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THE SOUTH CAROLINA MAGAZINE OF ANCESTRAL RESEARCH

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[Ancestral Research]


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Research and books concerning South Carolina's earliest colonial period, the proprietary period - 1670-1721. Carolina1670.com

A Guide to South Carolina Genealogical Research and Records NEW EDITION! Revised 2016. $15.00 (soft cover).

[genealogy]Contents: I. PROBATE RECORDS, II. LAND RECORDS, III. EQUITY RECORDS, IV. TAX RECORDS, V. COUNTY COURT MINUTES, VI. MILITARY RECORDS, VII. MARRIAGE AND OTHER VITAL RECORDS, VIII. IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION RECORDS, IX. CHURCH RECORDS, X. CENSUS RECORDS, XI. NOTES ON COUNTY FORMATIONS AND RECORDS, XII. THE BORDER PROBLEM WITH NORTH CAROLINA, XIII. ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES, XIV. THE ARCHIVES COM INDEX, XV. PUBLISHED SOURCES, XVI. USING THE INTERNET.

Fairfield County, South Carolina Deed Abstracts Volume I: Bond Book A, Deed Books A-K 1785-1797 [1753-1797] by Gregory W. Matthews. Hard cover, 6 x 9 size, 277 pages, maps, index. There are 1296 records abstracted.New publication 2022. Price $40.00 plus mailing.

Marriage and Death Notices from Baptist Newspapers of South Carolina, Volume 2: 1866-1887. Reprinted 2021. Soft cover, 354 pages, indexed. Price $35.00 plus mailing. The notices included in this volume are from The South Carolina Baptist (1866-1868) published at Anderson, The Working Christian (1869-1878) published first in Yorkville and later (beginning 19 May 1870) in Charleston, and The Baptist Courier (1878-1887). The notices are from all over South Carolina.

Lower Fairforest Baptist Church, Union County, South Carolina: Minutes 1809-1875, Membership Lists Through 1906 by Brent H. Holcomb. Soft cover, 120 pages, indexed. $20.00 plus mailing. The minutes begin with the entry of 20 August 1809, when the Lower Fairforest Baptist Church was established as an arm of Padgett's Creek Baptist Church, which had been established in 1784. The church minutes 1809-1875 and membership lists from the earliest list to the year 1906 are included. Even the list of 1906 includes later entries concerning deaths and dismissions of members. These minutes cover the usual matters of church membership and discipline. Some dates of death and are included within the membership lists. Occasionally, maiden names of married women are indicated. The names of slave members, often noting the names of their owners, are interwoven in the records and are included in membership lists of this church.

Chester County South Carolina Deed Abstracts, Volume II: 1799-1807 [1769-1807]Deed Books G-M by Gregory W. Matthews. Hard cover, 305 pages, index of slaves and free blacks, names, and places. Abstracts of 1439 deeds from seven deed books. $40.00 plus mailing. New publication 2020.

Newberry County, South Carolina, Probate Estate Abstracts Volume I: Probate Estate Boxes 1-10, 355, 356, 357, and 361 by Glenda Bundrick and Andy Suber (1987). Hard cover 8.5 x 11 size, 444 + xviii pages, index. Price $40.00 plus mailing. These records are from the beginning of the probate court of the county (1787) for Newberry County. Some date from an earlier period.

Anson County, North Carolina: Deed Abstracts, 1749-1766; Abstracts of Wills & Estates, 1749-1795 (soft cover) $24.50 plus mailing.

North Carolina Land Grants in South Carolina 1741-1773 (soft cover) $26.50 plus mailing. These are grants issue by North Carolina in the then counties of Bladen, Anson, Mecklenburg, and Tryon, which fell into South Carolina after the border surveys of 1764 and 1772.

South Carolina Revolutionary War Indents: A Schedule by John Lennell Andrews, Jr. Hard cover, 8.5 x 11 format, 118 + vi pages, indexed. $30.00 plus mailing. This schedule contains summarized information on an individual's claim for services or materials provided during the Revolution. While most of this information can be obtained from other sources, one column on these schedules lists the district in which the patriot lived, thus helping to identify the person who provided the service. Often there was more than one person of the same name who served in the military or provided service in the Revolution. Stub Entries to Indents have been published previously, but some of these stubs and indents are missing. This schedule provides information from forty-two missing stubs.

Charleston County, South Carolina, South Carolina Equity Petitions 1789-1821 by Linda Dayhoff Smith. Soft cover, 8.5 x 11 size, 220 + iv pages, index. Price is $35.00 plus $5.00 mailing. Order from Brent H. Holcomb, PO Box 21766, Columbia, SC 29221. The Charleston Equity District included Colleton District until 1811 and there are items from other areas as well. The will of John Moorer (1806) is included and one petition spells out the genealogy of the Francis Marion "Swamp Fox" family. Each petition is correctly referenced to the original records at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. These records are not available on microfilm or on line. (OUT OF PRINT)

The Bedenbaugh-Betenbaugh Family: Descendants of Johann Michael Bidenbach from Germany to South Carolina 1752. (1995) Reprinted by Heritage Books 1998 in soft Cover. $25.50 plus mailing and sales tax for SC residents. This family has been largely in Newberry, Lexington, and Union counties as well as places in Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and Texas.

