Charleston County, South Carolina Genealogy

United States  South Carolina  Charleston County

History
The county is named after King Charles II of England (1630-1685).

Parent County
1769--Charleston County was created in 1769 from Colleton and Berkeley (old) Counties. County seat:  Charleston

Boundary Changes
"Rotating Formation South Carolina County Boundary Maps" (1682-1987) may be viewed for free at the My South Carolina Genealogy website. They rely on AniMap 3.0 software.

Neighboring Counties

 * Berkeley
 * Colleton
 * Dorchester
 * Georgetown

African American

 * Cole, Jennifer, comp. Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina Black Deaths 1871-89 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Available at Ancestry ($).

Cemeteries
Magnolia Cemetery Bethany Cemetery Live Oak Cemetery Carolina Memorial Riverview Cemetery

Census
1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Charleston County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see South Carolina Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in online indexes, try checking printed indexes. Created by local experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than online nationwide indexes.

See South Carolina Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.

1790


 * Hagy, James W. People and Professions of Charleston, South Carolina, 1782-1802. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1999. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

1800


 * Hagy, James W. People and Professions of Charleston, South Carolina, 1782-1802. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1999. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

1890 - Lost, but substitutes are available on Ancestry, see Directories.

Church
The following Charleston church records have been indexed on the International Genealogical Index:

Some additional Charleston church records include:

Church of England


 * Beesley, Charles Norbury. Beesley's Illustrated Guide to St. Michael's Church, Charleston, S.C. Charleston, S.C.: Presses of Southern Print. &amp; Pub. Co., c1939. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

LDS Ward and Branch Records old LDS church records-film located at Charleston SC FHC and SL FHL


 * Charleston

Jews


 * Elzas, Barnett A. The Old Jewish Cemeteries at Charleston, S.C.: A Transcript of the Inscriptions on Their Tombstones, 1762-1903. Charleston, S.C.: Daggett Print. Co., 1903. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Presbyterian


 * Centennial Celebration of the Dedication of the First Presbyterian Church, Charleston, S.C., Organized Seventeen Hundred and Thirty-two: Dedication, December Twenty-ninth, Eighteen Hundred and Fourteen: Celebration, December Twenty-sixth to December Twenty-ninth, Nineteen Hundred and Fourteen. Charleston, S.C.: Walker, Evans &amp; Cogswell Co., 1915. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Unitarian


 * The Old and the New, or, Discourses and Proceedings at the Dedication of the Re-modelled Unitarian Church in Charleston, S.C., on Sunday, April 2, 1954: Preceded by the Farewell Discourse Delivered in the Old Church, on Sunday, April 4, 1852. Charleston: S.G. Courtenay, 1854. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Directories

 * [1782, 1785, 1790, 1794, 1796, 1801, 1802] Hagy, James W. People and Professions of Charleston, South Carolina, 1782-1802. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1999. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [1803, 1806, 1807, 1813] Hagy, James W. City Directories for Charleston, South Carolina for the Years 1803, 1806, 1807, 1809, and 1813. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [1816, 1819, 1822, 1825, 1829] Hagy, James W. Charleston, South Carolina City Directories for the Years 1816, 1819, 1822, 1825, and 1829. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [1859-1860] Hagy, James W. On the Eve of the Civil War: the Charleston, SC Directories for the Years 1859 and 1860. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [1888] Charleston City Directory, 1888. Charleston, SC: Southern Directory and Publishing Co., 1888. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [1889] Charleston City Directory, 1889. Charleston, SC: Southern Directory and Publishing Co., 1889. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [1890] Charleston City Directory, 1890. Charleston, SC: Southern Directory and Publishing Co., 1890. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Charleston County residents. FamilySearch has not independently verified the lineages of those tested.

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General

As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Charleston, South Carolina at World Connect, results in more than 30,000 entries.

Surname indexes to Leonardo Andrea's Files | Folders | Resources are available online, courtesy: The Andrea Files: South Carolina Genealogical Research. Learn more.

