Abbeville County, South Carolina Genealogy

United States   South Carolina    Abbeville County

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

County Courthouse
Abbeville County Courthouse 201 Court Square Abbeville, SC 29620-2452 Phone: 864-366-5312

Abbeville County Probate Court 102 Courthouse Court Square, Rm.102 P.O. Box 70 Abbeville, SC 29620 Phone: 864-366-5312 Ext. 62 Fax: 864-366-4023 Marriage and Probate records

Abbeville Register of Deeds 102 Courthouse Court Square Abbeville, South Carolina 29620 Phone: 864-366-5312 Land records

Abbeville County Clerk of Court 102 Courthouse Court Square, Rm. 103 P.O. Box 99 Abbeville, South Carolina 29620 Phone: 864-366-5312 Fax: 864-366-9188 General Sessions and Common Pleas court records.

Hours 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday

Quick Facts
Abbeville County takes its name from the town of Abbeville, which was named by Huguenot settler Dr. John de la Howe in honor of his home, Abbeville, France. Abbeville County was settled heavily by Scots-Irish settlers who migrated from Pennsylvania along the Great Wagon Road. Learn more about the history of Abbeville County from the South Carolina State Library or from Carolana.com.

Parent County/Boundary Changes

 * 1785 - Thirty-three counties were created within existing South Carolina Districts. Abbeville County was created within Ninety-Six District.
 * 1800 - Abbeville was re-christened a district and Ninety-Six District was abolished.
 * 1868 - Abbeville and all other districts became counties.
 * 1897 - Greenwood County was created from Abbeville and Edgefield Counties.
 * 1898 - Greenwood County gained from Abbeville and Edgefield Counties.
 * 1916 - McCormick County was created from Abbeville, Greenwood, and Edgefield Counties.

For more information as well as maps of Abbeville County through time, see the South Carolina State Archives or South Carolina County Maps and Atlases.

County Seat
The county seat of Abbeville County is Abbeville.

Record Loss
Fires in January and November of 1872 and January 1873 destoyed virtually all records except those of the probate and equity courts.

Places/Localities
The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names.

Research Guides

 * South Carolina Archives Summary Guide: Abbeville County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
 * Inventory of County Archives of South Carolina, 14 vol., Historical Records Survey; pub. Columbia, South Carolina, 1937-1941
 * Research Materials in South Carolina, by John H. Moore; pub. Columbia, South Carolina, 1967
 * Bibliography of South Carolina, 1563-1950, 6 vol., Robert C. Turnbull; pub. Charlottesville, Virgina 1956-1960

African Americans
United States African Americans South Carolina African Americans


 * Fair, Robert A. Our Slaves Should Have the Bible: An Address Delivered Before the Abbeville Bible Society, At Its Anniversary, July, 1854 by Robert A. Fair, Esq., Abbeville, S.C. Due West, S.C.: Telescope Press, 1854. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * Heinegg, Paul. "'Other Free' Heads of Household in the 1790 South Carolina Census, by County," Free African Americans.com. [Includes free blacks in Abbeville County.]
 * Will of George Galphin. Typescript, 2002. [Chiefly the will of George Galphin of Abbeville, South Carolina. He gave all the legatees listed in his will their freedom and discharged them from all manner of slavery and bondage. He also left items to family members living in Ireland.]
 * In Those Days is an oral history from elderly African Americans in Elbert County, Georgia, and Abbeville County, South Carolina.

Biographies

 * First Settlers of South Carolina, 1670-80, by Agnes L. Baldwin; pub. Columbia, South Carolina, 1969
 * Aiken, Virginia Carolina Smith, 1831-1900. Diary, 1872-1898.

Cemeteries
There are more than 120 burial grounds in the county. To view a list, see Abbeville County, South Carolina Cemeteries.

Census
1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Abbeville 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 Abbeville County, SC census assignments, including links to transcribed files [The USGenWeb Census Project®]

1779

 * 1779 Census-96th District (online)

1800

 * Ware, Lowry P. The Second Census of the United States, 1800, Abbeville District, South Carolina. 1972.

1810

 * Pursley, Larry E. Federal Census of Abbeville County, South Carolina, 1810-1840. Greenville, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 2006.

1820

 * Pursley, Larry E. Federal Census of Abbeville County, South Carolina, 1810-1840. Greenville, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 2006.

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

Published abstract:


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

1830

 * Pursley, Larry E. Federal Census of Abbeville County, South Carolina, 1810-1840. Greenville, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 2006.

1840

 * Pursley, Larry E. Federal Census of Abbeville County, South Carolina, 1810-1840. Greenville, S.C.: Southern Historical Press, 2006.