South Carolina's State Grants, Volume VI: Grant Books 25 Through 28,1788-1791. Hard cover, 6 x 9 size, 280 pages. Price is $40.00 plus $5.00 mailing. Over 2150 grants in this volume.

BACK IN PRINT. Laurens County, SC, Minutes of the County Court 1786-1789 by Brent H. Holcomb. 192 pages. Reprinted 2017 by Heritage Books, soft cover. Price is $23.00 plus mailing. The Laurens County court minutes have been believed lost for many years. This volume surfaced in March of 2004. While some pages are missing, this book is a very important record.
It is the basic record of the county, containing lists of deeds proved, wills and administrations, jury lists, small court cases, etc. Many names which do not appear on the 1790 census will be found here.

York County, South Carolina, Will Abstracts 1787-1862 by Brent H. Holcomb. Soft cover, 470 pages, indexed, reprinted 2016 by Heritage Books. Price $38.00 plus mailing. This volume contains abstracts of the will books for the period indicated, some of which include estates records as well. Some wills which were not found in will books but in the estate packets have been included. York County was formed in 1785 as a county of Camden District. It was formerly part of Craven County, South Carolina, and prior to 1772 in Tryon County, North Carolina. Because of its former inclusion in North Carolina, it was part of the area known as the "New Acquisition." A portion of York County was taken to form Cherokee County in 1897.

Memorialized Records of Lexington District, South Carolina 1814-1825 by Brent H. Holcomb. Soft cover, reprinted 2016 by Heritage Books. $25.00 plus mailing.. This book is a listing of the wills, administrations and deeds recorded in this period. The actual records for Lexington were largely destroyed in 1865, leaving the deeds from 1839 forward. Therefore, the memorialized records is one of the best sources for Lexington District genealogy.

Old Abbeville (A History of the Town) by Lowry Ware. Soft cover $27.00. This is a narrative history of the town of Abbeville from its beginnings until the early twentieth century. Names of residences from the census, church records, and other sources are included as well as businesses and institutions.

Chapters in the History of Abbeville County, the "Banner County" of South Carolina by Lowry Ware. Soft cover, 254 pages. $30.00. This work by the author of Old Abbeville contains twelve chapters. Some of them are "W. C. Benet and the Jeff David Case," "Slaves and Masters-- The Slaves Experience in an Upcountry South Carolina District," "The Unusual Story of Mrs. Floride Bonneau Calhoun's Nephews," and "The Coming of the SAL Railroad and the Cotton Mill."

South Carolina Deed Abstracts 1773-1778. Soft cover, 300 pages, indexed. Price $30.00.

South Carolina Deed Abstracts 1776-1783. Soft cover, 304 pages, indexed. Price $30.00.

South Carolina Deed Abstracts 1783-1788. Soft cover, 560 pages, indexed. Price $45.00.

South Carolina's State Grants, Volume I: Grant Books One Through Six, 1784-1790. Hard cover, 6 x 9 size, 284 pages. Price $35.00 plus mailing. The land office re-opened after the Revolution and the state grants began to be issued. These grants (over three thousand of them in this volume) were all over the state, but particularly in the newly opened areas which were later Pendleton and Greenville counties. Bounty grants for service in the Revolution are included in this volume. Some grants were for land which had been surveyed in the colonial period but not granted until after the Revolution.

South Carolina's State Grants, Volume II: Grant Books 7 Through 11, 1785-1786. Hard cover, 6 x 9 size, 264 pages. Price $35.00 plus mailing.

South Carolina's State Grants, Volume III: Grant Books 12 Through 15, 1786-1787. Hard cover, 6 x 9 size, 242 pages. Price is $35.00 plus mailing. The land office re-opened after the Revolution and the state grants began to be issued in 1784. These grants (over 2500 of them in this volume) were for land all over the state, but particularly in the newly opened areas which were later Pendleton and Greenville counties. Some grants were for land which had been surveyed in the colonial period but not granted until after the Revolution.

South Carolina's State Grants, Volume IV: Grant Books 16 Through 20, 1786-1787. Hard cover, 6 x 9 size, 276 pages. Price is $40.00 plus mailing. The land office re-opened after the Revolution and the state grants began to be issued in 1784. These grants (over 2700 of them in this volume) were for land all over the state, but particularly in the newly opened areas which were later Pendleton and Greenville counties.

South Carolina's State Grants, Volume V: Grant Books 21 Through 24, 1786-1789. Hard cover, 6 x 9 size, 260 pages. Price is $40.00 plus mailing. Over 2100 grants in this volume. These volumes are excellent sources for burned record counties/districts, in South Carolina.

Associate Reformed Presbyterian Death & Marriage Notices Volume IV: 1897-1902 by Lowry Ware, Ph.D. Hard cover, 222 pages. $30.00 plus $5.00 mailing. The Associate Reformed Presbyterian newspaper was published weekly in Due West, South Carolina. Besides the expected notices from the Carolinas, there are notices from Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, and other states.

