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Clarendon County, South Carolina Genealogy

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Guide to Clarendon 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.


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Clarendon County, South Carolina
Map
Map of South Carolina highlighting Clarendon County
Location in the state of South Carolina
Map of the U.S. highlighting South Carolina
Location of South Carolina in the U.S.
Facts
Founded 1855
County Seat Manning
Courthouse



Description[edit | edit source]

The County was named for Edward Hyde, who was a Lord Proprietor and earl of Clarendon. The County is located in the central area of the state.[1]

County Information[edit | edit source]


Clarendon County, South Carolina Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[2]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1915 1911 1915 1856 1856 1856 1790
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1915. General compliance by 1918.

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

ClarendonSC.jpg


Clarendon County Courthouse
3 West Keitt Street
Manning, SC 29102

Clarendon County Probate Court
P.O. Box 307
Manning, SC 29102
Phone: 803-435-8774
Marriage and probate records

Clarendon County Clerk of Court
P.O. Box 136
Manning, SC 29102
Phone: 803-435-4443
Court and land records
Office does not provide research of any kind.

History[edit | edit source]

Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1609-1674)
The county is named after one of the original Lord Proprietors of South Carolina (and High Chancellor of England) Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1609-1674).[3] Clarendon has existed in two different incarnations (see below). Learn more about the history of Clarendon County from the South Carolina State Library or from Carolana.com.

Parent County/Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • 1785 - Thirty-three counties were created within existing South Carolina Districts. Clarendon was created within Camden District.
  • 1792 - Salem created from Clarendon and Claremont Counties.
  • 1800 - Clarendon, Claremont, and Salem Counties combined to form Sumter District. Clarendon did not exist again until 1855.[4]
  • 1855 - Clarendon District created from Sumter District, pending.
  • 1857 - Clarendon confirmed. Clarendon gained from Sumter.
  • 1868 - Clarendon and all other districts became counties.
  • 1888 - Florence created from Clarendon, Darlington, Marion, and Williamsburg Counties.
  • 1914 - Williamsburg gained from Clarendon.
  • 1921 - Sumter gained from Clarendon.
  • 1922 - Clarendon gained from Sumter.

For more information as well as maps of Clarendon 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[edit | edit source]

The county seat of Clarendon County is Manning, which was named for Richard Irvine Manning, governor of South Carolina from 1824-1826.[5]

County Pronunciation[edit | edit source]

Hear it spoken.[6]

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

  • Although records were removed before General Edward H. Potter's Union cavalry destroyed Manning in April 1865, Clarendon's loose probate papers were destroyed later, at an undetermined date; they begin in 1875.
  • Sumter suffered a major loss of probate records and deeds, on 27 November 1801, when fire destroyed the residence of Sumter District Clerk of Court John Horan, in Stateburg. This fire also consumed the records of Clarendon, Claremont, and Salem counties.

Places/Localities[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[7]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
  • Rimini
  • Silver
Census-designated places


Resources[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

African Americans[edit | edit source]

  • Free Negro Tax Defaulters List, 1800-1801, Carolina Herald and Newsletter, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Jul. 2006).

Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:

  • Big Home
  • Black River
  • Cedar Grove
  • Elmswood
  • Farmingdale
  • Fullwood
  • Gilman
  • Hickory Hill
  • Holladay
  • Ox Swamp
  • Pineland
  • Rambay
  • Sycamore Grove
  • Taw Caw - Summerton
  • Woodside
  • Wyboo

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

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
EPodunk
Billion Graves
See South Carolina Cemeteries for more information.

Census[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1790 2,392 —
1860 13,095 447.4%
1870 14,038 7.2%
1880 19,190 36.7%
1890 23,233 21.1%
1900 28,184 21.3%
1910 32,188 14.2%
1920 34,878 8.4%
1930 30,036 −13.9%
1940 31,500 4.9%
1950 32,216 2.3%
1960 29,490 −8.5%
1970 25,604 −13.2%
1980 27,464 7.3%
1990 28,450 3.6%
2000 32,502 14.2%
Source: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau.

1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Clarendon 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 Clarendon County, SC census assignments, including links to transcribed files The USGenWeb Census Project®

1860[edit | edit source]
  • Teel, Dorothy Owens. 1860 Census, Clarendon District, South Carolina. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society (South Carolina), 1983. FHL Collection 975.781 X2t 1860
1870[edit | edit source]
  • Thomas, Irene Miles. Clarendon County, SC 1870 Federal Census Extract. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, 2004. FHL Collection 975.781 X2ti 1870

Agricultural Census

1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. This resource lists the name of farmer, size of ranch or farm, value of property, crop, livestock, and more.  Agricultural rolls are not indexed and are available at South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

Mortality Census Schedules Available from June 1 to May 31 for the following years: 1859, 1869, 1879.  Information is provided for people who died during the year before the 1st of June of each census year.  Informatin included: names, age, sex, occupation, birth place.  The Mortality Census Schedules are available at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History and the National Archives.

