South Carolina Genealogy Search

South Carolina family history runs through the South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia, which holds the colonial records from 1671, the land grants and plats, the wills and estate records of the pre-1800 statewide system, Confederate records and the county records of 46 counties on microfilm, with a free online index to many series. Statewide vital registration did not begin until 1915, though Charleston kept death records from 1821, so church, land and probate records carry most families before that.

Before 1785 South Carolina kept its records in Charleston for the whole colony, so early wills, deeds and marriage settlements sit in the statewide series at the Archives rather than in any county.

Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.

South Carolina statewide genealogy links

• South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental ControlVital Records
• SC State Historical Records Advisory BoardThe SC State Historical Records Advisory BoardSC Historical Records
• South Carolina Department of Archives and HistoryState Archives and History
• South Carolina Archives Summary Guide to Local Records
• South Carolina Genealogical Society
• SCGenWeb ProjectState GenWeb Project
• South Carolina Military Records

South Carolina began statewide birth and death registration in 1915, with Charleston keeping death records from 1821 and births from 1877, and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control's Vital Records office in Columbia holds the certificates. Death certificates become public after 50 years, and the Archives holds them with the South Carolina death index from 1915 to 1970 online, while birth certificates are restricted for 100 years. South Carolina did not require marriage licenses until 1911, so earlier marriages are in church records, marriage settlements and newspapers, and divorce, illegal in South Carolina until 1949, sits with the family court from then.

• South Carolina Department of Archives and HistoryDeath index 1915 to 1970, colonial and state records, county records, checked September 25, 2026
• South Carolina Vital RecordsBirth, death, marriage and divorce certificates from 1915, checked September 25, 2026
• South Carolina Vital Records guideHow to order certificates and what is public

The Archives holds the colonial land grants and plats from 1671, the statewide will transcripts from 1671 to 1868, the Confederate pension applications from 1919 onward and Confederate service records, Revolutionary War audited accounts, the 1869 state census, tax returns, the state penitentiary registers and county records on microfilm, with its online index searchable free. South Carolina took no other complete state censuses. The South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina holds manuscripts and newspapers, the Charleston Library Society holds early Charleston records, and the National Archives at Atlanta holds South Carolina's federal court and Freedmen's Bureau records.

• South Carolina Archives online indexFree searchable index to land grants, wills, plats and other series, checked September 25, 2026
• South Caroliniana LibraryManuscripts, newspapers and family papers, checked September 25, 2026
• National Archives at AtlantaFederal court and Freedmen's Bureau records for South Carolina, checked September 25, 2026
• FamilySearch South Carolina research guideFree indexed South Carolina records and images, checked September 25, 2026

South Carolina registers of deeds, called registers of mesne conveyance in some counties, hold deeds and mortgages from the county's founding in the 1780s, probate judges hold wills, estates and marriage licenses from 1911, and clerks of court hold civil cases, with most registers posting online indexes. The Archives has microfilmed the older books of every county. Courthouse fires took early records in Colleton, Georgetown, Horry, Lancaster, Williamsburg and other counties, and the statewide colonial series and the land plats are the substitutes.

• South Carolina County Public RecordsRegisters of deeds, probate judges and clerks of court for all 46 counties
• South Carolina Court RecordsGeneral sessions, common pleas and probate case searches

These federal and national sources complement South Carolina's state-level records. They are the authoritative sources you should cross-check when South Carolina state records are incomplete or out-of-state activity matters.

NARA, National Archives The federal government's primary archive. Holds the U.S. census (1790, 1950), ship passenger lists, naturalization records, military service files, and land entry files.

FamilySearch Free online genealogy platform operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Digitized microfilm copies of many county and state records worldwide.

Library of Congress, Local History & Genealogy The LoC's research guides, city directories, newspapers, and Civil War records, most accessible free online through loc.gov.