Cherokee County, South Carolina Genealogy

United States Genealogy

South Carolina

Cherokee County

Guide to Cherokee County, South Carolina Genealogy 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.

South Carolina Online Genealogy Records

Cherokee County, South Carolina
Map
Location in the state of South Carolina, United States Genealogy
Location of South Carolina in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	February 25, 1897
County Seat	Gaffney
Courthouse

County Information

Description

The county is named for Cherokee people who historically occupied this area. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

Cherokee County, South Carolina Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1915	1911	1915	1897	1897	1897	1790
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1915. General compliance by 1918.

County Courthouse

Cherokee County Courthouse

Cherokee County Courthouse
125 E. Floyd Baker Blvd.
Gaffney, SC 26342
Phone: 864-487-2562

Cherokee County Probate Court
1434 North Limestone St.
Gaffney, SC 29341
Phone: 864-487-2583
Hours: 8:30 am - 5 pm Mon.- Fri.
Marriage and Probate records

Cherokee County Clerk of Court
125 E. Floyd Baker Blvd.
Gaffney, SC 29342
Phone: 864-487-2571
Hours: 8:30 am - 5 pm Mon. - Fri.
Court records and Deeds.

Historical Facts

Cherokee County is named for the Cherokee Nation Indians who originally inhabited much of South Carolina. After an 1895 Law required the approval of two thirds of the voters residing within the proposed county boundaries, a proponent for the creation of a new county speaking in Cherokee Township, then in York County, agreed to the name Cherokee County to curry favor from the local residents. The residents, who had been hesitant to vote for the creation of Cherokee County under the old proposed name, turned out in droves to vote for the creation of the Cherokee County. Learn more about the history of Cherokee County from the South Carolina State Library or from Carolana.com.

Parent County/Boundary Changes

• 1897 - Cherokee created from Spartanburg, York, and Union Counties
• 1921 - Cherokee gained from York County.

For more information as well as maps of Cherokee 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 Cherokee County is Gaffney.

County Pronunciation

Hear it spoken.

Record Loss

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

Places / Localities

Resources

Cherokee County

Research Guides

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

African Americans

United States African Americans African American Resources for South Carolina

• Malone, Samuel Lorenzo and Ola Copeland. Black Families in Cherokee County, South Carolina, as Taken from 1910-1920 Federal Census. Spartanburg, S.C.: Reprint, 1993. FHL Book 975.742 F2m

Known plantations, South Carolina Plantations:

• Fold
• Henry Houser House - Grover - also called The Rock House
• The Rock House - Grover - also called Henry Houser House
• Whig Hill

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com	Family History Library	Findagrave.com
SCGenWeb	WorldCat	Billion Graves
Tombstone Project		FamilySearch Places
SCInterment
Billion Graves
See South Carolina Cemeteries for more information.

• To view a cemetery list see; Cherokee County, South Carolina Cemeteries.
• National Cemetery Administration

Census

• 1829-1920 - South Carolina, State and Territorial Censuses, 1829-1920 at FamilySearch — index and images

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	21,359	—
1910	26,179	22.6%
1920	27,570	5.3%
1930	32,201	16.8%
1940	33,290	3.4%
1950	34,992	5.1%
1960	35,205	0.6%
1970	36,791	4.5%
1980	40,983	11.4%
1990	44,506	8.6%
2000	52,537	18.0%
2010	55,342	5.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Cherokee 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 Cherokee County, SC census assignments, including links to transcribed files The USGenWeb Census Project^®

Church

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

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Gaffney

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Court

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.

Genealogy

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 Cherokee, South Carolina at World Connect, results in nearly 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.

