Charleston Genealogy Records
Charleston genealogy research benefits from one of the richest concentrations of historical records in the American South. Charleston is the oldest city in South Carolina, founded in 1670 as Charles Towne. The records documenting generations of Charleston families are distributed across multiple repositories including the Charleston County Public Library South Carolina Room, the South Carolina Historical Society, the Charleston County Probate Court, and the City of Charleston Archives. All genealogy records for Charleston residents are maintained at the Charleston County level through the Probate Court and Register of Deeds, supplemented by the extraordinary local collections that make Charleston one of the best-documented cities in South Carolina.
Charleston Quick Facts
Charleston County Public Library South Carolina Room
The South Carolina Room at the Charleston County Public Library is the primary repository for Charleston genealogical research. The library is at 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC 29401. Phone: (843) 805-6952. The South Carolina Room holds the Charleston Death Card File covering 1819 to 1926, which serves as an index to death certificates and provides name, date of death, cause, and place of interment. The collection includes microfilm of Charleston County death certificates from 1866 to 1914 and Returns of Deaths for the City of Charleston starting in 1819.
The library also holds microfilm of Charleston County Probate Office marriage records from 1877 to 1922, Post and Courier obituaries and death notices, city directories from various years, cemetery records for Charleston city cemeteries, and church records for city congregations. These materials make the South Carolina Room an essential starting point for any Charleston genealogy research.
Charleston's colonial-era founding in 1670 means genealogy research can extend back to the earliest European settlement in the Carolinas, with records distributed across county, state, and local archives.
South Carolina Historical Society for Charleston Genealogy
The South Carolina Historical Society at 100 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401 holds extensive collections specifically for Charleston genealogy. Phone: (843) 723-3225. The collections include the Charleston Death Register from 1821 to 1927, the Charleston Birth Register from 1877 to 1927, Charleston church records including membership rolls and vital events, the WPA Tombstone index for Charleston, and genealogy vertical files with research notes on Charleston families. Manuscript collections with personal papers of Charleston residents are also available through the society.
The Charleston Library Society at 164 King Street was founded in 1748 and maintains historical collections including early Charleston publications and manuscripts. Non-members may access the reference area and daily memberships are available for extended research. The Charleston Museum at 360 Meeting Street maintains archives with photos, military records, and family papers related to Charleston residents. Phone: (843) 722-2996.
Charleston Vital Records and Probate Records
The Charleston County Probate Court maintains marriage records from 1877 forward, the earliest county-level marriage records in South Carolina. The Probate Court is at 100 Broad Street Suite 469, Charleston, SC 29401. Phone: (843) 958-5180. Marriage records from 1877 to 1950 are held at the county level. For marriages from July 1950 onward, contact the South Carolina Department of Public Health at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201. Phone: 803-898-3630.
South Carolina required statewide birth and death registration starting January 1, 1915. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds Charleston County birth records for 1915 to 1918 online and death records for 1915 to 1963. The free South Carolina death index for genealogy covers Charleston County deaths from 1915 through 1967. For Charleston genealogy before 1915, the CCPL South Carolina Room's death card file and the SC Historical Society's birth and death registers fill part of this gap back to the early nineteenth century.
Charleston Land Records and City Archives
The Charleston County Register of Deeds at 101 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401 maintains land records. Phone: (843) 958-5182. Deeds and plats for Charleston properties document ownership from the colonial era. The SCDAH Online Records Index includes state land grant plats that cover the Charleston area going back to the colonial period.
The City of Charleston Archives at 2 George Street maintains municipal records including City Council minutes and historical records of city government. Phone: (843) 724-3767. City records may contain information about Charleston residents, property ownership, and municipal activities that supplements the county-level genealogy records. Historic Charleston Foundation at 40 E Bay Street preserves records related to Charleston's historic properties and the families who lived in them. Phone: (843) 723-1623.
The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina Archives maintains colonial parish records for Charleston churches including St. Philip's and St. Michael's, with records of births, deaths, marriages, and baptisms going back to the colonial era. These church records are essential for Charleston genealogy research before civil registration began.
SCDAH in Columbia holds microfilm and digital collections covering Charleston County from the colonial period forward, complementing the extensive local resources available in Charleston itself.
Nearby Cities
Charleston is in Charleston County. Other cities in the county share the same county-level genealogy records held at the Charleston County Probate Court and Register of Deeds.