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. ; digital version at Google Books. [See South Carolina, Abbeville District on page 142.]

1850

 * Lawrence, Harold. The 1850 Census of Abbeville District, South Carolina. Tignall, Ga.: Boyd Pub. Co., 1981.

1860

 * McKinney, Margaret Vaughan. Abbeville County, South Carolina, 1860 Census. Augusta, Ga.: Augusta Genealogical Society, 1991.

Church History and Records
The Inventory of (SC) Church Archives 1937-1939 is available for free online, courtesy: South Caroliniana Library. Abbeville County's W.P.A. reports are included.

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

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Abbeville Record of members 1897-1943

Presbyterian


 * The Constitution and Bye Laws, of the Upper Long-Cane Society of Abbeville District. Abbeville, S.C.: John Taggart, 1832. Digital version at Internet Archive.

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

Genealogy
More than 100 genealogies have been published about Abbeville County families. To view a list, visit Abbeville County, South Carolina Genealogy.

History

 * Davis, Mary Katherine. "The Feather Bed Aristocracy: Abbeville District in the 1790s," The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 80, No. 2 (Apr. 1979):136-155. 975.7 B2s v. 80 (1979); digital version at JSTOR ($).


 * Carlisle, H. Arnett. The History of Lowndesville, S.C. (Danielsville, Georgia: Heritage Papers, c1987), 414 pages. Includes biographies, military history, cemeteries and the following census information: 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910. Book found at, and

Immigration

 * Moragne, W.C. An Address, Delivered at New Bordeaux, Abbeville District, S.C., November 15, 1854, on the 90th Anniversary of the Arrival of the French Protestants at that Place. Charleston, S.C.: James Phynney, 1857. Digital version at Google Books.
 * Porter, H. Leonard. Destiny of the Scotch-Irish: An Account of a Migration from Ballybay, Ireland to Washington County, New York; Abbeville District, South Carolina; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Preble County, Ohio; Randolph County, Illinois and the Central Illinois Prairie, 1720-1853. 1985.

Early migration routes to and from Abbeville County for European settlers included:


 * Savannah River pre-historic
 * Middle Creek Trading Path pre-historic
 * Augusta and Cherokee Trail in Georgia 1740s
 * Charleston-Ft. Charlotte Trail about 1765
 * Fort Charlotte and Cherokee Old Path about 1765-1777

Deed Books
Deed books are kept at [archive]. Microfilm copies: ... Published abstracts: ...

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.

Maps
Abbeville County Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of South Carolina (South Carolina Digital Collections)

Topographical Maps of Abbeville County, South Carolina, 1888-1975 (South Carolina Digital Collections)

General

 * Abbeville County, South Carolina Military Index (South Carolina Genealogy Trails)

Revolutionary War

 * "Battle of Cedar Springs," Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History,Feb 2006 Volume 20, Issue 1. Piedmont Historical Society : Spartansburg, SC. Revolutionary war history.
 * "Revolutionary war pensions, B", Genealogical Roots and Branches, August 1989, Volume 10, Issue 7. Old Ninety-Six Chapter, SCGS : Greenwood, SC.
 * "Pension records, Revolutionary War," Genealogical Roots and Branches, November 1987, Volume 8, Issue 9. Old Ninety-Six Chapter, SCGS : Greenwood, SC.
 * "Revolutionary pension records," Genealogical Roots and Branches, October 1987, Volume 8, Issue 8. Old Ninety-Six Chapter, SCGS : Greenwood, SC.
 * "Soldiers killed, 1788," Carolina Genealogist, Winter 1977, Issue 29. Heritage Papers : Danielsville, Georgia. Book 975 B2cg no. 19-32

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, Abbeville County, p. 181. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

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


 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Rifles (Orr's)
 * - Company B (also known as Abbeville Minutemen or McDuffie Guards
 * - Company G (also known as Marshall Riflemen)
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina State Troops, Company F
 * - 1st Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry
 * - Company A (also known as M. T. Owens Cavalry and Albemarle, South Carolina Cavalry
 * - Company G (also known as L. J. Johnson's Cavalry)
 * - 4th Battalion, South Carolina Reserve, Companies B and F
 * - 5th Regiment, South Carolina Reserves (90 days 1862-63), Companies A, G, and H


 * Ingram, Virginia. Confederate Veterans of Abbeville County [S.C.] from the Enrollment Books Taken About 1902. All Civil War veterans of Abbeville County are listed first by township &amp; then Alphabetically by veteran's surname. ▲
 * Carlisle, H. Arnett, The History of Lowndesville, S.C. Includes biographies, military history, cemeteries and the following census information: 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910. Civil War pages 2, 14, 121 &amp; 136. ▲
 * South Carolina. County Court. County Enrollment Book [of] Confederate Veterans; List of Widows, 1929. Arranged by surname in alphabetical order.
 * Abbeville County Courthouse. Distribution of the State Pension Fund in Abbeville County, South Carolina for 1916-1956..