Message Boards

• Cherokee County, SC Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
• Cherokee County, SC Genealogy Forum (GenForum)

Bibliography

• Dennard - Dennard, Norris. Dennard Heritage. Houston, Texas: Dennard Heritage Foundation, 1985. FHL Book 929.273 D418d; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
  
• Mullinax - Mullinax, Jack D. The Mullinax Family of Northern South Carolina (York, Union and Cherokee Counties) and Southern North Carolina (Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln Counties). Chesnee, S.C.: Chesnee Hardware, 1983. FHL 929.273 M917mj
• Whelchel - Mumford, Berniece Wynn. Thomas Chatman Whelchel, M.D., 1833-1900, the Man Who Went Down in History (Family History, of Course): and Allied Families [of] Alexander, Arbuckle, Bath, Bland, Butcher, Drerup, Farrar, Johnston, Kingery, Lugar, Maurer, McFadden, Mumford, Nagle, Olson, Paul, Sparks, Stockton, Wynn and Others. Carlsbad, N.M.: B.W. Mumford, 1978. FHL Book 929.273 W572a.
  
• Williams - Williams, Johnny Lee. Descendants of Edward Williams, Sr.: of Spartanburg County, South Carolina (now  Cherokee County, South Carolina). Attalla, Ala.: J.L. Williams, 2000. FHL 929.273 W67wjo

Land and Property

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 Cherokee County:

Tracing Land Currently in Cherokee County with land originating in York county with Parent Counties and Districts

Date	Government Office
1897-present	Cherokee County
1868-1897	York County
1800-1868	York District
1791-1800	York County (old) Records in Pinckney District
1785-1791	York County (old) Records in Camden District
1769-1785	Camden District * **
1719-1769	Charleston District *
1710-1719	Proprietary Land Grants   *

* Records before 1772 may be found in North Carolina counties Tryon, Mecklenburg and Anson
** Some early Camden District records may be found in Kershaw County

Tracing Land Currently in Cherokee County with land originating in Spartanburg County with  Parent Counties and Districts

Date	Government Office
1897-present	Cherokee County
1868-1897	Spartanburg County
1800-1868	Spartanburg District
1791-1800	Spartanburg County in Pinkney District
1785-1791	Spartanburg County (old) in Ninety-Six District
1769-1785	Ninety-Six District
1719-1769	Charleston District
1710-1719	Proprietary Land Grants

* Some early records may be found in North Carolina counties Anson, Mecklenburg, or Tryon

Orignial deed books are located at the Spartanburg County Courthouse.

Abstracted deeds in Spartanburg County/District, South Carolina, deed abstracts, books A-T, 1785-1827 (1752-1827), A.B. Pruitt FHL Book 975.7 R28p

Tracing Land Currently in Cherokee County with property originating in Union County with  Parent Counties and Districts

Date	Government Office
1897-present	Cherokee County
1868-1897	Union County
1800-1868	Union District
1791-1800	Union County in Pinkney District
1785-1791	Union County (old) in Ninety-Six District
1769-1785	Ninety-Six District
1719-1769	Charleston District
1710-1719	Proprietary Land Grants

* Some early records may be found in North Carolina counties Anson, Mecklenburg, or Tryon

Orignial deed books are located at the Union County Courthouse.

Abstacted deeds Union County, South Carolina deed abstracts, Brent Holcomb (Columbia, South Carolina : SCMAR, 2000-c2007) FHL book 975.741 R2h 5 vols.

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

Local Histories

• Gorski, Eddie L., South Carolina Confederate Widows Pension Act of 1919 for Cherokee County (S.l. : s.n., c1991), 54 Leaves. Abstracts from the files in the Probate Judges Office of the Cherokee County Courthouse, Gaffney, S.C. Includes full-name index. Contains information on all Civil War soldiers and widows for cherokee county. Book at FHL 975.742 M2gand Other Libraries
• Stevens, Robert J.  Captain Bill : the Records and Writings of Captain William Henry Edwards (and Others), Company A, 17th Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, Confederate States of America. (Richburg, South Carolina : Chester District Genealogical Society, c1985) A History and Genealogy of Chester County, S.C. in Five Volumes. Contents: v. 1. Autobiography of Captain William Henry Edwards, his obituary, a condensed history of the seventeenth regiment including military records -- v. 2. Letters of genealogical and historical importance -- v. 3. Published writings, including obituaries, of the early 20th century -- v. 4. Genealogies of the Edwards, Culp, Edward McFadden & Robert McFadden families; a bibliography.--v. 5. Miscellaneous, Epilogue. Books 1-3 at  FHL 975.747 H2s and Other Libraries

Maps

• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

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

• Occaneechi Path pre-historic
• Lower Cherokee Traders' Path pre-historic
• Catawba and Northern Trail pre-historic
• Upper Road about 1783 (overlapped Lower Cherokee Traders' Path in Cherokee County)

Military

• Cherokee County - Military, SCGenWeb. Lists some names from most wars from the American Civil War to Vietnam.

