Chesterfield County, South Carolina Genealogy

United States  South Carolina  Chesterfield County

Quick Dates
Chesterfield County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
Chesterfield County Courthouse 200 Main Street Chesterfield, South Carolina 29709

Chesterfield County Clerk of Court Courthouse, 200 W. Main St. P.O. Box 529 Chesterfield, SC 29709 Phone: 843-623-2574 Court records and deeds

Chesterfield County Probate Court Courthouse, 200 West Main Street Chesterfield, SC 29709 Phone: 843-623-2376

Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday

History
The county is named after British statesman Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773).

Parent County
1798--Chesterfield County was created in 1798 from Cheraws District. County seat: Chesterfield 

County Pronunciation

 * 1) Hear it spoken

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.

Record Loss

 * Pre-Civil War land records are lost
 * Pre-Civil War probate records are lost

Neighboring Counties
Anson County, North Carolina | Darlington | Kershaw | Lancaster | Lee | Marlboro | Richmond County, North Carolina | Union County, North Carolina

Research Guides

 * Inventory of Local Government Records in the Old Vault, Chesterfield District Chronicle, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Winter 2006).
 * South Carolina Archives Summary Guide: Chesterfield County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

African Americans
United States African Americans South Carolina African Americans

Cemeteries
There are more than # burial grounds in the county. To view a list, see Chesterfield County, South Carolina Cemeteries.

Census
1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Chesterfield 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.

See Chesterfield County, SC census assignments, including links to transcribed files [The USGenWeb Census Project®]

1800

 * Chesterfield County, South Carolina Genealogical Services and James C. Pigg. 1790 Cheraw District &amp; 1800, 1810 Chesterfield County, S.C. Federal Census. Tega Cay, S.C.: The Services &amp; J.C. Pigg, 1997. 975.7 X2c
 * King, Walter. The Second Federal Census, South Carolina, Chesterfield County. 975.763 X2p 1800

1810

 * Chesterfield County, South Carolina Genealogical Services and James C. Pigg. 1790 Cheraw District &amp; 1800, 1810 Chesterfield County, S.C. Federal Census. Tega Cay, S.C.: The Services &amp; J.C. Pigg, 1997. 975.7 X2c

1820

 * Thomas, Elizabeth Wood. 1820 Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Pass Christian, Miss.: Willo Institute of Genealogy, 1967. 975.763 B4t
 * Pigg, James C. 1820 Federal Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Tega Cay, S.C.: J.C. Pigg, 1996. 975.763 X2p 1820

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

Published abstract:


 * National Archives. Indexes to Manufactures Census of 1820. 1920; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977. 973 X2m 1820; digital version at Lineages. [Includes this county.]

1830

 * Pigg, James C. 1830 Federal Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Tega Cay, S.C.: J.C. Pigg, 1995. 975.763 X2p 1830

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. 973 X2pc 1840;  2321; digital version at Google Books. [See South Carolina, Chesterfield District on page 144.]

1850 Agriculture

 * Pigg, James C. 1850 Federal Agricultural Census for Chesterfield County, South Carolina. 1996. 975.763 X2p 1850

1850-1880 Mortality Schedules

 * Pigg, James C. Mortality Schedule, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Federal Census. Tega Cay, S.C.: J.C. Pigg, 1995. 975.763 X2p 1850-1880

1860

 * Pigg, James C. and Chesterfield County, South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Services. 1860 Federal Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Tega Cay, S.C.: Chesterfield County, S.C. Geneal. Services, J.C. Pigg, 1998. 975.763 X2p 1860

1870

 * Pigg, James C. and Chesterfield County, South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Services. 1870 Federal Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Tega Cay, S.C.: The Services &amp; J.C. Pigg, 1997. 975.763 X2f 1870

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

Church of England (Anglican, Episcopal)
See St. David's Parish.

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

Genealogy
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 Chesterfield, South Carolina at World Connect, results in more than 10,000 entries.

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


 * Historical Society of Chesterfield County. Book Committee. The Heritage of Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Knoxville, Tenn.: Tennessee Valley Pub., 2004.

Message Boards


 * Chesterfield County, SC Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Chesterfield County, SC Genealogy Forum (GenForum)

Bibliography


 * [Eddins] Rivers, Minnie Lee Sanders and Sharon F. Corey. Descendants of Nehemiah and Bedie Eddins, Chesterfield, South Carolina. Mt. Croghan, S.C.: S.F. Corey, 2000.
 * [Ellis] Raymond, Charles E. Journey into the Past with Reverend John Ellis and Catherine McCraney: of Chesterfield District, South Carolina, Darlington District, South Carolina, Conecuh County, Alabama and Wilcox County, Alabama. Murrieta, Calif.: C.E. Raymond, 2006. ; digital version at Family History Archives.
 * [Ford] Patillo, Edward. "Ford of the Low Country," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Reseach, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Spring 2004):63-72; Vol. 32, No. 3 (Summer 2004):133-142; Vol. 33, No. 1 (Winter 2005):44-52.
 * [Graves] Graves, Kenneth Vance. Robert Graves of Anson County, N. C. and Chesterfield County, S. C., Ancestors and Descendants (ca. 1580-1979) a Branch of the Descendants of Capt. Thomas Graves, 1608 Immigrant to Jamestown, Va.; Allied Families Include Austin, Bagley, Davis, Dunn, Guy, Pyle, Reeves, Sholars, Slater, Smith, Wallis, Ward, Weisinger and Others. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 1980.
 * [Hendrick] Hendrix, GeLee Corley. "Benjamin Hendrick (1730-1818) of Virginia and Carolina and Some of His Descendants," The American Genealogist, Vol. 65, No. 1 (Jan. 1990):44-53.

Land
Antebellum deed books do not survive.