Bibliography


 * [Barton] Barton, W. Baynard and Fannie May Dooley Barton. A Genealogy Study of the Descendants of Anthony Barton: The First American Barton of this Record, an Emigrant from England to America, 1825. Stonega, Va.: W.B. Barton, 1956. Item 9
 * [Barton] Barton, W. Baynard and Fannie May Dooley Barton. Bartons of Charleston, South Carolina and Orangeburg County, South Carolina. Kingsport, Tenn.: Collier's Printing, 1983.
 * [Bessellieu] Johnson, Charles Owen. Bessellieu, Cheche, Frazer and Allied Families of Charleston, South Carolina. 2 vols. Monroe, La.: C.O. Johnson, [1959?].
 * [Cheche] Johnson, Charles Owen. Bessellieu, Cheche, Frazer and Allied Families of Charleston, South Carolina. 2 vols. Monroe, La.: C.O. Johnson, [1959?].
 * [Corcoran] Corcoran, E. Emmons. The John Corcoran Family of Charleston, S.C.; the Samuel Barnes Emmons Family of Lancaster, S.C. Asheville, N.C.: E.E. Corcoran, 1983. 1986 Addendum:
 * [Dills] Auld, David Walton. The Dills Family of North and South Carolina: From Charleston, South Carolina to Haywood County, North Carolina. [Saratoga, Calif.]: D.W. Auld, 1986.
 * [Fayssoux] Davidson, Chalmers Gaston. Friend of the People: The Life of Dr. Peter Fayssoux of Charleston, South Carolina. Columbia, S.C.: Medical Association of South Carolina, 1950.
 * [Frazer] Johnson, Charles Owen. Bessellieu, Cheche, Frazer and Allied Families of Charleston, South Carolina. 2 vols. Monroe, La.: C.O. Johnson, [1959?].
 * [Inabnit] Lefvendahl, Georgie Inabinet Adams. The Inabnit Family of South Carolina: Volume III. Some of the Inabnit, Inabnet, Inabinett Families of Colleton, Charleston, and Lower Orangeburgh Districts and Counties. [Orangeburg, S.C.: n.p.], 1970.
 * [Johnson] Rumph, Thedoshia Juanita Harvey and Marian Dale Harvey. Family History of Jacob E. Johnson (Birth/Death Dates Unknown) &amp; Elizabeth Johnson Born in 1809 in Virginia, Died 6-2-1895 in Aiken, S.C. Pemberton, N.J.: T.J.H. Rumph, 2001.
 * [Latham] Peck, I. Heyward. The Latham Family, Shipwrights of New York City, Long Island, N.Y. and Charleston, South Carolina. MSS., South Carolina Historical Society, Charleston. Microfilmed 1952. Item 13
 * [Lee] Read, Thomas Carpenter. The Descendants of Thomas Lee of Charleston, South Carolina, 1710-1769: A Genealogical, Biographical Compilation. [Columbia, S.C.: R.L. Bryan], 1964. ; digital version at World Vital Records ($).
 * [Logan] Logan, George William and Lily Logan Morrill. A Record of the Logan Family of Charleston, South Carolina. Sacramento, Calif.: Record Book and Job Printing Office, 1874. 1923 reprint: ; digital version at Google Books.
 * [Middleton] Middleton, Alicia Hopton, Nathaniel Russell Middleton and Annie E. Marston De Wolf. Life in Carolina and New England During the Nineteenth Century: As Illustrated by Reminiscences and Letters of the Middleton Family of Charleston, South Carolina, and of the De Wolf Family of Bristol, Rhode Island. Bristol, R.I.: Private printed, 1929. Item 3; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [Moise] Moise, Harold. The Moise Family of South Carolina: An Account of the Life and Descendants of Abraham and Sarah Moise Who Settled in Charleston, South Carolina in the Year 1791 A.D. Columbia, S.C.: R.L. Bryan, 1961.
 * [Montgomery] Burrows, Brenda Sue Montgomery and Threlka Jane Montgomery Morrison. The Montgomery Family of Fannin County, Texas from 1773 to 1986: Descendants of Okitbbeha and Holmes Counties Mississippi and Fairfield District, South Carolina. n.p.: B.S.M. Burrows, T.J.M. Morrison, 1986.
 * [Moods] Stubbs, Thomas McAlpin. Family Album, an Account of the Moods of Charleston, South Carolina, and Connected Families. Atlanta, Ga.: Curtiss Printing Co., 1943. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [Parker] Parker, Ellen. Record of the Parker Family of the Parish of St. James, Goose Creek, and of Charleston, South Carolina. MSS., South Carolina Historical Society, Charleston. Microfilmed 1952. Item 22
 * [Pringle] Prindle, Paul Wesley. The Pringle Ancestry of Robert Pringle (1702-1776) of Charleston, South Carolina. Microfilmed 1991. Item 26
 * [Pyne] Pyne, Frederick Wallace. The John Pyne Family in America: Being the Comprehensive Genealogical Record of the Descendants of John Pyne, 1766-1813, of Charleston, South Carolina. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 1992.
 * [Roper] Soady, John William. Memoirs of a Nonagenarian: Some Links with the Charleston of Colonial Days through the Williams-Roper Families. Richmond, Va.: Dietz Press, 1940. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [Williams] Soady, John William. Memoirs of a Nonagenarian: Some Links with the Charleston of Colonial Days through the Williams-Roper Families. Richmond, Va.: Dietz Press, 1940. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Historic Residences