Associate Reformed Presbyterian Death and Marriage Notices From The Christian Magazine of the South, The Erskine Miscellany, and the Due West Telescope 1843-18631863 by Lowry Ware, Ph. D. Reprinted in soft cover 2021. Price $25.00 plus mailing. This compilation contains over three thousand names. The notices are largely from areas where persons who belonged to the ARP denomination resided: western North Carolina (especially Rowan, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, and adjacent counties), upper South Carolina (especially Lancaster, Chester, York, Fairfield, Newberry, Abbeville districts), Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee (particularly Tipton County), Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, and Virginia.

Associate Reformed Presbyterian Death & Marriage Notices Volume II: 1866-1888 by Lowry Ware, Ph.D. (reprinted 2022) Soft cover, 247 pages. $35.00.

Charleston, South Carolina, Marriages 1877-1895 by Susan L. King. Soft cover, 410 pages, indexed. Reprinted 2015. Price $34.00. Beginning in 1877 marriage licenses were required for the city of Charleston. Ms. King has included the records for the white persons married in Charleston 1877-1895. Besides the important marriage data, frequently there is other information included: age, place of nativity, residence, occupation.

Sam Agnew's Marriage Record 1861-1902 compiled by Lowry Ware, Ph.D. Spiral bound, 86 pages. $15.00 plus $5.00 mailing. Order from Brent H. Holcomb, PO Box 21766, Columbia, SC 29221. Samuel A. Agnew was a native of Abbeville District, South Carolina. He graduated from Erskine College and Erskine Theological Seminary. His father, Enoch Agnew, moved his family to northeastern Mississippi in 1852. Rev. Samuel Agnew served the Bethany and Hopewell Associate Reformed Presbyterian churches. Marriages performed were for couples in the area of Starkville, Mississippi, and Union and Lee counties in that state. These 245 marriage records are excerpted from the journals kept by Rev. Agnew. Not all of the marriages performed were members of the A. R. P. church. Some couples married by him were for African-Americans.

Lancaster County, South Carolina Deeds 1787-1811 by Brent H. Holcomb. Soft cover, 6 x 9 size, 236 + iv pages, index, originally published 1982. Price $35.00 plus mailing. Published by Southern Historical Press.

Marriage and Death Notices from the Pendleton (S. C.) Messenger 1807-1851 by Brent H. Holcomb. Soft cover, 6 x 9 size, 123 + iv pages, originally published 1977. Price $20.00 plus mailing. Published by Southern Historical Press.

Marriage and Death Notices from Upper S. C. Newspapers 1843-1865 by Brent H. Holcomb. Soft cover, 6 x 9 size, 152 + iv pages, originally published 1977. Price $25.00 plus mailing. These notices are from newspapers of Laurens, Spartanburg, Newberry, and Lexington for the period stated. Published by Southern Historical Press.

Marriage, Death, and Estate Notices from Georgetown, South Carolina, Newspapers 1791-1861 by Brent H. Holcomb. Soft cover, 6 x 9 size, 228 + iv pages, originally published 1979. Price $25.00 plus mailing. Published by Southern Historical Press.

Orangeburg District, South Carolina, 1850 Census published by the Lexington Genealogical Association (1997). Hard cover, indexed, 144 pages. $35.00 plus $5.00 mailing.

Lexington County, South Carolina, 1850 Census, Second Edition with Genealogical Data on Most Families. Published by the Lexington Genealogical Association, 1998. Hard cover, 446 + vi pages, map, indexed. $50.00 plus $5.00 mailing. Data from deeds, probate records, death certificates, equity records, and family records were used to annotate the census return.

Edgefield County SC 1850 Census. Published by the Lexington Genealogical Association. Soft cover, spiral binding, indexed, 261 pages. $30.00 plus mailing.

Richland County SC 1850 Census. Published by the Lexington Genealogical Association. Soft cover, spiral binding, indexed, 122 pages. $25.00 plus mailing.

Marriages of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina 1783-1868 by Brent H. Holcomb. (1981 Reprinted 2013 by Genealogical Publishing Company). $30.00 plus mailing. Soft cover, 284 pages, index. This volume contains abstracts of all 5,000 marriage bonds issued in Mecklenburg County between 1783 and 1868 and marriages from the marriage register 1851-1867.

Index to the South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Volumes XXXI-XL prepared by James D. McKain. This is an every-name index to the issues of the past ten years. Hard cover, 250 pages. Price $35.00 (plus $5.00 mailing).

Roach Family of York County, South Carolina, 1983, (including Allied Families and Genealogical Briefs of Drennan, Springs, Workman, Hanna, Harris, Thomasson, McConnell, Sturgis, Reid, Edwards, Dodds, Polk, Latham) by Max Perry. Soft cover, 129 pages. $20.00.

South Carolina's Royal Grants, Volume Seven: Grant Books 42, 43 and other grants 1711-1775. Hard cover, 200 pages, indexed. Price is $45.00 plus mailing. New publication, 2012. This volume completes the series. It contains abstracts of grants from the original series, not included in the copy series on microfilm. It includes abstracts of Royal Grants not on microfilm (abstracted from the original volumes at the South Carolina Archives).

