas. n.p.: n.p., 1996. FHL Book 929.273 H874hv.
  • Lewis Stevenson, Mary Lewis. William Lewis of Horry County, South Carolina. n.p.: Charlotte Stevenson, 1960. FHL 929.273 L589st; digital version at World Vital Records ($).
  • Lewis Long, Dorethea M. The Lewis Family: Portrait of a People. Conway, S.C.: D.M. Long, 2000. FHL Book 929.273 L585Ldm.
  • Lewis Lewis, J.D. My Neck of the Woods: The Lewis Families of Southeastern North Carolina and Northeastern South Carolina. Little River, S.C.: J.D. Lewis, 2002. FHL Book 929.273 L585Ljd; CD-ROM no. 1036
  • Livingston - Andrea, Leonardo. "Livingston Family of Horry County, South Carolina," Miscellaneous Family Records. Typescript. Microfilmed 1977: FHL Film 978079 Item 12.
  • McCracken - Ronemous, Hulda W. Rob & Joe: McCracken & Williamson Ancestors in Eighteenth Century South Carolina. Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1995. FHL Book 929.273 M137rh.
  • Tindall - Tindall, Anne Gibson. The Family of John G. Tindall of Horry County, SC and Allied Families. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society (South Carolina), (199-?). FHL Book 929.273 T492tg.

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
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
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.

The following chart shows where you may best expect to find land records.

Tracing Land Currently in Horry County with Parent Counties and Districts [10]
Date Government Office
1868-Present Horry County
1801-1865 Horry District *
1769-1801 Georgetown District Records Lost
1719-1769 Charleston District
1710-1719 Proprietary Land Grants
* Deed books E, G, and H are missing

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

The county is named after Revolutionary War General Peter Horry (1747-1815).[11]

  • The Independent Republic of Horry, 1670-1970: Items from the Independent Republic Quarterly, Official Publication of the Horry County Historical Society. Conway, S.C.?: The Society?, 1970. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  • Lewis, Catherine Heniford. Horry County, South Carolina, 1730-1993. (Columbia, South Carolina University of South Carolina Press, c1998), 229 pages. Horry County's past does not fit neatly into South Carolina history, Lewis demonstrated its decided differences--political, social, and economic--from other regions of the state. Book found at FHL 975.787 H2L and Other Libraries.
  • Epps, Florence Theodora , editor; Horry County Historical Society. The Independent Republic of Horry, 1670-1970 items from The Independent republic quarterly, official publication of the Horry County Historical Society (South Carolina s.n., 1970?), 100 pages. Family letters, photographs, accounts, and documents are accurate through the pages of The Independent Republic Quarterly. Book found at FHL FHL 975.787 H25ia and Other Libraries.

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Robeson CountyColumbus CountyGeorgetown CountyMarion CountyDillon CountyBrunswick CountySC HORRY.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Early migration routes to and from Horry County for European settlers included:[12]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Revolutionary War

  • "General Francis Nash and the encampment on Little River Neck, 1776-1777," Independent Republic Quarterly, 2006, Volume 36, Issue 3. Horry County Historical Society Conway, SC. FHL Collection Book 975.787 H25i.

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

Civil War

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

- 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (McCreary's) (1st Provisional Army), Company F - (also known as Horry Rebels)
- 4th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Rutledge's), Company A, Company D, Company E, and Company I
- 7th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry , Company A, Company F, and Company K
- 7th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company L
- 7th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Ward's), Company B Roster
- 9th Battalion, South Carolina infantry (Smith's) (Pee Dee Legion), Company A, Company D, and Company G
- 10th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry , Company A, Company B, Company C, Company G, and Company M
- 12th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company A
- South Carolina State Troop Regiments Seed Corn Units, Junior Reserves, 3rd Regiment, South Carolina State Troops Junior Reserves (State Militia)

Other Resources

  • Brunson, Joseph Woods. Pee Dee Light Artillery of Maxcy Gregg's (Later Samuel McGowan's) Brigade, First South Carolina Volunteers (infantry) C. S. A., a Historical Sketch and Roster (University, Alabama Confederate Pub., c1983), 60 pages. Includes rosters of the three Pee Dee infantry companies (from Darlington, Horry and Marion counties) which were supported by the Pee Dee artillery. The battery was officially Company D of the 1st South Carolina regiment. Book found at FHL 975.7 M2bjr and Other Libraries.

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Horry County Obituary Index Search Engine

Historic
The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Horry 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.

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.

  • Independent Republic Quarterly - Issues have been scanned and are text searchable, see website.

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
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History hasmicrofilms 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. Probate Records, 1803-1873. Probate Court Horry County, South Carolina. Microfilm of original records in the Horry County courthouse, at Conway, South Carolina. FHL Film 1029438

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 Horry County.

Published abstracts

  • 1827-1828 Horry County, South Carolina Tax Records, 1827-28, Independent Republic Quarterly, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Oct. 1976).

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

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 Horry 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 Horry County. For state-wide library facilities, see South Carolina Archives and Libraries.

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

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

Websites[edit | edit source]

  • FamilySearch Catalog – 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[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ South Carolina Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  2. ↑ South Carolina Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, Horry County, South Carolina in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horry_County,_South_Carolina." accessed 27/06/2019
  4. ↑ Voice of Phillip Stalvey, resident of Myrtle Beach, S.C. (2011).
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Horry 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.
  6. ↑ South Carolina Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  7. ↑ South Carolina Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  8. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Horry County, South Carolina," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horry_County%2C_South_Carolina, accessed 26 December 2019.
  9. ↑ "South Carolina Districts and Parishes 1770" (map) in Carolana.
  10. ↑ Schweitzer, George K. , South Carolina Genealogical Research (Knoxville, Tennessee: s.p. 1985), 39-42, FHL book 975.7 D27s
  11. ↑ "List of counties in South Carolina," Wikipedia.
  12. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 847-61. (FHL Book 973 D27e 2002) WorldCat entry., and William E. Myer, Indian Trails of the Southeast. (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 entry.
  13. ↑ Holcomb, Brent H. Marriage, Death, and Estate Notices from Georgetown, South Carolina Newspapers, 1791-1861. Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press, c1979.
  14. ↑ Horry County (South Carolina), Clerk of the County Court, Marriage records (Horry County, South Carolina), 1911-1951, Salt Lake City, UT: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2002-2005.
  15. ↑ Holcomb, Brent H., Marriage, Death, and Estate Notices from Georgetown, South Carolina Newspapers, 1791-1861, Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press, c1979.
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Links to South Carolina-related articles
Topics
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Extinct
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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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