Revolutionary War

• "Battle of King's Mountain diagram, 1780," Pastmaster Journal of the Mountain Empire, June 2005, Volume 2, Issue 4. Ms Shelby Ireson Edwards : Bristol, VA.
• "Over Mountain Men at the Battle of Kings Mountain, 1780," Gaston County Historical Bulletin, 2003, Volume 49, Issue 2. Gaston County, North Carolina Historical Society : Gastonia, NC.
• "Battle of Kings Mountain," Sandy Valley Heritage, November 2000, Volume 19, Issue 4. Big Sandy Valley Historical Society : Hagerhill, KY 41222.
• "Events to Battle of Kings Mountain," Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, August 1985, Volume 119, Issue 7. Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine : Washington, D.C. FHL Collection Book 973 B2dar.
• "Battle of Cowpens," Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, November 1973, Volume 107, Issue 9. Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine : Washington, D.C. FHL Collection Book 973 B2dar.

Civil War

Online Records

• 1861-1865 - South Carolina Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 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)

Regiments. Cherokee County did not exist in the Civil War. It was created in 1897 from the counties of Spartanburg, York, and Union Counties. During the Civil War, men from the area of Cherokee County mostly would have served in various regiments recruited in those counties. Counties were called districts during the Civil War.

Other Resources

• Gorski, Eddie L., South Carolina Confederate Widows Pension Act of 1919 for Cherokee County (S.l.: s.n., c1991), 54 Leaves. Abstracts from the files in the Probate Judges Office of the Cherokee County Courthouse, Gaffney, S.C. Includes full-name index. Contains information on all Civil War soldiers and widows for cherokee county. Book at FHL 975.742 M2gand Other Libraries
• Stevens, Robert J.  Captain Bill : the Records and Writings of Captain William Henry Edwards (and Others), Company A, 17th Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, Confederate States of America. (Richburg, South Carolina : Chester District Genealogical Society, c1985) A History and Genealogy of Chester County, S.C. in Five Volumes. Contents: v. 1. Autobiography of Captain William Henry Edwards, his obituary, a condensed history of the seventeenth regiment including military records -- v. 2. Letters of genealogical and historical importance -- v. 3. Published writings, including obituaries, of the early 20th century -- v. 4. Genealogies of the Edwards, Culp, Edward McFadden & Robert McFadden families; a bibliography.--v. 5. Miscellaneous, Epilogue. Books 1-3 at  FHL 975.747 H2s and Other Libraries
• Cherokee County - Military, SCGenWeb

Newspapers

Historic

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

• Blacksburg Times (Blacksburg, S.C.) 1965-1968.
• Blacksburg Times and Cherokee Report (Blacksburg, S.C.) 1968-1972.
• Blacksburg Times and Cherokee Tribune (Blacksburg, S.C.) 1972-current.
• Gaffney Carolinian (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1881-1884.
• Gaffney City Trade Review (Gaffney, S.C.) 18??-1???.
• The Blacksburg News (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1953-1954.
• The Cherokee News (Gaffney, S.C.) 1903-1919.
• The Cherokee Times (Gaffney, S.C.) 1922-1930.
• The Gaffney Ledger (Gaffney, S.C.) 1907-current.
• The Ledger (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1896-1907.
• The Weekly Ledger (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1894-1896.

Current

• The Gaffney Ledger (Gaffney, S.C.) Online edition.

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:

• Eswau Huppeday. FHL Book 975.6 D25e.
  

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.