Greenville County, South Carolina, Will Abstracts 1787-1853. Hard cover, 226 pages. Price is $45.00 plus mailing. New publication, 2012. The wills abstracted in this work are found in Greenville County estate records book A and will books B and C on microfilm.

Marriage and Death Notices from the Southern Presbyterian, Volume III: 1880-1891 by Brent H. Holcomb. Hard cover, 424 pages, indexed. New publication, 2011. Published with the assistance of a grant from the R. J. Taylor, Jr., Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia. Price is $45.00 plus mailing.

Marriage and Death Notices from the Southern Presbyterian, Volume IV: 1892-1908 by Brent H. Holcomb. Hard cover, 396 pages, indexed. New publication, 2011. Published with the assistance of a grant from the R. J. Taylor, Jr., Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia. Price is $45.00 plus mailing. This weekly newspaper was published in Milledgeville, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; and Augusta, Georgia. It carried notices from all over the Southern states and was not limited to Presbyterians. After 1908 this newspaper merged with others.

South Carolina's Royal Grants, Volume Six: Grant Books 38 through 41 1670-1785. Hard cover, 340 pages, indexed. Price is $45.00 plus $ mailing. In 1731 the first Royal Grants were issued, the colony having been returned to the crown from the Lords Proprietors. The dates of the grants and the plats are included, as well as names of adjacent land owners. Some lands granted by North Carolina which fell into South Carolina were re-granted by South Carolina. This volume includes 44 Georgia grants. The grant books are not strictly in chronological order, and many of the township grants are in separate volumes.

Early Records of Fishing Creek Presbyterian Church, Chester County, South Carolina 1799-1859 wtih apprendices of the Visitation List of Rev. John Simpson 1774-1776, and the Cemetery Roster, 1762-1979 compiled by Brent H. Holcomb and Elmer O. Parker. Soft cover, 6 x 9 size, 200 pages. $24.00

Associate Reformed Presbyterian Death & Marriage Notices Volume III: 1889-1896 by Lowry Ware, Ph.D. Hard cover, 260 pages. $30.00. Contains notices of persons belonging to this denomination from all over the South.

The Suber Family of South Carolina beginning 1752 compiled by L. Andrew Suber. Hard cover, 8« x 11 size, 378 pages, indexed, facsimiles of some documents included. Price is $45.00 plus mailing. Dr. Suber has researched this family for over thirty years. This volume includes many descendants of the immigrant, Johann Michael Suber/Zuber and some information on his origins in Germany. He arrived in Charleston with three children on the Cunlif, and settled on a grant of land located on Second Creek in what is now Newberry County. Many descendants were in Georgia and other states, as well as those in Newberry and other counties in South Carolina.

Marriage and Death Notices from York, South Carolina Newspapers 1823-1865 by Brent H. Holcomb. Reprinted 2010 with corrections and a new index. Hard cover, 258 pages, 6 x 9 size. Price $32.50 plus mailing.

Marriage and Death Notices from the Southern Presbyterian, Volume I: 1847-1865 by Brent H. Holcomb. Hard cover, 354 pages, indexed. New publication, 2009. Published with the assistance of a grant from the R. J. Taylor, Jr., Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia. Price is $40.00 plus mailing. This weekly newspaper was published in Milledgeville, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; and Augusta, Georgia. It carried notices from all over the Southern states and was not limited to Presbyterians. It is an excellent companion volume to Death and Marriage Notices from the Watchman and Observer 1845-1855 published in 2004. (see below).

Marriage and Death Notices from the Southern Presbyterian, Volume II: 1865-1879 by Brent H. Holcomb. Hard cover, 580 pages, indexed. New publication, 2010. Published with the assistance of a grant from the R. J. Taylor, Jr., Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia. Price is $50.00 plus mailing. This weekly newspaper was published in Milledgeville, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; and Augusta, Georgia. It carried notices from all over the Southern states and was not limited to Presbyterians.

South Carolina's Royal Grants, Volume Five: Grant Books 32 through 37 1735-1776. Hard cover, 340 pages, indexed. Price is $45.00 mailing. New publication, 2010. In 1731 the first Royal Grants were issued, the colony having been returned to the crown from the Lords Proprietors. The grant books are not strictly in chronological order, and many of the township grants are in separate volumes.

South Carolina's Royal Grants, Volume Four: Grant Books 25 through 31 1772-1775. Hard cover, 452 pages, indexed. Price is $45.00 plus mailing. New publication, 2009.



STEADFAST TO THE LAST: South Carolina Soldiers and Citizens Paroled with the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee at Appomattox C. H., VA and Greensboro, NC April 9th and 26th, 1865 by Randolph W. Kirkland, Jr. Hard cover, 212 pages, maps, dust jacket. This is a alphabetical listing of over 9,000 South Carolinians who surrendered at the end of the War, indicating the rank and unit of the individuals. Mr. Kirkland has compiled this list from official sources. An account of the surrender at Appomattox by an eye witness is included as well as other appendices. Price $45.00.

