North Charleston Genealogy Records
North Charleston genealogy research draws on Charleston County records, as North Charleston is located within Charleston County. The city incorporated in 1972 and is now the third-largest city in South Carolina. Because the city is relatively recent, all historical genealogy records for the North Charleston area are held within the Charleston County system. The Charleston County Probate Court, Register of Deeds, and the South Carolina Room at the Charleston County Public Library are the primary sources for North Charleston genealogy. Records from the area's colonial and antebellum history are found in the Charleston County collections at the courthouse and the South Carolina Historical Society.
North Charleston Quick Facts
Charleston County Records for North Charleston Genealogy
All official genealogy records for North Charleston 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 all of Charleston County including the North Charleston area. Phone: (843) 958-5182. Property records for North Charleston addresses document ownership through the county-level recording system regardless of the city's incorporation date. Land in the North Charleston area was part of Charleston County long before the city was established.
Charleston County Public Library for North Charleston Research
The Charleston County Public Library system serves North Charleston residents and provides access to genealogical resources through its branches. The main library's South Carolina Room at 68 Calhoun Street holds the Charleston Death Card File from 1819 to 1926 and microfilm of county death certificates from 1866 to 1914. Phone: (843) 805-6952. These materials cover the North Charleston area because the territory was part of Charleston County before the city incorporated.
The South Carolina Room also holds city directories that may list North Charleston area residents before the city's incorporation, census records covering the area, and local newspapers. For genealogy research tracing families in the North Charleston area before 1972, the county-level records at the South Carolina Room and the Charleston County Probate Court are the primary sources.
North Charleston's modern status as a large city belies the deep history of the surrounding area, which includes colonial-era plantations and communities documented in Charleston County records.
North Charleston 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 the North Charleston area are filed under Charleston County. The South Carolina Historical Society at 100 Meeting Street, Charleston holds the Charleston Death Register from 1821 to 1927 and the Charleston Birth Register from 1877 to 1927, which include records for the broader Charleston area. Phone: (843) 723-3225.
SCDAH in Columbia holds microfilm and digital collections covering Charleston County records that include the North Charleston area, accessible through the Research Room and online.
Nearby Cities
North Charleston is in Charleston County. All county genealogy records are held at the Charleston County Probate Court and Register of Deeds in downtown Charleston.