Newspapers
Historic

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


 * Abbeville Press (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869.
 * Abbeville Wig and Southern Nullifier (Abbeville, S.C.) 1831-1833.
 * Due West Telescope (Due West, S.C.) 1851-1867.
 * Erskine Miscellany (Due West, S.C.) 1850-1851.
 * Lowndesville Advertiser (Lowndesville, S.C.) 1888-1889.
 * The Abbeville Bulletin (Abbeville, S.C.) 1865-1865.
 * The Abbeville Medium (Abbeville, S.C) 1871-1923.
 * The Abbeville Messenger (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1888.
 * The Abbeville Press and Banner (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1925.
 * The Banner (Abbeville, S.C.) 1844-1847.
 * The Calhoun Falls News (Calhoun Falls, S.C.) 1961-current.
 * The Calhoun Falls Times (Calhoun Falls, S.C.)1946-1959.
 * The Donalds Progress (Donalds, S.C.) 1906-1906.
 * The Due West Weekly (Due West, S.C.) 1949-1958.
 * The Independent Press (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860.
 * The Evening Medium (Abbeville, S.C.) 1923-1925.
 * The Press and Banner and Abbeville Medium (Abbeville, S.C.) 1925-current.
 * The Scimitar (Abbeville, S.C.) 1914-1918.
 * The Village Observer (Due West, S.C.) 1976-current.


 * The Abbeville Press Vol. 8, no. 28 (Nov. 9, 1860) - v. 17, no. 22 (Sept. 24, 1869)
 * The Abbeville Banner Vol. 4, no. 1 (Mar. 3, 1847) - v. 25, no. 47 (Sept. 9, 1869)
 * The Abbeville Medium Vol. 1, no. 1 (Nov. 29, 1871)-Ceased in 1923.

Current

Periodicals
See: Periodicals for description.

Probate Records
Probate is the “court procedure by which a will is proved to be valid or invalid” and encompasses “all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, guardianships, etc.” Various types of records are created throughout the probate process. These may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. For further information see probate records in South Carolina.

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has holdings of 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.

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


 * Abbeville Will Books 1-2: 1787-1837
 * Abbeville Probate Records: Loose Records 1770s-1840s

Additional Abbeville County probate records include:


 * Young, Willie Pauline. South Carolina Historical Records: Records of Will Books of County of Abbeville (Ninety-six District) South Carolina. Multi-volume. Washington, D.C.: A.W. Burns, 1947. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Published abstracts

 * [1784] Sarrett, Paul R. "1784 Tax Records - Abbeville County," available online, courtesy: The USGenWeb Archives - South Carolina.
 * [1787] Holcomb, Brent H. Two 1787 Tax Lists from Ninety Six District, S.C. n.p.: n.p., 1974. 1787 tax lists from Ninety Six District, S. C. Covers the area of Edgefield and Abbeville Counties in the 1790 census
 * [1794] 1794 Tax Records Abbeville County USGenWeb Archives

Vital Records
Birth, marriage, and death records were not recorded by South Carolina until the 1900s, thus leaving a lack of vital records. Substitute records, when available, are used to obtain this information. These substitute records including newspapers, court records have been added to this section, when applicable.

Birth
State-wide birth registration began in 1915. For a copy of a birth from 1915 or later, contact the South Carolina Department of Health. The Abbeville County Health Department also has copies but they provide only an abbreviated form with limited information. For more information, see the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Marriage
In South Carolina, marriage licenses were not required by local governments until 1 July 1911. However, 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. Not all churches recorded these marriages and some have not survived. See South Carolina Vital Records for more information.

The Abbeville County probate court holds marriage licenses issued from 1 July 1911 to the present. Statewide registration of marriages began in July 1950 and the South Carolina Division of Vital Records has copies of licenses issued after 1 July 1950 through November 2009.

Newspapers are used as a substitute to locate marriage information. See South Carolina Newspapers.

