Calhoun County Genealogy Records
Calhoun County genealogy research requires an understanding of the county's relatively recent formation. Created in 1908 from parts of Lexington County and Orangeburg County, Calhoun County maintains its own records from that year forward. For any ancestor who lived in the Calhoun County area before 1908, researchers must consult either Lexington or Orangeburg county records depending on which portion of the current county their ancestor occupied. The Calhoun County Probate Court, Register of Deeds, and public library are the primary local sources. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia holds collections that extend into the parent county records and supplement what is available at the county level.
Calhoun County Quick Facts
Calhoun County Probate Court Records
The Calhoun County Probate Court holds marriage licenses issued from 1908 through June 30, 1950. When the county formed in 1908, it began maintaining its own marriage records separate from Lexington and Orangeburg counties. Under S.C. Code Ann. § 20-1-20, every marriage in South Carolina requires a written application filed with the Probate Court before a license is issued. The court maintains a permanent record of all licenses as required by § 20-1-270. The Probate Court is at Calhoun County Courthouse, 902 W Sycamore Street, St. Matthews, SC 29135. Phone: (803) 874-3514.
Estate records at the Calhoun County Probate Court include wills, inventories, administration papers, and guardianship files from 1908 forward. These documents name heirs, list property, and define family relationships. Probate inventories from the early twentieth century can reveal detailed household contents and identify extended family members who appeared as witnesses or beneficiaries. These records are primary sources for Calhoun County genealogy research from the county's founding through the mid-twentieth century.
For Calhoun County marriage records from July 1950 onward, contact the South Carolina Department of Public Health at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201. Phone: 803-898-3630.
Pre-1908 Calhoun Genealogy: Lexington and Orangeburg Records
All genealogy records for the Calhoun County area before 1908 are located in Lexington County or Orangeburg County depending on where an ancestor lived. Identifying which parent county holds the records requires knowing the geographic location of an ancestor within the current Calhoun County boundaries. The northern and western portions of Calhoun County were carved from Lexington County, while the southern and eastern portions came from Orangeburg County.
Lexington County records are held at the Lexington County Probate Court and Register of Deeds. Orangeburg County records are held at the Orangeburg County Probate Court and Register of Deeds. Both parent county collections are also accessible through the South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia. The SCDAH Online Records Index at archivesindex.sc.gov allows name-based searches across all holdings and may return results connected to the Calhoun area within the Lexington or Orangeburg collections.
SCDAH staff can help researchers determine which parent county holds specific records from the Calhoun area and can locate the relevant microfilm or documents in their collections.
Calhoun County Vital Records for Genealogy
South Carolina required birth and death registration starting January 1, 1915. Under S.C. Code Ann. § 44-63-10, every birth in the state must be registered within five days. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds Calhoun 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.
Death certificates become public records 50 years after death under § 44-63-84. The free South Carolina death index for genealogy covers Calhoun County deaths from 1915 through 1967. Search by name to find the indexed entry and then request the full certificate from SCDAH or DPH. For Calhoun County genealogy research before 1915, church records and census data are the main sources for vital events. Calhoun County has a number of long-established churches whose registers document births, deaths, and marriages going back into the nineteenth century when the area was part of Lexington and Orangeburg counties.
Calhoun County Register of Deeds and Land Records
The Calhoun County Register of Deeds maintains land records from 1908 forward. Deeds, mortgages, and plats filed since the county's formation document property ownership across the twentieth century and into the present. Under Title 30 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, counties are required to maintain and preserve these public land records. For land transactions in the Calhoun area before 1908, researchers must consult Lexington or Orangeburg county Register of Deeds offices.
The SCDAH Online Records Index includes state land grant plats from 1784 to 1868 that may cover the Calhoun County area. These early plats document the original allocation of land in the region during the Lexington and Orangeburg county eras. They are useful for tracing the earliest families in what became Calhoun County. Researchers should search these plats using the names of known ancestors to find any original land grants in the area.
Calhoun County Library and Local Resources
The Calhoun County Library at 900 W Church Street, St. Matthews, SC 29135 provides local history resources and genealogical materials. Phone: (803) 874-3389. The library holds materials specific to Calhoun County and the surrounding region. Census records, local newspapers, and family history materials available through the library can complement the official county genealogy records held at the courthouse.
The South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston at 100 Meeting Street holds manuscript collections and genealogy vertical files that may include materials relevant to Calhoun County families. Phone: (843) 723-3225. Their holdings span the Lowcountry and Midlands regions of South Carolina and may include documents from families who lived in the Calhoun area before and after the county was formed.
The SCGenWeb Archives maintains volunteer-contributed genealogy records for South Carolina counties including Calhoun. Because Calhoun County is small and was formed from Lexington and Orangeburg counties in 1908, researchers should also search the Lexington County and Orangeburg County sections of SCGenWeb for records that cover the Calhoun area before 1908.
The State Library guide is especially useful for Calhoun County genealogy because the county's 1908 formation date means that different types of records may be found in different repositories depending on when an ancestor lived in the area.
South Carolina Archives Resources for Calhoun County Genealogy
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds materials related to Calhoun County and its parent counties. SCDAH is at 8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223. Phone: (803) 896-6100. The Research Room is open to the public and provides access to microfilm of county records, land documents, and census materials. Staff can assist with research queries by mail, phone, or email.
The SCDAH Digital Collections include Confederate Pension Applications from 1919 to 1938, Will Transcripts from 1782 to 1855, and colonial plats. Will Transcripts from the Lexington and Orangeburg county collections may include estates from families living in what became Calhoun County before 1908. Confederate Pension Applications from 1919 to 1938 may include veterans from the Calhoun area who applied after the county was formed.
The Library of Congress South Carolina genealogy guide provides a curated directory of resources covering all South Carolina counties including Calhoun. The South Carolina Genealogical Society publishes transcribed records and connects researchers to county-level genealogy resources through local chapters across the state.
Cities in Calhoun County
St. Matthews is the county seat of Calhoun County. All county genealogy records are maintained at the Calhoun County courthouse offices on W Sycamore Street.
Nearby Counties
Calhoun County was formed from Lexington and Orangeburg counties in 1908. Those parent counties hold genealogy records for the Calhoun area before that year.