South Carolina Probate Records

United States   South Carolina    Probate Records

Probate records of South Carolina were kept by the secretary of the province prior to 1732, and were later kept by the courts of ordinary and probate courts of each county. Most of the original wills for the colonial period have not survived. Pre-Civil War probate files for Beaufort, Chesterfield, Colleton, Georgetown, Lancaster, and Orangeburg districts were destroyed. However, for the colonial period, dozens of South Carolina wills were proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in London, England.

Proved in South Carolina
The Family History Library has microfilms of probate records for many counties.

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has similar holdings of microfilms or typescripts of the existing records. These include 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. Not all counties are included. Index searchable by name and the image is available.

The following are examples of publications that can help you locate colonial records:


 * Holcomb, Brent H. Probate Records of South Carolina. Three Volumes. Easley, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1977-. (Family History Library book 975.7 P2p.) This contains records from 1746 to 1821 and is fully indexed.
 * Houston, Martha Lou, comp. Indexes to the County Wills of South Carolina. Originally published in 1939. Reprinted in Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1964. (Family History Library book 975.7 P22h 1964; film 908509 item 3; fiche 6046877.) This is an index to most pre-1860 county wills, but does not include Charleston County wills.
 * Moore, Carolina T., and Agatha Aimar Simmons. Abstracts of the Wills of the State of South Carolina. Three Volumes. Columbia, South Carolina: R. L. Bryan Co., 1960-69. (Family History Library book 975.7 P2m; film 1035622 items 1-3; fiche 6051514.) These volumes cover the years 1670 to 1784.

Proved in London
South Carolina wills and administrations proved in London have been abstracted and published multiple times. Each edition is listed here, as some are available online, while others are not. In addition, publishers included more detailed abstracts in some editions than others. The 2007 edition includes a place-name index that enables users to pluck out South Carolina references:


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. English Estates of American Colonists: American Wills and Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1610-1699. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. English Estates of American Colonists: American Wills and Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1700-1799. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980. Digital version of 1991 reprint available at Ancestry ($).
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. English Estates of American Colonists: American Wills and Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1800-1858. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. American Wills &amp; Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1610-1857. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1989. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. American Wills Proved in London, 1611-1775. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London, 1611-1857. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007.

If you find a will abstact that interests you in Coldham's books, it is now possible to view digital images of the original Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills online at two United Kingdom pay-per-view websites:


 * Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills (1384-1858), courtesy: The National Archives, UK.
 * PCC Wills Index and Images (1384-1858), courtesy: The Genealogist. (in progress)