Mount Pleasant Genealogy Records
Mount Pleasant genealogy research draws on Charleston County records, as Mount Pleasant is located within Charleston County across the Cooper River from Charleston. The town was incorporated in 1837 as a summer retreat for Charleston families and later grew into a major community connected to the sea islands and the Gullah heritage of the Carolina coast. All official genealogy records for Mount Pleasant residents are held at the Charleston County Probate Court and Register of Deeds. The Charleston County Public Library serves Mount Pleasant through its local branches and the main South Carolina Room in Charleston.
Mount Pleasant Quick Facts
Charleston County Records for Mount Pleasant Genealogy
All official genealogy records for Mount Pleasant residents are maintained at the Charleston County level. The Charleston County Probate Court at 100 Broad Street Suite 469, Charleston, SC 29401 holds marriage licenses from July 1, 1911 through June 30, 1950 and estate records dating back to the colonial era. Phone: (843) 958-5180. 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.
The Charleston County Register of Deeds at 101 Meeting Street maintains land records for Mount Pleasant properties. Phone: (843) 958-5182. Early land records for the Mount Pleasant area are part of the broader Charleston County collections and include colonial-era grants for the Christ Church Parish area, which encompassed present-day Mount Pleasant. The SCDAH Online Records Index includes colonial-era land plats that cover the Mount Pleasant area.
Gullah Heritage and Local Resources for Mount Pleasant
The Mount Pleasant area includes communities with deep Gullah Geechee heritage. Researchers tracing African American families from the sea islands near Mount Pleasant should consult Freedmen's Bureau records for the South Carolina Sea Islands, which cover this area from the Civil War era. The Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival Association preserves Gullah culture and history of the Mount Pleasant and sea island area.
The Mount Pleasant Historical Society preserves town history and maintains collections related to the development of Mount Pleasant from its origins as a summer retreat through its modern growth. The Charleston County Public Library's Mount Pleasant branch provides access to genealogical resources including materials specific to the town and surrounding sea islands. The main South Carolina Room at 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston holds the primary genealogy collections for the broader Charleston County area including Mount Pleasant. Phone: (843) 805-6952.
The Online Records Index covers colonial-era records for the Charleston area including the sea island and Christ Church Parish lands that became Mount Pleasant, useful for tracing families in the area before the town's 1837 incorporation.
Mount Pleasant Vital Records
South Carolina required 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 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 Charleston County deaths from 1915 through 1967. Records for Mount Pleasant residents are filed under Charleston County. For genealogy before 1915, the Charleston County Public Library South Carolina Room's collections and the South Carolina Historical Society's registers fill part of this gap for the broader Charleston area including Mount Pleasant.
SCDAH holds colonial-era plats and records for the sea islands and parish lands that became Mount Pleasant, essential for tracing the earliest families in this part of Charleston County.
Nearby Cities
Mount Pleasant is in Charleston County. All county genealogy records are held at the Charleston County Probate Court and Register of Deeds in downtown Charleston.