Marriages and Marriage Substitutes - Indexes and Records 


 * 1774-1890 - 7500 Marriages from Ninety-Six and Abbeville District, S.C., 1774-1890, by Larry E. Pursley ?  - index
 * 1777-1852 - Abbeville District, South Carolina, 1777-1852 by Silas Emmett Lucas ?  - index
 * 1777-1852 - Abbeville District, South Carolina Marriages, 1777-1852 by Pauline Young. - index; these marriages are taken from old wills, equity records, etc.
 * 1780-1879 - Abbeville County Marriages, 1780-1879, Implied in Abbeville County, South Carolina Equity Records by Barbara R. Langdon ?  - index
 * 1846-1860 - Marriage and Death Notices from the Abbeville Banner, 1846-1860 by E. Don Herd ?  - index
 * 1911-1951 - Abbeville County, South Carolina Marriage Registers and Licenses,1911-1951 - index and records
 * 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
State-wide death registration began in 1915. For a copy of the death certificates from 1915 or later, contact the South Carolina Department of Health. The Abbeville County Health Department only has copies for deaths occurring in the last 5 years. For more information, see the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Deaths and Death Substitutes - Indexes and Records


 * 1846-1860 - Marriage and Death Notices from the Abbeville Banner, 1846-1860 ?  - index
 * 1914-1960: State-wide South Carolina Death Indexes. There are several online death indexes covering all of South Carolina listed on the South Carolina Vital Records page.

Abbeville County Libraries

 * Abbeville County Library 203 South Main Street Abbeville, SC Telephone: 864-459-4009 Hours: Monday, Wednesday. Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Abbeville County Library system has a main county library and two branches. The county library has the largest collection of genealogical material, though the branches also have helpful material. The County Library has books, name files, old newspapers, and microfilm. The library system has an online catalog which is shared by three other counties. You can search for specific items in the search box at the top of the screen. Or you can brows the collection by clicking the starred Search tab, then limiting your search results to the genealogy collection. At the Reference tabthere are a number of genealogy resources you can search.

The Abbeville County Library system is on Facebook

For Genealogy Requests - please email [mailto:genealogy@abbevillecounty.org genealogy@abbevillecounty.org] including some background and specific information you are seeking. Genealogy volunteers will search for your information and respond directly to you.


 * Erskine College

The McCain Library at Erskine College has records helpful to genealogists. The Archive and Special Collections located in Ried Hall serves as a central location for preserving and accessing records relating to the intertwined histories of Erskine College, Erskine Theological Seminary, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, and Abbeville County, South Carolina. The genealogical collection contains information on persons having connections to any or all of these institutions and locations, as well as general resources for those doing family history research. There are census records, diaries and family histories, local newspapers, and more.It includes the Miller-Henry Family History Center and the Woffard E. Baldwin Reading Room. The Library also has a Government documents section. The archival research and photocopying policies are available online.

Erskine College maintains a searchable databaseof periodical subscriptions owned by Piedmont Technical College, Lander University, Erskine College, Greenwood County Library, and the libraries at the Greenwood Genetics Center and Self Regional Healthcare. You will be able to search for periodical holdings by title and limit your search by location.

The Archivist is available Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon, or by special appointment. To Contact the Archivist: Phone: 864-379-8763 or 864-379-6576 Fax: 864.379.2900 E-mail: ebrawley@erskine.edu Mailing Address: Edith Brawley, McCain Library, Erskine College and Seminary P.O. Box 188 One Depot Street (for FedEx and UPS) Due West, SC 29639 South Carolina Digital Library - scroll down for Abbeville's online collections.

The South Carolina Digital Library (SCDL) is a collaborative effort that includes South Carolina’s schools, libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions. It includes resources for ageds kindergarten through adult. Its mission is to create, maintain, and promote digital collections that represent South Carolina's historical and cultural resources. It also seeks to enhance the overall education and scholarship of South Carolina's citizens by coordinating free and unlicensed access to these digital collections through a central web presence.

Abbeville County Museums

 * Abbeville County Museum Address: Popular and Cherry Streets Abbeville, SC 29620 Telephone: 864 366 6525 or 864-459-4600 The Abbeville County Museum is part of a collection of historic sites in the Old 96 Districtthat includes Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, and McCormick counties.
 * For a list of Abbeville and other South Carolina museums, Click here.

Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
Boonesborough Historical Society - Abbeville and Anderson counties - especially Donalds, Due West, and Honea Path

South Carolina Genealogical Society - Old 96 District Chapter Old 96 Chapter SCGS P.O. Box 3468 Greenwood, SC 29648-3468 The Old 96 Chapter includes Greenwood, Abbeville and parts of Edgefield and McCormick counties.

Family History Centers
Listing of Family History Centers in South Carolina

Web Sites

 * Abbeville County SCGenWeb project.
 * Abbeville County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)