The Kaminers of South Carolina. Published 1991. Hard cover, 442 + x pages, indexed. $35.00 plus mailing. This genealogy traces the descendants of John Martin Kaminer who died 24 January 1772. His descendants were largely in Lexington and Calhoun counties in South Carolina, with some branches migrating west. It includes facsimiles of documents, photographs, and illustrations.

South Carolina's Royal Grants, Volume One: Books 1 through 9, 1731-1761. Hard Cover, 440 pages, indexed. $45.00 plus mailing. The grant books are not strictly in chronological order, and many of the township grants are in separate volumes. This book is the first of a proposed series.

South Carolina's Royal Grants, Volume Two: Grant Books 10 through 17 1760-1768. Hard cover, 436 pages, indexed. $45.00 plus mailing.

South Carolina's Royal Grants, Volume Three: Grant Books 18 through 24 1768-1773. Hard cover, 436 pages, indexed. $45.00 plus mailing. New publication, 2008.

York County South Carolina Deed Abstracts, Volume I: 1786-1801 [1772-1801] Deed Books A-E. Hard cover, 233 pages, indexed. $35.00 plus mailing. New publication, 2008. York County was formed in 1786 as a county of Camden District. Prior to 1772, it was included in the North Carolina counties of Anson, Mecklenburg, and Tryon. Upon the border survey of 1772, it was included in the area known as the New Acquisition. The York County deed index includes only the land conveyances, but there are conveyances of personal property which are difficult to locate without these abstracts.

Chester County, South Carolina Will Abstracts 1787-1838 [1776-1838]. Hard cover, 220 pages, indexed. $35.00 plus mailing.

Chester County, South Carolina, Deed Abstracts, volume I: 1785-1799 [1768-1799] Deed Book A-F. Soft cover, 296 pages, indexed, maps. $35.00 plus mailing. Chester County is adjacent to the counties of York, Union, Fairfield, Lancaster, and Kershaw.

LAURENS AND NEWBERRY COUNTIES, SOUTH CAROLINA: SALUDA AND LITTLE RIVER SETTLEMENTS 1749-1775. Jesse Hogan Motes, III and Margaret Peckham Motes. 2nd printing 1999. 292 pages. Name/place index. ISBN 0-89308-501-4. Price $35.50 plus mailing. Winner of the 1995 National Genealogical Society Award for Excellence, Methods and Sources. This is a major work for researching early inhabitants of the region that became a part of Laurens and Newberry Counties. Using full page neighborhood maps of land tracts granted by the colony, it traces the settlement of the Saluda River and Little River regions from 1749-1775. This book is more than just maps. Over 1200 South Carolina colonial land records are abstracted and fully cited. These records include the Colonial Plats and Memorials of Land Titles for every land tract that is used in the maps. Petitions for land, 1749-1775, are abstracted. These records are important sources of information on early inhabitants, including; (1) dates that the land petitions were submitted to the Governor's Council; (2) survey dates; (3) grant dates; (4) chain of title on conveyances or inheritances; and (5) names of other inhabitants who are a witness or signee for the grantee.

Ederington's History of Fairfield County, South Carolina. Soft cover, 120 pages, indexed. Price $20.00. This work is a short history of the central South Carolina county of Fairfield. While it is not what we would term a county history today, it contains recollections of events and people not found elsewhere. Some people and families mentioned are David R. Evans, Richard Winn, Lewis, Pickett, Gaither, Lyles, Buchanan, W. W. Boyce, Feaster, Coleman, Ederington, Woodward, Wright, and others.

UNION COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, DEED ABSTRACTS, VOLUME I by Brent H. Holcomb. Soft cover, 306 pages, indexed. Price $35.00 plus $5.00 mailing. Upon the establishment of county courts in South Carolina in 1785, deeds could be recorded locally, in the counties. Union County is fortunate to have suffered no major loss of records. While the deeds in these deed books were recorded between 1785 and 1800, within these deed books are instruments dating from a much earlier time, some as early as 1752. After the border surveys between the two Carolinas in 1764 and 1772, many lands formerly deemed to be in North Carolina fell into South Carolina. For that reason some deeds refer to lands granted by North Carolina, sometimes called "north patents." Union County borders the counties of Spartanburg, Laurens, Newberry, York, Fairfield, and Chester. For that reason, references are found to those counties, or residents of them, within the Union County deeds. In addition to the land conveyances, bills of sale for slaves, and deeds for personal property are included within these deed books. Portions of the counties of Union, Spartanburg, and York were taken to form Cherokee County in 1897.

Union County South Carolina Deed Abstracts, Volume II: Deed Books G-K 1800-1811 [1769-1811] by Brent H. Holcomb. Soft cover, 320 pages, indexed. Price $35.00.

Union County South Carolina Deed Abstracts, Volume III: Deed Books L-P 1811-1820 [1770-1820] by Brent H. Holcomb. Soft cover, 305 pages, indexed. Price $35.00 plus mailing. While the deeds in these deed books were recorded between 1811 and 1820, within these deed books are instruments dating from a much earlier time, some as early as 1770.