• 1897-1915 - Cherokee County Will Book 1897-1915: with every name index of persons listed in the wills. Microfilm of originals loaned by Malinda Poole of Gaffney, South Carolina. Family History Library

• 1894-1962 - Cherokee County WIll Books 1-6 ca. 1894-1962: with every name index of persons listed in the wills. Microfilm of originals loaned by Malinda Poole of Gaffney, South Carolina. Family History Library

• Abstracts of Cherokee County, will book 1: from the files in the Probate Office in the Cherokee County Court House, Gaffney, S.C. Family History Library

Online Probate Records

• 1670-1980 - South Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1670-1980 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• 1671-1977 - South Carolina Carolina Probate Records, Bound Volumes 1671-1977 at FamilySearch — images
• 1732-1964 - South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers 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.

• South Carolina Department of Archives and History tax lists for Cherokee County.
  

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 Cherokee 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 - South Carolina, Delayed Birth Certificates, 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 Cherokee 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

• South Carolina Confederate Widows Pension Act of 1919 for Cherokee County by Eddie L. Gorski FHL Collection WorldCat - index
  
• 1892-1911 - South Carolina Proof of Marriages Prior to July 1, 1911 for Cherokee County by Eddie L. Gorski   FHL Collection WorldCat - abstract
  
• 1911-1952 - Cherokee County, South Carolina Proofs of Marriage, 1892-1940; Marriage Registers & Indexes, July 1911-Dec. 1952 FHL Collection - index and records
  
• 1911-1950 - Cherokee County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, July 1911-1950  FHL Collection - 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 Cherokee 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

• 1816-1990 - South Carolina Deaths and Burials, 1816-1990 at FamilySearch — index
• 1915-1965 - South Carolina Deaths, 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

Libraries

Cherokee County Public Library

• Main Branch
  300 East Rutledge Avenue
  Gaffney, South Carolina 29340
  Telephone: (864) 487-2711
  FAX: (864) 487-2752 (fax)
  Email: cherokeelib@spiritcom.net
  Hours: Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.. Friday.9am to 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m . to 4 p.m.
  
  The library has a genealogy/local history room that is open all hours that the main library is open. It is staffed from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM Monday-Friday by a genealogy assistant. They carry census records, microfilm copies of the longest-standing local paper, The Gaffney Ledger, dating back to its inception in 1894, an extensive Cherokee County collection (including family histories, cemetery records, church records, and plenty of other sources), DAR references, as well as South Carolina records and some out-of-state information. 
  
  The Heritage Room contains materials relating to the people and history of Cherokee County, South Carolina and other areas. The collection consists of books, pamphlets, census records, microfilm, newspapers, church and family records. Materials in the Heritage Room collection are unique, costly to replace or irreplaceable. When the room is not staffed it will be unavailable to the public.
  
  Heritage Room hours beginning Tuesday, February 1, 2011 are: Monday to Thursday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
  
  The library itself offers access to two online genealogy databases, Heritage Quest and Ancestry Library. Heritage Quest is available remotely to Cherokee County Public Library card holders. Their catalog is online.
  
  
• Blacksgurg Branch
  201 S Rutherford Street
  Blacksburg, South Carolina 29702
  Telephone: (864) 839-2630
  FAX: (864) 839-2572
  Hours: Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 10 a. m. to 5 p. m.

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Gaffney South Carolina Family History Center

Museums

• Cherokee County History & Arts Museum
  Address:
  301 College Drive
  Gaffney, S.C. 29340
  Telephone: 864-489-3988
  Located on the 1812 mustering ground of the South Carolina Militia and the site of the historic Central School building, the Cherokee County History & Arts Museum is also home to the offices of its governing body, the Cherokee Historical & Preservation Society. Phase I of the facility opened in May 2008 and renovations are currently underway on Phases II and III of the building. Upon completion, the History & Arts Museum will house over 20,000sq. feet of exhibits, meeting spaces, and educational resources for Cherokee County residents and visitors.
• The Cherokee Historical & Preservation Society seeks to preserve historical sites in the county. Their email is: chaps@cherokeecountyhistory.org
  

Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage

Websites

• Cherokee County, SC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
• Cherokee County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Cherokee County, SCGenWeb.
• Cherokee County Genealogy Trails

References

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