Cherokee County Genealogy Records
Cherokee County genealogy research requires knowledge of the county's formation history. Created in 1897 from portions of Union, York, and Spartanburg counties, Cherokee County maintains its own records from that year forward. For ancestors who lived in the Cherokee County area before 1897, records are distributed among those three parent counties depending on where the ancestor lived within the current county boundaries. The Cherokee County Probate Court, Register of Deeds, and public library are the primary local genealogy sources. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia holds additional collections that cover Cherokee County and its parent counties.
Cherokee County Quick Facts
Cherokee County Probate Court and Marriage Records
The Cherokee County Probate Court holds marriage licenses issued from 1897 through June 30, 1950. When the county formed in 1897, it began maintaining its own marriage records. 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 Judge of Probate must keep a permanent record of all licenses as required by § 20-1-270. The court is at Cherokee County Courthouse, 110 W Main Street, Gaffney, SC 29340. Phone: (864) 902-1315.
Estate records at the Cherokee County Probate Court include wills, inventories, administration papers, and guardianship files from 1897 forward. These documents name heirs, list property, and define family relationships across generations. Early twentieth-century probate inventories from Cherokee County can document the textile-era families who settled in the Gaffney area as mills and industrial activity grew in the county after its formation. These records provide detailed pictures of household contents and property ownership for Cherokee County genealogy research.
For Cherokee 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-1897 Cherokee Genealogy: Union, York, and Spartanburg Records
All genealogy records for the Cherokee County area before 1897 are located in Union County, York County, or Spartanburg County. Knowing which parent county applies to a specific ancestor requires identifying the geographic location of their residence within the current Cherokee County boundaries. The northern portion of Cherokee County generally came from York County, the western portion from Spartanburg County, and the eastern portion from Union County, though the exact boundaries varied.
Union County Probate Court is at 210 W Main Street, Union, SC 29379. York County Probate Court is at 1070 Heckle Blvd, Rock Hill, SC 29732. Spartanburg County Probate Court is at 180 Magnolia Street, Spartanburg, SC 29306. All three parent counties also hold land records that predate Cherokee County's formation. The SCDAH Online Records Index allows name-based searches across all holdings and may return results connected to the Cherokee area within those parent county collections.
SCDAH staff can help researchers navigate the three parent county collections to locate specific records for ancestors who lived in the Cherokee County area before 1897.
Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee County deaths from 1915 through 1967. For Cherokee County genealogy research before 1915, census records, church registers, and county probate files are the primary sources. Cherokee County churches established in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries maintain registers that document baptisms, marriages, and burials in the Gaffney area.
Cherokee County Register of Deeds and Land Records
The Cherokee County Register of Deeds maintains land records from 1897 forward. The office is at 110 W Main Street, Gaffney, SC 29340. Phone: (864) 902-1351. Deeds, mortgages, and plats document property ownership across the twentieth century and are among the most useful records for Cherokee County genealogy research. 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 Cherokee County area before 1897, researchers must consult Union, York, or Spartanburg county Register of Deeds offices. The SCDAH Online Records Index includes state land grant plats from 1784 to 1868 that cover the Cherokee County area during the era when it was part of the parent counties. These early plats document original land grants in the region and help identify the first families to settle in what became Cherokee County.
Cherokee County Library and Local Resources
The Cherokee County Public Library at 300 E Rutledge Avenue, Gaffney, SC 29340 maintains local history and genealogy collections. Phone: (864) 489-3044. The library holds materials specific to Cherokee County and the surrounding Upstate South Carolina region. Census records, local newspapers, and family history materials available through the library can complement official county genealogy records held at the courthouse.
The Cherokee County Historical Society preserves local history and maintains genealogical collections specific to the county. The society may hold materials from the Cherokee County area dating back to the period when the territory was part of Union, York, and Spartanburg counties. The Cherokee County Museum in Gaffney holds artifacts and documents related to county history that can add context to genealogy research.
The SCGenWeb Archives maintains volunteer-contributed genealogy records for Cherokee County and the surrounding Upstate area. The archives include cemetery transcriptions, census extracts, and family histories that are free to access online. Because Cherokee County was formed from three parent counties, researchers should also check the Union, York, and Spartanburg sections of SCGenWeb for records covering the Cherokee area before 1897.
The South Carolina death index for genealogy covers Cherokee County deaths from 1915 through 1967 and is a free online resource for finding death records before requesting full certificates from SCDAH or DPH.
South Carolina Archives Resources for Cherokee County Genealogy
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds records related to Cherokee County and its parent counties. SCDAH is at 8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223. Phone: (803) 896-6100. The Research Room provides access to microfilm of county records, land documents, and census materials. Staff answer queries by mail, email, and phone.
The SCDAH Digital Collections include Confederate Pension Applications from 1919 to 1938, Will Transcripts from 1782 to 1855, and colonial plats. Will Transcripts from Union, York, and Spartanburg counties may include estates from the Cherokee County area before 1897. Confederate Pension Applications from 1919 to 1938 may include veterans from Cherokee County who applied after the county was formed.
The Library of Congress South Carolina genealogy guide provides a curated directory of resources covering Cherokee County and all other South Carolina counties. The South Carolina Genealogical Society publishes transcribed records and connects researchers to county-level genealogy resources through local chapters.
Cities in Cherokee County
Gaffney is the county seat of Cherokee County. All county genealogy records are maintained at the Cherokee County courthouse offices on W Main Street.
Nearby Counties
Cherokee County was formed from Union, York, and Spartanburg counties in 1897. Those parent counties hold genealogy records for the Cherokee area before that year.