Calhoun County, South Carolina Genealogy

United States Genealogy

South Carolina

Calhoun County

Guide to Calhoun 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

Calhoun County, South Carolina
Map
Location in the state of South Carolina, United States Genealogy
Location of South Carolina in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	1908
County Seat	St. Matthews
Courthouse

County Information

Description

The county is named for John C. Calhoun, the former U.S. Vice-President, Senator, Representative and cabinet member from South Carolina. The County is located in the center area of the state.

Calhoun County, South Carolina Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1915	1911	1915	1908	1908	1908	1790
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1915. General compliance by 1918.

County Courthouse

Calhoun Courthouse

The county seat of Calhoun County is Saint Matthews, which was founded in 1841.

Calhoun County Courthouse
302 South Railroad Ave.
St. Matthews, SC 29135-1452
Phone: 803-874-3524

Calhoun County Probate Judge
902 F.R. Huff Dr.
St. Matthews, SC 29135-1490
Phone 803-874-3514

Calhoun County Clerk of Court
P.O. Box 709
902 F.R. Huff Drive
St. Matthews, SC 29135
Phone: 803-874-3524

Calhoun County Register of Deeds
Courthouse Annex, Suite 108
St. Matthews 29135
Phone: 803-874-2435

Historical Facts

For documents of people who lived in this area 1768-1800, look at:

• St. Matthew's Parish records since 1768
• papers filed in the District Seat at Orangeburg, South Carolina
• papers filed in the early capital at Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina Genealogy

The county is named after John C. Calhoun, who served as Vice President of the United States under both John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson as well as secretary of state and of war and senator." Amelia Township, an original eighteenth-century settlement and part of the Royal Period of South Carolina, was situated in what is now Calhoun County. Learn more about the history of Calhoun County from the South Carolina State Library or from Carolana.com.

Parent County/Boundary Changes

• 1908: - Calhoun created from Lexington and Orangeburg Counties.

For more information as well as maps of Calhoun 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 Pronunciation

Hear it spoken.

Record Loss

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

Places/Localities

Populated Places

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:

Towns
Cameron	St. Matthews
Unincorporated communities
Creston Fort Motte	Lone Star	Sandy Run

Resources

Calhoun County

Research Guides

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

African Americans

United States African Americans African American Resources for South Carolina

Known plantations, South Carolina Plantations

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
SCGenWeb Archives		FamilySearch Places
Tombstone Project
Billion Graves
See South Carolina Cemeteries for more information.

• To view a cemetery list, see Calhoun County, South Carolina Cemeteries.

• National Cemetery Administration

Census

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

Federal

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	16,634	—
1920	18,384	10.5%
1930	16,707	−9.1%
1940	16,229	−2.9%
1950	14,753	−9.1%
1960	12,256	−16.9%
1970	10,780	−12.0%
1980	12,206	13.2%
1990	12,763	4.6%
2000	15,185	19.0%
2010	15,175	−0.1%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Calhoun 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 History and Records

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

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Court Records

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 Calhoun, South Carolina at World Connect, results in more than 900 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

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

Bibliography

• Caver - Caver, Larry Eugene. The Caver Family of North America. Birmingham, Ala.: Caver Press, 1990. FHL Book 929.273 C315cL.
• Felder - Felder, Rice A. and Feller Publishing Fund. Descendants of James Addison Felder and Flavilla Shuler of Orangeburg County, South Carolina. Columbia, S.C.: Felder Publishing Fund, 1980. FHL Book 929.273 F332f.
• King - King, Kermitt Sifley. The Kings of Calhoun County, Amelia Township. Columbia, S.C.: K.S. King, 1992. FHL Book 929.273 K58kin.
• Snelgrove - Snelgrove, Price Charles. Freeman Snelgrove and Some of His Descendants. Alford, Fla.: P.C. Snelgrove, 1993. FHL Book 929.273 Sn27sp.
• Wise - Bauer, William Rudolph. Reconstruction of the Genealogy of the Wise Family of the Congarees. Columbia, S.C.: W.R. Bauer, 2001. FHL 929.273 W754b