Slaveholder Census

The 1850 and 1860 Slaveholder Census lists the names of the slaveholders and the number, age, and sex of slaves. It does not list the names of slaves.

Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Service

Taken in 1840. A list of pension holders. Not complete and contains some errors.

Civil War Union Veterans

Taken in a speial census in 1890. Some Confederate veterans are included.  Listed by county on one roll of microfilm.  Gives veteran's name and widow's name, rank, company, regiment, and more.

1875 State Census

Other state censuses exist for South Carolina. The 1875 SC State Census is complete for Clarendon County. Available at South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

Church [edit | edit source]

Most church records can be obtained by contacting the individual church.

If you know your ancestor's church, look for information in the following resources:

R. N. Cote, Local And Family History in SC, Southern Historical Press, Easley, SC, 1981, pp. 15-47, 381-419.

A. H. Stokes, Jr. A Guide to the Manuscript Collection of South Caroliniana Library, University of SC, Columbia, SC, 1982.

J. H. Moore, Research Materials in SC, University of SC Press, Columbia, SC 1967, pp. 18, 21-28, 32, 36-37, 45-46, 55-61, 66-138, 148, 154, 174.

Court[edit | edit source]

DNA[edit | edit source]

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

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

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 Clarendon, South Carolina at World Connect, results in nearly 2,500 entries.

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

Message Boards

Bibliography

  • Cobia - Selleneit, Minnie Lee Cobia. My Life Story. 1977. FHL Book 921.73 Se48sm; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Graham - Graham, Ernest and Frances Oralee Jones Graham. The Rembert Ernest Graham Family Book of Remembrance, ca. 1570-1962. MSS. Microfilmed 1986: FHL Film 1321307 Item 2.
  • Humphrey - Marshall, Vera Lee Kearl. Proud to Remember: Genealogy and History of Four Ancestral Lines of Lula Barzilla Humphrey Kearl: Paternal -- Humphrey-Thames; Maternal -- Brunson-Marshall; Contains All the Data Procurable on the Generations from the First Known to the Present; Some Data on the Kirk and Gerald Families; Statements of Unsolved Problems and Questions. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1964. FHL Book 929.273 K211m.
  • Nelson - Huggins, George Allen. The Nelson Family of Clarendon County, South Carolina. Typescript. FHL 929.273 A1 no. 43
  • Richardson - Esker, Katie-Prince W. Billups and Allied Families. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 1984. FHL Book 929.273 B497e.
  • Sheriff - Sheriff, Pauline Callaway. Faith of the Prairies: A Sheriff - Burt - Spriggs History. Hollis, Okla.: P.C. Sheriff, 1977. FHL Book 929.273 Sh57sp.
  • Williams - Womack, Andrina S. David Williams of Saint Marks Parish, South Carolina. Charlotte, N.C.: Catawba, 2007. FHL Book 929.273 W671wa.
  • Williams - Womack, Andrina S. David Williams of Saint Marks Parish, South Carolina. 2 vols. n.p.: A.S. Womack, 2009. FHL Book 929.273 W671wa 2009 v. 1-v. 2.

Land[edit | edit source]

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. Note that old Clarendon County was formed in 1785. Salem and Sumter Counties were formed from "old" Clarendon County. "New" Clarendon County was revitalized in 1855.

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 Clarendon County:


Tracing Land Currently in Clarendon County with Parent Counties and Districts [8]
Date Government Office  
1868-present Clarendon County (new)
1855-1868 Clarendon District
1801-1855 Sumter District
1800-1801 Sumter District Records Lost*
1792-1800 Salem County Records Lost*
1785-1800 Claredon County (old) Records Lost*
1769-1785 Camden District
1719-1769 Charleston District
1710-1719 Proprietary Land Grants
 

*Sumter District records destroyed by fire 27 Nov 1801

Plats For State Land Grants 1784-1868

For information about the State Land Grants, see State Land Grants

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

  • Clark, Sylvia H. Shadows of the Past : an Illustrated History of Clarendon County SC. (Virginia Beach, Virginia : Donning Company Publishers, c2005), 203 pages. History of Clerendon from about 1855 to 1960 & beyond. Book at FHL 975.781 H2c and Other Libraries

Maps[edit | edit source]

