Bamberg County, South Carolina Genealogy

Guide to  ancestry, family history and genealogy court records, deeds, maps, immigration, maps, military records, newspapers, obituaries, plantations, probate records, slaves, local archives, libraries, museums, churches, cemeteries, and Civil War records.

Bamberg County, South Carolina Record Dates
Bamberg County's civil records start the following years:

County Courthouse
Bamberg County Courthouse P.O. Box 150 Bamberg, SC 29003-0150 Phone: 803-245-2025 On Main Street

Bamberg County Probate Judge Phone: 803-245-3008 Email: bambergcountysc.gov Contacts - Probate Judge Marriage and Probate records

Bamberg County Register of Deeds P.O. Box 150 Bamberg, SC 29003 Phone: 803-245-3025

Bamberg County Clerk of Court Phone: 803-245-3025 Email: bambergcountysc.gov Contacts - Clerk of Court Does not provide research of any kind (research checks)

Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

History
Bamberg County was named for members of the Bamberg Family, who founded the county seat (also named Bamberg). Bamberg is primarily agricultural and its towns are built along the South Carolina Railroad. Learn more about the history of Bamberg County from the South Carolina State Library or from Carolana.com.

Parent County/Boundary Changes

 * 1897 - Bamberg was created from Barnwell County.
 * 1919 - Bamberg gained from Colleton County.
 * 1920 - Bamberg gained from Colleton County.

For more information as well as maps of Bamberg County through time, see the South Carolina State Archives or For animated maps illustrating South Carolina county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation South Carolina County Boundary Maps" (1682-1987) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

County Seat
The county seat of Bamberg County is Bamberg.

County Pronunciation
.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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 Guide

 * South Carolina Archives Summary Guide: Bamberg County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

African Americans
United States African Americans South Carolina African Americans


 * Vandervelde, Isabel. Other Free People in Early Barnwell District. Newberry, S.C.: Art Studio Press, 2001. Digital version at ;

Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:


 * Broxton Bridge - Ehrhardt
 * Halfmoon
 * Little Swamp - historically in Colleton County but has been annexed into Bamberg County
 * Mountain Home - Govan - also called Hartzog
 * Woodlands - Midway

Cemeteries

 * To view a list, see Bamberg County, South Carolina Cemeteries.
 * National Cemetery Administration

Census
1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Bamberg 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 (parent county)


 * Jarrell, Lawrence E. Early Orangeburgh, South Carolina Census: Complete Transcription of the Federal Census Records for the Orangeburgh District, South Carolina; 1790 Orangeburgh Census (Current Counties of Barnwell, Bamberg, Calhoun, Lexington, Orangeburg and [cont. with note below]. High Point, N.C.: Alligator Creek Genealogy Publications, 1998.

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

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 Bamberg, South Carolina at World Connect, results in more than 2,000 entries.

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


 * Brabham, M.M. and W.C. Kirkland. A Family Sketch and Else; or, Buford's Bridge and Its People. Columbia, S.C.: The State Co., 1923.

Message Boards


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

Bibliography

Land
Because of South Carolina’s history as an agricultural state many residents owned land. For more information about types of land records see South Carolina Land and Property.

Tracing records through South Carolina county and district changes can be difficult. In general, for earliest records begin by searching the Charleston District, then your ancestor’s residential district, then neighboring districts, then the residential county, then neighboring counties. Not all districts and counties kept records. The following chart show where you may best expect to find land records for Bamberg County:

* Orangeburg District records destroyed by fire

Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868


 * Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868 For information about the State Land Grants, see State Land Grants



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


 * Fort Moore-Charleston Trail about 1716

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)

Bamberg County was created between 1897 and 1920 after the Civil War from the counties of Barnwell and Colleton. During the Civil War, men from the area of Bamberg County mostly would have served in various regiments recruited in those counties. Counties were called districts during the Civil War.

Civil War Battles
The following Civil War Battles were fought in Bamberg County:


 * February 3, 1865 = Rivers’ Bridge also known as Salkehatchie River, Hickory Hill, Owens’ Crossroads, Lawtonville, Duck Creek
 * One battle was fought in the area of present day Bamberg County, on February 3, 1865 at Rivers' Bridge. This was also known as the battle of Owens' Crossroads. For additional information,see Battles in South Carolina.


 * Map showing Civil War battles in South Carolina

Newspapers
Historic

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


 * Bamberg County Times (Bamberg, S.C.) 1888-1944.
 * The Advertizer (Bamberg, S.C.) 1967-1972.
 * The Advertizer-Herald (Bamberg, S.C.) 1972-current.
 * The Bamberg Herald (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972.
 * The Edisto News (Denmark, S.C.) 1921-1944.
 * The Edisto News (Bamberg, S.C.) 1959-1969.
 * The Ehrhardt Echo (Ehrhardt, S.C.) 1934-19??.

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:

Probate
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.

Online Probate Records
 * 1670-1980 South Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1670-1980 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1671-1977 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1732-1964 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1782-1866 - South Carolina, Will Transcripts 1782-1866 at findmypast — $, index

Taxation
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, relationships, and the year an individual died or left the area. They can be used as substitutes for missing or destroyed land and census records.

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 Bamberg 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.


 * 1766 - 1900 - at FamilySearch — images

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 Bamberg 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 - Indexes


 * 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 Bamberg 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 - Indexes and Records
 * 1915-1965 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 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.

Archives, Libraries, and Museums

 * Bamberg County Public Library Address: 3156 Railroad Avenue Bamberg, SC 29003 Phone: (803) 245-3022 Hours of Operation: Monday to Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m., Sunday Closed  The Bramberg County Library is part of the ABBE Regional Library System listed below.  You can subscribe to an email newsletter and select to receive information from the Barnwell branch among other places and subjects. To subscribe Click Here.  Other Bamberg County Libraries


 * Denmark Branch Library  Click the Link to learn more about this branch, its location, hours, and services.
 * ABBE Regional Library System A.B.B.E. Regional Library System (The Aiken-Bamberg-Barnwell-Edgefield Regional Library System) is headquaterred in Aiken county and serves the four South Carolina counties named in its title. It has 14 brances and a bookmobile. One of those branches is the Barnwell County Library.

Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
The Historic Society of Bamberg County SC

Family History Centers

 * Family History Centers in South Carolina

Websites

 * Bamberg County, SC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * Bamberg County, SCGenWeb
 * Bamberg County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Bamberg County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)