History

• Linder, Suzanne Cameron. Historical Atlas of the Rice Plantations of the ACE River Basin, 1860 (Columbia, South Carolina: S.C. Dept. of Archives and History, c1995 ), 684 pages. The plantations were in Beaufort, Colleton & Charleston counties. WorldCat 34264321, FHL 975.79 R2L

Land and Property

Because of South Carolina’s history as an agricultural state many residents owned land. For more information abou 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 shows where you may best expect to find land records for Calhoun County:

Tracing Land Currently in Calhoun County with Parent Counties and Districts

Date	Government Office
1908-Present	Calhoun County
1868-1908	Orangeburg County
1839-1908	Lexington County
1865-1868	Orangeburg District
1785-1865	Orangeburg District Records Lost*
1785-1839	Records Lost* **
1710-1785	Charleston District
1670-1710	Proprietary Land Grants

* Some Orangeburg District deeds were recorded in Charleston District and were not destroyed
** Orangeburg District, Lexington District, Orangeburg County, and Lewisburg County records destroyed by fire in 1865. Only Lexington County deeds after 1839 survive.

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

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 Calhoun County for European settlers included:

• Camden-Charleston Path 1732
• Old South Carolina State Road 1747

Military

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. Calhoun County did not exist during the Civil War. It was created in 1908 from Lexington and Orangeburg Counties. During the Civil War, men from the area of Calhoun County mostly would have served in various regiments recruited in those counties. Counties were called districts during the Civil War. The following regiment apparently had men from the area of present day Calhoun County:

- 1st Regiment, South Carolina Infantry (Butler's) (1st Regulars), Company A (also called Company B and Beauregard Artillery)

- 20th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry

Newspapers

Historic

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

• Calhoun Advance (St. Matthews, S.C.) 1908-1920.
• St. Matthews Recorder (St. Matthews, S.C.) 1903-1906.
• The Calhoun Times (Saint Matthews, S.C.) 1922-current.
• The Carolinian (St. Matthews, S.C.) 1920-1922.
• The Commercial Advance (St. Matthews, S.C.) 1906-1908.
• The St. Matthews Herald (St. Matthews, S.C.) 1890-1897.
• The St. Matthews Record  (St. Matthews, S.C.) 1914-1915.

Current

Periodicals

See: Periodicals for description.

• South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research

Probate Records

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 Probate Records.

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 Calhoun County.
  

Published abstracts

• 1818 - St. Matthews Tax List, 1818, South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Summer 1973); Vol. 1, No. 4 (Fall 1973).

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 Calhoun 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 Calhoun 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 images

• 1911-1972 - Calhoun County, South Carolina Marriage Register, 1911-1972 FHL film 2317644 - index
• 1911-1950 - Calhoun County, South Carolina Marriage Licenses, ca. 1911-1950 FHL films - 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 Calhoun 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.

Museums

This museum is county-run rather than by a society.

• Calhoun County Museum
  Address:
  313 Butler Street
  St. Matthews, SC 29135
  Telephone: (803) 874 - 3964
  Hours of Operation: Tuesday to Friday - 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
  The Archive: The genealogy materials are housed in the museum's archive. Among other materials, there are African American books; cemetery books; Church books, county books; court record books; Jewish history; marriage, death and will books, native American books, South Carolina Civil War, and more. Categories and titles of the Archive's holdings are available at "The Archive" link above.
  They will assist with any genealogical or historical research, but please call ahead to set up an appointment

Societies, Libraries and Museums

• Calhoun County Library
  Address:
  Calhhoun County Library
  900 FR Huff Dr,
  St, Marrhews, South Carolina 29135
  Telephone: 877-887-5588 - Toll Free; 803-874-3389 - phone
  FAX: 803-874-4154
  Hours of Operation: Monday, Wednesday: 10am - 6pm, Tuesday, Thursday: 10am - 8pm, Friday: 10am - 5pm, Saturday: 10am - 3pm
  The Calhoun County Library is part of the Palmetto Library Consortium which consists of 16 libraries that have consolidated some services for eficience. Though they do have some books on genealogy, they have turned their genealogical materials to the Calhoun Museum and Cultural Center

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 Libraries

note: the societies with their own memberships, libraries, museums and collections.

Websites

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

References

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