 * Smith, Alice R. Huger. The Dwelling Houses of Charleston, South Carolina. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Co., 1917. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Stoney, Samuel Gaillard. This is Charleston: A Survey of the Architectural Heritage of a Unique American City. Charleston, S.C.: Carolina Art Association for the Charleston Civic Services Committee, 1944. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Correspondence with the American Colonies 1739-1782," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1998):108-128; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):189-205. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Charleston with the following surnames: Bull, Gaiden (?), Izard, and Laurens.] Available at FHL.
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America 1777-1811," The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200; Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring 2001):53-74. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Charleston with the following surname: Davies and Geyer.] Available at FHL.
 * [http://www.immigrantservants.com/search/advancedResults.php?surname=&givenName=&varientSurnameSpellings=&gender=&dateOfBirthDay=&dateOfBirthMonth=&dateOfBirthQuantifier=&dateOfBirthYear=&placeOfBirthParish=&placeOfBirthTown=&placeOfBirthCity=&placeOfBirthCounty=&placeOfBirthColony=&placeOfBirthNation=&occupations=&religions=&orphan=&familyPosition=&immigrationYearQualifier=&immigrationYear=&portOfDepartureTown=&portOfDepartureCity=&portOfDepartureCounty=&portOfDepartureNation=&placeOfArrivalTown=&placeOfArrivalCounty=&placeOfArrivalColony=&shipName=&convict=&yearOfIndentureQualifier=&yearOfIndenture=&lengthOfIndentureYears=&lengthOfIndentureMonths=&yearOfFreedomQualifier=&yearOfFreedom=&placeOfIndentureTown=&placeOfIndentureCity=&placeOfIndentureCounty=Charleston&placeOfIndentureColony=South+Carolina&agentSurname=&agentGivenName=&agentTitle=&masterSurname=&masterGivenName=&masterTitle=&residenceParish=&residenceTown=&residenceCity=&residenceCounty=&residenceColony=&residenceNation=&landowner=&literate=&spouseSurname=&spouseGivenName=&spouseMarriageDateDay=&spouseMarriageDateMonth=&spouseMarriageDateQualifier=&spouseMarriageDateYear=&spouseMarriageLocationParish=&spouseMarriageLocationCounty=&spouseMarriageLocationColony=&spouseMarriageLocationNation=&deathDateDay=&deathDateMonth=&deathDateQualifier=&deathDateYear=&deathLocality=&deathCounty=&deathColony=&deathState=&testate=&proofServantStatus=&proofConvictStatus=&headright=&preServitudeSources=&postServitudeSources=&comments=&family=&sourceCitations=&interestedResearchers= List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe] who served labor terms in Colonial Charleston County, South Carolina (work in progress), Courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.
 * Jones, Patricia K. Across the Ocean of Promise: The Irish of Charleston, South Carolina. Oakwood, Ga.: P.K. Jones, 2006.
 * Passenger Arrivals at the Port of Charleston, 1820-1829. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Ravenel, Daniel. Liste des François et Suisses: From an Old Manuscript of French and Swiss Protestants Settled in Charleston, on the Santee and at the Orange Quarter in Carolina, Who Desired Naturalization, Prepared Probably about 1695-6. 1822; reprint, New York: Knickerbocker Press, 1888. ; digital version at World Vital Records ($).
 * Scott, Kenneth. British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979. ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Identifies many British immigrants living in Charleston during the War of 1812.]

Land
Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868

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.

Local Histories

 * Cardozo, Jacob N. Reminiscences of Charleston. Charleston S.C.: J. Walker, Stationer and Printer, 1866. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Jackson, Melvin H.. Privateers in Charleston, 1793-1796. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1969. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Lesesne, Thomas Petigru. Landmarks of Charleston: Including Description of an Incomparable Stroll. Richmond Va.: Garrett &amp; Massie, 1932. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Prentiss, James Clayton. The Charleston City Guide: Containing a Full and Accurate Description of All Places of Interest in and Around the City, and Other Useful Matter. Charleston, S.C.: J.W. DeLano, Office of the Sunday Times, c1872. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Ravenel, Harriott Horry. Charleston: The Place and the People. New York: Macmillan Co., 1912, c1906. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Simons, Katherine Drayton. Stories of Charleston Harbor. Columbia, S.C.: State Co., 1930. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Verner, Elizabeth O'Neill. Mellowed by Time: A Charleston Notebook. Columbia, S.C.: Bostick &amp; Thornley, 1941. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Revolutionary War

 * The Siege of Charleston: By the British Fleet and Army Under the Command of Admiral Arbuthnot and Sir Henry Clinton, which Terminated with the Surrender of that Place on the 12th of May, 1780. Albany: J. Munsell, 1867. Digital versions at Ancestry ($) and Internet Archive ($).

