Lee County, South Carolina Genealogy
Guide to Lee 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.
| Lee County, South Carolina | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of South Carolina | |
 Location of South Carolina in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | February 25, 1902 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Bishopville |
| Courthouse | |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Lee County, South Carolina Record Dates
- 3 County Courthouse
- 4 History
- 5 Places/Localities
- 6 Resources
- 7 Archives, Libraries, and Museums
- 8 Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
- 9 Family History Centers
- 10 Websites
- 11 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for Confederate General Robert E. Lee. A previous incarnation of Lee County. The County is located in the north central location of the state.[1]
Lee County, South Carolina Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1915 | 1902 | 1902 | 1902 | 1902 | 1902 | 1790 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Lee County Courthouse
123 Main Street
Bishopville, SC 29010
Probate Judge
123 Main Street
P.O. Box 24
Bishopville, SC 29010
Probate and marriage records
Clerk of Court
11 Court House Square
Bishopville, SC 29010-1616
803-484-5341
Court and land records
Hours:
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday
History[edit | edit source]
A brief history of Lee County online
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1902--Lee County was created 25 February 1902 from Darlington, Sumter and Kershaw Counties.
County seat: Bishopville [4]
County Pronunciation[edit | edit source]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
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:[6]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
|
|
|
Resources[edit | edit source]
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
- South Carolina Archives Summary Guide: Lee County, available online, courtesy: South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
African Americans[edit | edit source]
Known plantations South Carolina Plantations:
- Black - also called Josey
- Josey - also called Black
- Plain Hill
- Rose Hill
- Smith's Grove - Lynchburg - also called Tanglewood
- Stirrup Branch - Bishopville
- Tall Oaks - Bishopville - also called S. McLendon House
- Tanglewood - Lynchburg - also called Smith's Grove
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 |
| SCGenWeb Archives | ||
| Tombstone Project | ||
| SCInterment | ||
| EPodunk | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See South Carolina Cemeteries for more information. | ||
- To view a cemetery list, see Lee County, South Carolina Cemeteries.
- National Cemetery Administration
Census[edit | edit source]
- 1829-1920 - South Carolina, State and Territorial Censuses, 1829-1920 at FamilySearch — index and images
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1910 | 25,318 | — |
| 1920 | 26,827 | 6.0% |
| 1930 | 24,096 | −10.2% |
| 1940 | 24,908 | 3.4% |
| 1950 | 23,173 | −7.0% |
| 1960 | 21,832 | −5.8% |
| 1970 | 18,323 | −16.1% |
| 1980 | 18,929 | 3.3% |
| 1990 | 18,437 | −2.6% |
| 2000 | 20,119 | 9.1% |
| Source: "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. | ||
1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Lee 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.
Church Records[edit | edit source]
- St. Philip’s Church, Bradford Springs, South Carolina describes the parish records held by the South Carolina Historical Society.
Court[edit | edit source]
Lee County has court records from 1902 that are held in the office of the Clerk of Court. Lee County was formed from Darlington, Kershaw and Sumter Counties so these also may need to be searched for records.
The South Carolina Archives and History Center has court records available on microfilm for Lee County.
DNA[edit | edit source]
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 Lee, South Carolina at World Connect, produces more than 1,500 results.
Surname indexes to Leonardo Andrea's Files | Folders | Resources are available online, courtesy: The Andrea Files: South Carolina Genealogical Research. 
Learn more.
Message Boards
- Lee County, SC Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
- Lee County, SC Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
Bibliography
- Locklair - Brown, Gerald D. A Genealogy of a Locklair Family Mainly of the Old Sumter District of South Carolina - Present Day Sumter and Lee Counties. Hemingway, S.C.: Three Rivers Historical Society, 1995. FHL 929.273 L812b
- Smith - Smith, Jared M. The Legacy of J. Manly Smith, Sr.: First Sheriff of Lee County, South Carolina. Bishopville, S.C.: J.M. Smith, 1994. FHL 929.273 Sm61sjm; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library
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.