Conveyance Books
The earliest surviving Chesterfield County conveyance book begins in 1861 and is kept at the county courthouse. It has been microfilmed: 1449103

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

 * Gardner, Miles. Further Tales of Murder and Mayhem : in Lancaster, Kershaw, and Chesterfield Counties (Spartanburg, South Carolina : Reprint Company Publishers, c2006), 296 pages. Book at  and Other Libraries.
 * Historical Society of Chesterfield County, Book Committee. The Heritage of Chesterfield County, South Carolina (Knoxville, Tennessee : Tennessee Valley Pub., c2004 ), 374 pages. Includes: county &amp; local Histories, organizations, schools, churches and many family histories. Book at  and Other Libraries
 * Gregg, Alexander. History of the Old Cheraws : Containing an Account of the Aborigines of the Pedee, the First White Settlements, their Subsequent Progress, Civil Changes, the Struggle of the Revolution, and the Growth of the Country Afterward, Extending from About A.D. 1730 to 1810 with Notices of Families and Sketches of Individuals   (Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Pub. Co., 1967 ), 629 pages. Book at

Revolutionary War

 * "Revolutionary war pensioners, 1841," Carolinas Genealogical Society Bulletin, November 1965, Volume 2, Issue 3. Carolinas Genealogical Society : Monroe, NC. Book 975 B2c.
 * Raymond, Charles E. Chesterfield District, South Carolina Genealogical Links : and Revolutionary War Pension Data (1786-2855). Temecula, California : C.E. Raymond, 2010. Book 975.763 D2r.

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. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, p. 183. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

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


 * - 4th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Rutledge's)
 * - Company A (may have been known as Charleston Light Dragoons)
 * - Company B (also known as the Palmetto Rangers)

Newspapers
Historic

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


 * Cheraw Chronicle (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-current.
 * Cheraw Gazette (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838.
 * Cheraw Gazette (Cheraw, S.C.) 1847-18??.
 * Cheraw Gazette and Pee Dee Farmer (Cheraw, S.C.) 1838-1839.
 * Cheraw Intelligencer and Southern Register (Cheraw, S.C.) 1823-1826.
 * Cheraw Republican (Cheraw S.C.) 1830-1833.
 * Chesterfield Democrat (Cheraw, S.C.) 1868-18??.
 * Farmers' Gazette, and Cheraw Advertiser (Cheraw, S.C.) 1839-1847.
 * Pee Dee Gazette, and Cheraw Intelligencer (Cheraw, S.C.) 1826-1826.
 * Pee Dee Gazette, and Cheraw Advertiser (Cheraw, S.C.) 1820-1826.
 * Pee Dee Gazette, and Cheraw Advertiser (Cheraw, S.C.) 1833-1833.
 * South-Carolina Spectator (Cheraw, S.C.) 1826-1833.
 * The Carolina Sun (Cheraw, S.C.) 1880-1883.
 * The Cheraw Reporter (Cheraw, S.C.) 1885-1896.
 * The Chesterfield Advertiser (Chesterfield, S.C.) 1880-1978.
 * The Chesterfield Advertiser (Chesterfield, S.C.) 1980-1990.
 * The Chesterfield Advertiser-Journal (Chesterfield, S.C.) 1978-1980.
 * The Jeffersonian (Jefferson, S.C.) 1912-1920.
 * The McBee Courier (McBee, Chesterfield County, S.C.) 1912-19??.
 * The Pageland Journal (Pageland, S.C.) 1911-1978.
 * The Pageland Journal (Pageland, S.C.) 1980-1981.
 * The Pageland Progressive (Pageland, S.C.) 1978-1981.
 * The Pageland Progressive-Journal (Pageland, S.C.) 1981-current.
 * The Pee Dee Herald (Cheraw, S.C.) 1856-1859.
 * The Sun and Monitor (Cheraw and Bennettsville, S.C.) 1883-1885.

Current

Periodicals
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 this county, see:
 * Carolinas Genealogical Society Bulletin
 * Chesterfield District Chronicle

Taxation
Extant tax records are identified in:


 * Inventory of Local Government Records in the Old Vault, Chesterfield District Chronicle, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Winter 2006).

Libraries
Chesterfield County Library System includes the main Chesterfield County Library and four branches. Their catalog SClends is shared with the South Carolina State Library and a number of other county systems in the state.

Chesterfield County Library (HQ) Address: 119 W. Main St. Chesterfield, SC 29709 Telephone: (843) 623-7489 Fax: (843) 623-3295 ) Hours: M-F 9:00AM-6:00PM,Sat 10:00AM-2:00PM


 * Matheson Memorial Library Address: 227 Huger St. Cheraw, SC 29520 Telephone: (843) 537-3571 Fax: (843) 537-1248 Hours: M-F 9:00AM-6:00PM, Sat 10:00AM-2:00PM
 * Pageland Community Library Address: 109 West Blakeney St. Pageland, SC 29728 Telephone: (843) 672-6930 Fax: (843) 672-6670 Hours: M-F 10:00AM-6:00PM, Sat 10:00AM-2:00PM


 * McBee Depot Library Address: 96 W. Pine Ave. McBee, SC 29101 Telephone: (843) 335-7515 Fax: (843) 335-6219 Hours: T, Th 10:00AM-6:00PM
 * Fannie D. Lowry Memorial Library Address: 500 N. Main St. Jefferson, SC 29718 Telephone: (843) 658-3966 (843) 658-6695 Hours: M,W,F 12:00PM-6:00PM

Societies
Chesterfield District SCGS Chapter P.O. Box 167 Chesterfield SC 29709-0167

Family History Centers
Family History Centers in South Carolina

Web Sites

 * Chesterfield County, SCGenWeb
 * Chesterfield County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Chesterfield County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)