Civil War

 * Harris, W.A. The Record of Fort Sumter, from Its Occupation by Major Anderson, To Its Reduction by South Carolina Troops During the Administration of Governor Pickens. Columbia, S.C.: South Carolinian Steam Job Printing Office, 1862. Digital version at Google Books.

Newspapers
Charleston County Post and Courier Newspaper Index


 * King, William L. The Newspaper Press of Charleston, S.C.: A Chronological and Biographical History, Embracing a Period of One Hundred and Forty Years. Charleston, S.C.: E. Perry, 1872. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Occupations
See also Directories.


 * Hagy, James W. People and Professions of Charleston, South Carolina, 1782-1802. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1999. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Private Papers

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Correspondence with the American Colonies 1739-1782," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1998):108-128; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):189-205. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Charleston with the following surnames: Bull, Gaiden (?), Izard, and Laurens.] Available at FHL.
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America 1777-1811," The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200; Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring 2001):53-74. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Charleston with the following surname: Davies and Geyer.] Available at FHL.

Probate

 * Index to Wills of Charleston County, South Carolina, 1671-1868. Charleston, S.C.: n.p., 1950. ; digital versions at Ancestry ($) and World Vital Records ($).
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes wills of residents of St. Andrew's Parish, St. Bartholomew's Parish, St. Philip's Parish, Wappoo Creek, Charleston, and Charleston County proved in London, see place-name index. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Birth

 * [1877-1901] 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. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Marriage

 * [1827-1845] Holcomb, Brent. Marriage and Death Notices from the Charleston Observer 1827-1845. Greenville, SC, USA: A Press, 1980. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [1877-1887] Ancestry.com. Charleston, South Carolina, Marriage Records, 1877-1887 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Available at Ancestry ($). [Original data: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina.]

Death

 * [1821-1914] South Carolina Death Records, 1821-1955, available online, courtesy: Ancestry.com ($). [Includes Charleston City death records, 1821-1914.]
 * [1827-1845] Holcomb, Brent. Marriage and Death Notices from the Charleston Observer 1827-1845. Greenville, SC, USA: A Press, 1980. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Societies and Libraries

 * South Carolina Historical Society

The Society is located at 100 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC. Normal library hours are Mon-Fri, 9-4; Sat, 9-2; closed Sundays &amp; holidays. Members may use the library free of charge. There is a $5.00 daily fee for non-members.

The Society offers three types of research services for fee: (1) straightforward photocopy requests; (2) requests on historical matters related to South Carolina; and (3) inquiries related to genealogical research. Request forms and corresponding fees are on the Society's website (under Photocopy and Research Services). Keep in mind that the search is restricted to the holdings of the Society only and may not uncover the information sought. If an individual did not spend a significant amount of time in South Carolina, the Society may not have information pertaining to him or her. The average search takes six to eight weeks.

The Society is a repository for private papers and manuscripts pertaining to the state of South Carolina, with large amounts of materials on families of the Midlands and the Lowcountry. It does not have the censuses of South Carolina in its holdings and only abstracts from newspapers. An on-line library catalog is available (under Search the SCHS Catalog).


 * Charleston County Public Library

Charleston County's main library is the home of the Charleston Archive and the South Carolina Room. The SC Room houses local history and genealogy materials and resources, focusing on the history and genealogy of SC, with special emphasis on Charleston and the Lowcountry. Staff is available for assistance during normal hours of operation. The main library is located at 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC. Normal library hours are Mon-Thu, 9-9; Fri-Sat, 9-6; Sun, 2-5; closed holidays. Use of library is free of charge.

The SC Room offers limited research services. Written requests by mail, e-mail, or fax, are preferred, rather than by telephone. Surname searches are too broad for the staff to do. The staff will check up to a maximum of three names in either the Charleston County Will Books (1671-1868) or the Charleston Death Card File (1819-1926), when the patron has specified those as the sources to be checked. They will check up to a maximum of three names per request for obituaries. Obituary requests must have a date of death; newspaper will be checked for up to seven days following the date of death for an obituary. Requests are limited to two requests per patron per month.

The Charleston Archive collection includes historic manuscripts, books and visual materials representing Charleston and the surrounding Lowcountry. Much of it is available on microfilm in the South Carolina Room. Access to the original materials is by appointment only.

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog
 * CharlestonCounty, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)