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 Lee County:
| Date | Government Office |
| 1902-present | Lee County |
| 1869-1902 | Kershaw County (new) |
| 1800-1868 | Kershaw District |
| 1791-1800 | Kershaw County (old) |
| 1785-1791 | Richland County |
| 1785-1791 | Lancaster County |
| 1785-1791 | Fairfield County |
| 1769-1785 | Camden District * |
| 1719-1769 | Charleston District |
| 1710-1719 | Proprietary Land Grants |
* Some Camden District records are included with Kershaw County records
| Date | Government Office |
| 1902-present | Lee County |
| 1868-1902 | Sumter County |
| 1801-1868 | Sumter District |
| 1800-1801 | Sumter District Records Lost * |
| 1792-1800 | Salem County Records Lost * |
| 1785-1800 | Claremont County Records Lost * |
| 1785-1800 | Claredon County Records Lost * |
| 1769-1785 | Camden District |
| 1719-1769 | Charleston District |
| 1710-1719 | Proprietary Land Grants |
*Sumter District records destroyed by fire 27 Nov 1801
| Date | Government Office |
| 1902-present | Lee County |
| 1868-1902 | Darlington County |
| 1806-1868 | Darlington Distict |
| 1800-1806 | Darlington District Records Burned |
| 1785-1800 | Darlington County Records Burned |
| 1769-1785 | Cheraws District |
| 1719-1769 | Charleston District |
| 1710-1719 | Proprietary Land Grants |
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.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
Military[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
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. Lee County did not exist during the Civil War. Present day Lee County was created 25 February 1902 from Darlington, Sumter and Kershaw Counties. During the Civil War, men from the area of Lee County mostly would have served in various regiments recruited in the counties of Darlington, Sumter and Kershaw . Counties were called districts during the Civil War.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Historic
The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Lee 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.
- Bishopville Eagle (Bishopville, S.C.) 1888-1893.
- Bishopville Enterprise (Bishopville [S.C.]) 1886-1888.
- Lee County Messenger (Bishopville, S.C.) 1923-1982.
- Lee County Observer (Bishopville, S.C.) 1977-current.
- Lee County Vindicator (Bishopville, Lee County, S.C.) 1902-1902.
- The Leader and Vindicator (Bishopville, S.C.) 1902-1923.
- The Mirror (Bishopville, S.C.) 1896-1897.
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:
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.”[10] 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 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.
Early probate records of Lee County may be found in records of Camden and Cheraws District, which are both extinct. They may also be found in the now-defunct Craven County. See James C. Pigg's compilation of Cheraw[s]/Chesterfield District wills, 1750-1865 & Abstracts from the Court of Common Pleas, 1823-1869 for some Lee County probate records, formerly recorded in Cheraws District. FHL Book 975.763 P2pj
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[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 Lee County.
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 Lee 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[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 [hhttp://leecountysc.org/directory/departments/ Lee 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 and Records
- 1911-1950 - Lee County, South Carolina Marriage Registers, 1911-1950 [11] FHL Collection - records
- 1911-1950 - Lee County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, 1911-1950 [12] FHL Collection - 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[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 Lee 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[edit | edit source]
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.
- For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Lee County, SC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
- Lee County, SCGenWeb
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Lee County, South Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Lee County, South Carolina" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Lee_County,_South_Carolina_Genealogy." accessed 27/06/2019
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Lee 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.
- ↑ "List of counties in South Carolina," Wikipedia.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Voice of Phillip Stalvey, resident of Myrtle Beach, S.C. (2011).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lee County, South Carolina," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_County,_South_Carolina, accessed 27 December 2019.
- ↑ Schweitzer, George K. , South Carolina Genealogical Research (Knoxville, Tennessee: s.p. 1985), 39-42, FHL book 975.7 D27s
- ↑ Schweitzer, George K. , South Carolina Genealogical Research (Knoxville, Tennessee: s.p. 1985), 39-42, FHL book 975.7 D27s
- ↑ Schweitzer, George K. , South Carolina Genealogical Research (Knoxville, Tennessee: s.p. 1985), 39-42, FHL book 975.7 D27s
- ↑ Henry Campbell Black, Black's Law Dictionary, 5th ed. (St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Co., 1979), 1081, "probate."
- ↑ Lee County, South Carolina Marriage Registers, 1911-1950, Salt Lake City, UT: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2002.
- ↑ South Carolina. Probate Court (Lee County), Lee County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, 1911-1950, Salt Lake City, UT: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2001.
...
