Socastee Genealogy Records
Socastee genealogy research draws on Horry County records, as Socastee is an unincorporated community in Horry County along the Intracoastal Waterway near Myrtle Beach. Socastee is one of the oldest continuous settlements in Horry County, with roots going back to the colonial era. The area along the Waccamaw Neck was among the earliest inland settlements on this part of the South Carolina coast. Because Socastee is unincorporated, all official genealogy records are maintained at the Horry County level through the Probate Court and Register of Deeds in Conway. The Socastee Heritage Foundation works to preserve the history and records of this historic community.
Socastee Quick Facts
Socastee Heritage Foundation and Local Resources for Genealogy
The Socastee Heritage Foundation preserves the history and records of the Socastee community and serves as the primary local resource for Socastee-specific genealogy research. The foundation maintains materials related to the families who have lived in Socastee across generations, from the earliest colonial-era settlers through the farming families of the nineteenth century and the residents who witnessed the community's transformation as Myrtle Beach development expanded in the late twentieth century. Researchers working on Socastee genealogy should contact the foundation for guidance on surviving local records and family histories specific to this community.
The Horry County Museum at 428 Main Street, Conway, SC 29526 holds the primary historical collections for Horry County. The museum's resources cover the agricultural and waterway communities of Horry County including the Socastee area, and its collections document the farming, fishing, and lumber economy that supported Socastee families from the nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century. The Horry County Memorial Library at 1008 Fifth Avenue, Conway, SC 29526 holds genealogy resources for all of Horry County. Phone: (843) 248-1520. The library's collections include local newspapers, compiled family histories, and genealogy reference materials that document Horry County families across the county including the Socastee area.
Socastee's history as one of Horry County's older communities means it is well-documented in the county's census records, church records, and land records going back to the early nineteenth century. Identifying which congregation served the Socastee community in a specific time period is important for locating pre-registration vital records, as the Baptist and Methodist churches of the Waccamaw Neck area maintained registers from the early 1800s.
The Online Records Index covers the Horry County land and court records that document Socastee's long history as one of the county's oldest continuously settled communities, with records accessible from the county's 1801 formation through the SCDAH system.
Horry County Records for Socastee Genealogy
The Horry County Probate Court at 1301 2nd Avenue, Conway, SC 29526 holds marriage licenses from July 1, 1911 through June 30, 1950 and estate records from the county's 1801 formation. Phone: (843) 915-5370. For Socastee marriages from July 1950 onward, contact the South Carolina Department of Public Health at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201. Phone: 803-898-3630. Estate records for the Socastee area document the farming families of the Waccamaw Neck from the earliest county period, and the probate court's holdings represent a continuous record of community life in this part of Horry County.
The Horry County Register of Deeds at 1301 2nd Avenue, Conway maintains land records for the Socastee area and all of Horry County. Phone: (843) 915-5408. Land records for Socastee document ownership and transactions in this agricultural community from the county's 1801 formation. The SCDAH Online Records Index includes Georgetown District land plats that predate Horry County's formation and cover the Socastee area from the colonial period.
Socastee Area Vital Records
South Carolina required birth and death registration starting January 1, 1915. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds Horry 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 Horry County deaths from 1915 through 1967. Records for Socastee residents are filed under Horry County. For Socastee genealogy before 1915, the Baptist and Methodist church records from the Waccamaw Neck area are the primary sources for pre-registration vital events. Socastee's long history means its families are documented in the census records from 1820 onward, providing a continuous record of the community through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that can supplement the church records and county estate records.
The State Library guide helps Socastee researchers navigate the Horry County and state record system, which holds all official genealogy records for this unincorporated community with one of the longest continuous histories in the Grand Strand area.
Nearby Cities
Socastee is an unincorporated community in Horry County near Myrtle Beach. All Horry County genealogy records are held at the county probate court and register of deeds in Conway.