Goose Creek Genealogy Records
Goose Creek genealogy research draws on Berkeley County records, as Goose Creek is located in Berkeley County northwest of Charleston. The city incorporated in 1961, but the area has a history extending back to the earliest European settlement of Carolina. The St. James Goose Creek Parish, established in 1706, was one of the original Church of England parishes in the province, and its church records are among the oldest genealogical documents in South Carolina. Modern genealogy records for Goose Creek residents are maintained through the Berkeley County Probate Court and Register of Deeds in Moncks Corner.
Goose Creek Quick Facts
St. James Goose Creek Parish Records for Genealogy
The St. James Goose Creek Parish is one of the most historically significant resources for Goose Creek genealogy. The parish was established in 1706 and served the wealthy planter families of the Goose Creek area through the colonial and early American periods. The original church, St. James Goose Creek Church, still stands as a National Historic Landmark and its surviving registers include baptism, marriage, and burial records that document the earliest white and enslaved residents of the area. These colonial parish records are held through the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina and have been microfilmed and are accessible through the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
The South Carolina Historical Society at 100 Meeting Street, Charleston holds manuscript collections related to the planter families of the Goose Creek area. Phone: (843) 723-3225. The society's holdings include personal papers, plantation records, and family documents from the colonial and antebellum periods that are essential for Goose Creek genealogy research reaching back before civil registration. The Berkeley Museum at 950 Stony Landing Road, Moncks Corner holds materials on Berkeley County history including the Goose Creek area, with exhibits and research resources on the colonial plantations and the families who owned and worked them.
The Online Records Index is a valuable starting point for Goose Creek researchers because the Goose Creek area's history extends to the earliest colonial land grants in South Carolina, many of which are indexed and accessible through this free tool.
Berkeley County Records for Goose Creek Genealogy
The Berkeley County Probate Court at 300 California Avenue, Moncks Corner, SC 29461 holds marriage licenses from July 1, 1911 through June 30, 1950 and estate records from 1882 when Berkeley County was reorganized in its current form. Phone: (843) 719-4539. For Goose Creek marriages from July 1950 onward, contact the South Carolina Department of Public Health at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201. Phone: 803-898-3630. Berkeley County was originally one of the original parishes of colonial South Carolina but was reorganized through various county restructurings before taking its current form. Researchers tracing families in the Goose Creek area through the nineteenth century may need to consult Charleston County records, as the area's county affiliation changed over time.
The Berkeley County Register of Deeds at 300 California Avenue, Moncks Corner maintains land records for Goose Creek and all of Berkeley County. Phone: (843) 719-4551. The Berkeley County Library Goose Creek branch at 100 St. James Avenue, Goose Creek, SC 29445 provides access to genealogy resources including local history materials specific to the Goose Creek area. Phone: (843) 764-2220. The library serves as a convenient research base for Goose Creek genealogy and can direct researchers to the county, state, and church records that document the area's long history.
Goose Creek Genealogy Vital Records
South Carolina required birth and death registration starting January 1, 1915. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds Berkeley County birth records for 1915 to 1918 online and death records for 1915 to 1963. The South Carolina Department of Public Health holds vital records from 1915 to present at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia. Phone: 803-898-3630.
The free South Carolina death index for genealogy covers Berkeley County deaths from 1915 through 1967. Records for Goose Creek residents are filed under Berkeley County. For genealogy before 1915, the St. James Goose Creek Parish records and census data are essential sources. The Freedmen's Bureau records for the South Carolina coast are also important for tracing African American families from the Goose Creek and Berkeley County area in the period immediately following the Civil War. These federal records are accessible through the National Archives and genealogy databases.
SCDAH holds colonial parish records, early land grants, and Berkeley County court records that make it the essential repository for Goose Creek genealogy research extending back to the area's colonial settlement period.
Nearby Cities
Goose Creek is in Berkeley County. Nearby communities include North Charleston and Summerville in the greater Charleston metropolitan area.