Union County, South Carolina Deed Abstracts Volume IV by Brent H. Holcomb. Hard cover, 284 pages, indexed. $35.00. While the deeds in these deed books were recorded between 1820 and 1828, within these deed books are instruments dating from a much earlier time, some as early as 1779.

Union County South Carolina Deed Abstracts, Volume V: 1828-1835 [1778-1835] Deed Books T-W. Hard cover, 286 pages, indexed. $35.00 plus mailing.


Death and Marriage Notices from the Watchman and Observer 1845-1855 by Brent H. Holcomb. Hard cover, 200 pages, indexed. $28.50. This weekly newspaper was the Presbyterian newspaper for the South, beginning when the Charleston Observer ceased publication in 1845. The notices are from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and many other states. Great companion to Charleston Observer volume (listed below).

Marriage and Death Notices from the Charleston Observer 1827-1845 by Brent H. Holcomb. (1980), reprinted 2004 by Heritage Books, soft cover, 283 pp., index. $28.50 Newspaper abstracts can be extremely helpful sources of genealogical data, especially where and when civil records were not kept with diligence. The Observer was a Presbyterian newspaper which published marriage and death notices from a wide area. Although most the notices pertain to South Carolina, many relate to North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.

CHARLESTON DISTRICT, SOUTH CAROLINA, JOURNAL OF THE COURT OF ORDINARY 1812-1830 by Caroline T. Moore, edited by Brent H. Holcomb. cover, reprinted 2022, 216 pages, indexed. This volume represents the last work on a publication done by Mrs. Caroline T. Moore, author of the three volumes of Abstracts of the Wills of the State of South Carolina, a fourth volume Abstracts of the Wills of Charleston District 1783-1800, and an additional volume Abstracts of the Records of the Secretary of the Province 1692-1721, published in the period 1960-1978. The present volume contains information about wills and estates and a list of marriage licenses 1812-1823. With few exceptions, the original loose wills and estates papers for Charleston District do not survive from this period. Therefore, much of the information in this record cannot be found elsewhere. As is the case with many records, there is information included from an earlier time, sometimes many years earlier. A number of soldiers died in 1815, and people from other districts in South Carolina were called on to administer their estates. Price $25.00.

Index to the 1860 Federal Census of South Carolina (by Jonnie P. Arnold). 260 pages, soft cover. $30.00.

Index to the 1860 Mortality Schedule of South Carolina (by Jonnie P. Arnold) soft cover. $10.00. This is a listing of the persons who died in South Carolina June 1, 1859-June 1, 1860.

Marriage and Death Notices from the Charleston, South Carolina, Mercury 1822-1832 by Brent H. Holcomb. Hard cover, 366 pages, indexed. Price $37.50 plus mailing. This daily newspaper began publication in 1822. While the notices from some Charleston newspapers have been published, the Mercury notices have been neglected. Besides the regular marriage and death notices, this volume includes funeral notices, legal notices from burned record districts such as Colleton and Beaufort, and the occasional coroner's reports published in this newspaper. Notices are not limited to Charleston or to South Carolina.

THE HOLCOMBES NATION BUILDERS by Elizabeth Weir McPherson (1947). Reprinted by Higginson Book Company. $155.00. Hard cover, 1345 pages, 8.5 x 11 size.
Available also on flash drive. Contact scmar@juno.com for details.

Greer and related families Sanders, Sims, Glenn, Christmas, Smith, Ferris and Carver of the Carolinas and Virginia. By Brent H. Holcomb (109p., Index, 8.5 x 11 size) hard cover $40.00.

Tombstone Records of Chester County, SC, and Vicinity Volume I compiled from Old Family and Abandoned Church Graveyards (by Louise Kelly Crowder). Reprinted 2003. $25.00 Soft cover, 164 pages.

ROMAN CATHOLIC DEATHS IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA 1800-1860 by Susan S. King. Hard cover, 330 pages, arranged alphabetically. Price $40.00. These records have been compiled from the following sources: St. Mary of the Annunciation Interment Records 1801-1859, St. Lawrence Cemetery Register 1852-1877, St. Patrick's Burial Ground Records, Death Records of the City of Charleston 1819-1859, Correspondence of Bishop Ignatius Reynolds 1854 and The United States Catholic Miscellany 1822-1859. Many entries carry additional information such as "native of Ireland," "son or daughter of," "wife or widow of," etc. So few records have been published concerning Roman Catholics in South Carolina that this volume is a boon to researchers and a welcome addition to the bibliography of source materials available for research on Catholics.

Newberry County South Carolina Deed Abstracts, Volume I: Deed Books A-B 1785-1794 [1751-1794] by Brent H. Holcomb. Soft cover, 215 pages, indexed. Price $30.00.

Newberry County South Carolina Deed Abstracts, Volume II: Deed Books C, D-2 and D 1794-1800 [1765-1800] by Brent H. Holcomb. Soft cover, 215 pages, indexed. Price $30.00.

Newberry County South Carolina Deed Abstracts, Volume III: Deed Books E through H 1800-1806 [1767-1806]. Hard cover, 262 pages, indexed. Price $32.50. This is a continuation of the series.