Sumter CountyFlorence CountyWilliamsburg CountyBerkeley CountyOrangeburg CountyCalhoun CountySC CLARENDON.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources



Military[edit | edit source]

War of 1812[edit | edit source]
  • 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. FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. See Vol. 5, South Carolina, Clarendon County, p. 183-184. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.
Civil War[edit | edit source]

Online Records

Regiments. Civil War service men from Clarendon 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 Clarendon County or from many of its men:

- 1st Battalion, South Carolina Sharpshooters, Company B - (also known as the Sumter Guards)
- 3rd Battalion, South Carolina Light Artillery (Palmetto Battalion),
- Company C (also known as the Wilson Light Artillery, Culpepper's Light Artillery and Culpeper Battery)
- Company G (also known as the DeSaussure Light Artillery and the DePass Light Battery)
- Company K (also known as Richardson's Company)
- 4th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry (Rutledge's), Company D, Company F, and Company I
- 4th Regiment, South Carolina State Troops, Company D
- 5th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Brown's), Company F
- 6th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Byrd's), Company B
- 7th Battalion, South Carolina Reserves (Ward's), Company E
- 7th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Nelson's) (Enfield Rifles), Company E
- 7th Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry , Company G, Company I, and Company K
- 8th Regiment, South Carolina Reserves
- 9th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, Company D and Company I
- 14th Battalion, South Carolina Cavalry, Company A
- Company I- 25th Regiment South Carolina Volunteers
- Company I- 23rd Regiment South Carolina Volunteers
- Company H- 5th Cavalry South Carolina Volunteers
- Company K- 6th Infantry South Carolina Volunteers

Other Resources

  • Clark, Sylvia H. Shadows of the Past: an Illustrated History of Clarendon County SC. (Virginia Beach, Virginia: Donning Company Publishers, c2005), 203 pages. History of Clerendon from about 1855 to 1960 & beyond. Chapter 4, page 45 has Civil War information. Book at FHL 975.781 H2c and Other Libraries

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Historic

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

Current

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

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:

  • The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine

Probate[edit | edit source]

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.”[9] 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.

Claredon County Estate Records, ca. 1899-1926. Microreproduction of original estate packages at the South Carolina Dept. of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina FHL Film 2313270

Online Probate Records

Taxation[edit | edit source]

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 Claredon County.

See also African Americans

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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 Clarendon 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.

Birth Substitutes

  • Bible
  • Biographical records
  • Cemetery records
  • Census
  • Church records
  • Newspapers
  • Wills and probate records
Marriage[edit | edit source]

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 Clarendon 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. The Clarendon County, South Carolina Archives also has marriages from 1911 to 1950 on microfilm as well as the only known index to those marriage records.

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

Marriages and Marriage Substitutes - Indexes and Records

Death[edit | edit source]

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 Clarendon County, South Carolina Archives also has a death index for South Carolina from 1915-1957.  The Clarendon 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

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Some separations were recorded during Reconstruction 1869-1870.

Divorce records began to be officially recorded April 1949 with the Clerk of Court in the county the divorce was made official.  Divorces occuring after July 1962 were filed with the state and are available from the Office of Vital Records.

Archives, Libraries, and Museums[edit | edit source]

The Clarendon County Archives and History Center
211 N. Brooks Street
Manning, SC 29102
803-435-0328
clarendonarchives@clarendoncountygov.org

Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

Websites[edit | edit source]

Wikipedia
 Wikipedia has more about this subject: Clarendon County, South Carolina

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Clarendon County, South Carolina" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarendon_County,_South_Carolina." accessed 25/06/2019
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Clarendon County, South Carolina. Page 611-615 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 607-608.
  3. ↑ Workers of the Writers' Program of the Works Projects Administration in the State of South Carolina, Palmetto Place Names (The Reprint Company: Spartanburg, S.C., 1975) 13.
  4. ↑ "Clarendon County, South Carolina".
  5. ↑ "Clarendon County, South Carolina."
  6. ↑ Voice of Phillip Stalvey, resident of Myrtle Beach, S.C. (2011).
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Clarendon County, South Carolina," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarendon_County,_South_Carolina, accessed 22 December 2019.
  8. ↑ Schweitzer, George K. , South Carolina Genealogical Research (Knoxville, Tennessee: s.p. 1985), 39-42, FHL book 975.7 D27s
  9. ↑ Henry Campbell Black, Black's Law Dictionary, 5th ed. (St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Co., 1979), 1081, "probate."
  10. ↑ South Carolina, Probate Court (Clarendon County), Clarendon County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, ca. 1911-1950, Salt Lake City, UT: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2001.
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