[Ancestral Research]


Abstracts of the Wills of the State of South Carolina 1670-1740.
Hard cover. Price $40.00. 346 + xiv pages. This volume contains abstracts of wills from the beginning of the province of South Carolina. Some of these wills make reference to previous residences such as Barbados, France, New England, and England.

Abstracts of the Wills of the State of South Carolina 1740-1760.
Hard cover. Price $45.00. 355 + xii pages. Wills abstracted in this volume reflect the expansion of the province inland, such as that of Abraham Pennington in 1755, who lived in what was later Newberry County. Wills from persons settled in the townships, such as Williamsburg, and parishes, such as St. Bartholomew's, are found as well.

Abstracts of the Wills of the State of South Carolina 1760-1784.
Hard cover. Price $45.00. 454 + xii pages. The wills abstracts in this volume take us from the late Colonial period through the Revolution to the time when the districts, such as Ninety Six and Camden, took over the probate function in late 1781. In this period portions which had been in North Carolina were added to South Carolina by the border surveys of 1764 and 1772, known as the New Acquisition.

Abstracts of the Wills of Charleston District, South Carolina 1783-1800.
Hard cover. Price $45.00. 526 + x pages. Wills abstracted in this volume are from the present-day counties of Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, and Berkeley. Colleton District was formed in 1800 from Charleston District. Still there is an occasional will from another part of South Carolina, such as St. Matthews Parish, Prince William's Parish, and Ninety Six District.

Abstracts of Records of the Secretary of the Province of South Carolina 1692-1721.
Hard cover. Price $50.00. 457 + xii pages. Records abstracted in this volume include administration bonds, some wills not included in the other volumes, warrants of appraisement, letters of administration, letters of guardianship,m and other items which might be found in estate packets if such packets were extant. This volume is essential for research in the early period of South Carolina.

Order from:
Brent H. Holcomb
PO Box 21766
Columbia, SC 29221



Newberry County, South Carolina, Minutes of the County Court 1785-1798 Hard cover, $38.00.

St. David's Parish, South Carolina, Minutes of the Vestry 1768-1832 Parish Register 1819-1924 Hard cover, 150 pages plus index. $28.50 (Out of print)
[genealogy]St. David's parish covered the exact same area as Cheraw District, the counties of Darlington, Chesterfield, and Marlboro.

Marriage and Death Notices from Baptist Newspapers of South Carolina 1835-1865 $32.50

Marriage and Death Notices from Columbia, South Carolina, Newspapers 1838-1860 (including legal notices from burnt counties) $35.00
[genealogy]Columbia newspapers were regional and carried notices from Richland, Fairfield, Newberry, and other counties. One newspaper included in this work is the South Carolina Temperance Advocate, which carried notices from all over South Carolina.

Marriage and Death Notices from Upper South Carolina Newspapers 1843-1865 $28.50 (currently out of print)
[genealogy]These are notices from newspapers of Spartanburg, Laurens, Newberry, and Lexington newspapers.

Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Will Abstracts 1787-1840 $30.00

Spartanburgh County, SC, Minutes of the County Court 1785-1799 $35.00

Union County, South Carolina, Will Abstracts 1787-1849 $25.00

Union County, SC, Minutes of the County Court 1785-1799 $45.00

Chester County, SC, Minutes of the County Court 1785-1799 $40.00

Marriage and Death Notices from the Up-Country of South Carolina as taken from Greenville newspapers 1826-1863 $30.00

Jackson of North Pacolet: Descendants of Samuel Jackson Sr. (Died 1796, Spartanburg County, SC) $30.00

Ancestors and Descendants of Charles Humphries (d. 1837) Union District, South Carolina 1677-1984 $25.00

Orangeburg District, South Carolina, Estate Partitions from the Court of Equity 1824-1837 $20.00
[genealogy]This book contains a transcription of the only official record to survive before 1865 for Orangeburg County.

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Will Abstracts 1763-1790 (soft cover) $12.00

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Deed Abstracts 1763-1779 (published by Southern Historical Press) $32.50. These deed abstracts cover the period from the formation of Mecklenburg County through 1779. Tryon County was formed from Mecklenburg in 1769. Prior to 1772, much of upper South Carolina was considered to be in North Carolina.


Tryon County, North Carolina, Minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions 1769-1779 Soft cover, 234 pages, indexed. $30.00
[genealogy]Tryon County was formed in 1769 from the western portion of Mecklenburg County and abolished in 1779 to form Lincoln and Rutherford Counties. Prior to the border survey of 1772, it included all or portions of the South Carolina counties of York, Chester, Union, Spartanburg, Laurens, Greenville, and Newberry.

The single most important record for any North Carolina county is the minutes of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. Lists of deeds proved and recorded are found in the court minutes, as well as lists of wills proved or administrations on intestate estates taken out. The construction of roads and the road juries (sometimes called road gangs) who were to lay out and maintain the roads are spelled out in these records. Small court cases (usually over debt), depositions, jury lists, tax officials' names with their districts, tavern licenses and tavern rates, and care of the poor of the county are among the many kinds of records included in the court minutes.


Deed Abstracts of Tryon, Lincoln, and Rutherford Counties, North Carolina 1769-1786 Tryon County Wills and Estates Hard Cover, $32.50 (Currently out of print)

PETITIONS FOR LAND FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNCIL JOURNALS VOLUME I:1734/5-1748 Hard cover, 341 pages, indexed. $40.00

PETITIONS FOR LAND FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNCIL JOURNALS VOLUME II:1748-1752 Hard cover, 279 pages, indexed. $40.00

PETITIONS FOR LAND FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNCIL JOURNALS VOLUME III:1752-1753 Hard cover, 316 pages, indexed. $40.00

PETITIONS FOR LAND FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNCIL JOURNALS VOLUME IV, 1754-1756 Hard cover, $40.00

PETITIONS FOR LAND FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNCIL JOURNALS VOLUME V, 1757-1765 Hard cover, 352 pages, indexed, $40.00 plus mailing.

PETITIONS FOR LAND FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNCIL JOURNALS VOLUME VI: 1766-1770 by Brent H. Holcomb. Hard cover, 420 pages, indexed. Price $45.00 plus mailing.

PETITIONS FOR LAND FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNCIL JOURNALS VOLUME VII: 1771-1774 by Brent H. Holcomb. Hard cover, 420 pages, indexed. Price $45.00 plus mailing.
[genealogy]The petitions for land found in the Council Journals are probably the best source for immigration and migration in the Colonial period. Many petitions indicate that the petitioners are foreign protestants who came on the encouragement given by South Carolina. Some petitions indicate migration to South Carolina from other provinces; some indicate slave holdings of low-country planters; still others give information on persons who died before their land titles could be perfected and the heirs are named. In the period covered in this volume, the first petitions for land in the newly established townships and other areas are to be found: Orangeburg, Amelia, Williamsburg, Purrysburg, the Welch Tract, Saxa Gotha, Kingston, Fredericksburg, Queensboro, etc. All of the petitions are properly referenced so that the reader may obtain copies of the appropriate pages from the original journals if desired.

PARISH REGISTERS OF PRINCE GEORGE WINYAH CHURCH, GEORGETOWN, SOUTH CAROLINA 1815-1936 by Brent H. Holcomb. Hard cover, 200 pages, indexed. $30.00
[genealogy]The year of 1996 marked the 275th anniversary of the establishment of Prince George Winyah Parish. Since vital records in South Carolina are largely a twentieth century phenomenon, the publication of any record containing records of births, marriages, and deaths prior to that time is important. The Prince George Winyah registers are even more important because of the loss of records in Georgetown District for the antebellum period. As we approach the twenty-first century, we are realizing that nineteenth century and early twentieth century records are gaining importance. The first known register of Prince George Winyah Parish begins in 1815 and ends in 1916. The second register, 1916-1936, is included also in this volume. These registers contain records of baptisms, burials, confirmations, marriages, and lists of communicants. The burials of elderly persons in the first few decades of the first register are for persons who were born in the colonial period. The entries in these registers for slaves, negroes, and free persons of color will be a boon to those interested in African-American history and genealogy.

South Carolina Deed Abstracts 1719-1740 Books A-T (published by Southern Historical Press) $40.00

South Carolina Deed Abstracts 1740-1755 Books V-PP (published by Southern Historical Press) $40.00

South Carolina Deed Abstracts 1755-1768 Books QQ - H-3 (published by Southern Historical Press) $40.00

South Carolina Deed Abstracts 1768-1772 Books I-3 - E-4 (published by Southern Historical Press) $40.00


[genealogy]These volumes are a continuation of the abstracts prepared under Clara Langley of the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s (published in four volumes by Southern Historical Press). Until the establishment of county courts in South Carolina in 1785, all deeds were recorded in Charleston. While the deeds in these deed books (I-5 through Z-5) were recorded between 1783 and 1788, within these deed books are instruments dating from a much earlier time, some as early as 1703. After the border surveys between the two Carolinas in 1764 and 1772, many lands formerly deemed to be in North Carolina fell into South Carolina. For that reason some deeds refer to lands granted by North Carolina, sometimes called "north patents." In the period beginning in 1783 we find some deeds recorded from the Commissioners of Forfeited Estates and the Commissions of Confiscated Estates. Within the bodies of such deeds are found the names of such persons whose land had been confiscated, usually indicated as "lands formerly the property of..." The names of these persons are not indicated in the deed index, only the persons who purchased the land. Therefore, these abstracts will be clues as to the disposition of lands of many Loyalists.


A History of Dentistry in South Carolina by Allen Charles. Hard cover. $10.00

Stanley Ties by James Savage Stanley, Jr. (1982). Families Related by Marriage to Descendants of Sands Stanley of the Pee Dee Valley: Edward, Daughtery, Bacto, Brunson, Brown, Thompson, Lucius, Wright, Ford, Montgomery, Knight. $15.00. Hard cover, 209 pages.

[Ancestral Research]

Your Host at SCMAR, Mr. Brent Holcomb



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