Chesterfield County Genealogy Records
Chesterfield County genealogy research draws on more than two centuries of local records. Formed in 1785, Chesterfield County sits in the northeastern Pee Dee region of South Carolina along the North Carolina border. The county Probate Court, Register of Deeds, and public library are the primary local sources for genealogy records. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia holds additional state and county collections that extend Chesterfield County genealogy research back to the earliest years of the county's history. Researchers tracing families near the state border may also need to consult records from neighboring North Carolina counties.
Chesterfield County Quick Facts
Chesterfield County Probate Court and Marriage Records
The Chesterfield County Probate Court holds marriage licenses issued from July 1, 1911 through June 30, 1950. 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 Chesterfield County Courthouse, 200 W Main Street, Chesterfield, SC 29709. Phone: (843) 623-2568.
Estate records at the Chesterfield County Probate Court include wills, inventories, administration papers, and guardianship files dating back to 1785. These documents name heirs, list property, and define family relationships across generations. Early nineteenth-century probate inventories from Chesterfield County document the families who farmed the sandy Pee Dee soils and those who lived in the county seat during its development as a regional center. These records are primary sources for Chesterfield County genealogy research from the antebellum period.
For Chesterfield 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.
Searching Chesterfield County Genealogy Records
The free South Carolina Archives Online Records Index is the best starting point for Chesterfield County genealogy research online. This database covers will transcripts, land grant plats, Confederate veteran records, and court records held by SCDAH. Search by name to find entries connected to Chesterfield County ancestors. The index covers records going back to the eighteenth century for Chesterfield County.
The South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index at sccourts.org provides access to court case records for Chesterfield County. You can search by party name or case number. The system shows filing dates, case status, and party names. For full document copies, contact the Chesterfield County Clerk of Court at 200 W Main Street, Chesterfield, SC 29709.
Note: Chesterfield County borders both Anson County and Richmond County in North Carolina. Ancestors who lived near the state line may have records in those North Carolina counties as well. Families often crossed the border for commerce, worship, and marriage, so researchers should consider North Carolina county records when Chesterfield County searches come up short.
Court records from the Chesterfield County Clerk of Court complement probate and land records and can document family relationships through civil and estate proceedings.
Chesterfield 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 must be registered within five days. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds Chesterfield 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 Chesterfield County deaths from 1915 through 1967. For Chesterfield County genealogy before 1915, church records and census data are the primary sources. Many Chesterfield County churches maintain long records of baptisms, marriages, and burials. The Chesterfield County Library holds some of these church records or can direct researchers to where they are held.
Chesterfield County Register of Deeds and Land Records
The Chesterfield County Register of Deeds maintains land records dating back to 1785. The office is at 200 W Main Street, Chesterfield, SC 29709. Phone: (843) 623-7234. Deeds, mortgages, and plats document property ownership across more than two centuries. Under Title 30 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, counties are required to maintain and preserve these public land records.
The SCDAH Online Records Index includes state land grant plats from 1784 to 1868 that cover Chesterfield County. These early plats document the original allocation of land in the Chesterfield area and are useful for tracing the earliest families in the county. Land records are especially valuable for Chesterfield County genealogy because they trace property through generations and often name family members through inheritance and sale transactions.
Chesterfield County Library and Local Resources
The Chesterfield County Library at 119 W Main Street, Chesterfield, SC 29709 provides local history resources and genealogical materials. Phone: (843) 623-3030. The library holds materials specific to Chesterfield County and the surrounding Pee Dee region. Census records, local newspapers, and family history materials available through the library can complement official county genealogy records.
The Chesterfield County Historical Society preserves local history and maintains genealogical collections specific to the county. The society may hold materials that document Chesterfield County families from the earliest settlement period through the twentieth century. The society's collections can be especially useful when official county records have gaps.
The South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston at 100 Meeting Street holds statewide manuscript collections and genealogy vertical files that may cover Chesterfield County families. Phone: (843) 723-3225. The SCGenWeb Archives for Chesterfield County provides free volunteer-contributed cemetery transcriptions, census extracts, and family histories.
The SCDAH Digital Collections include Confederate Pension Applications and Will Transcripts that cover Chesterfield County from the antebellum period through the early twentieth century.
South Carolina Archives Resources for Chesterfield County Genealogy
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds Chesterfield County records including court files and land documents. SCDAH is at 8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223. Phone: (803) 896-6100. The Research Room provides access to microfilm of county records and a research library covering all 46 counties. 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 the early statehood period include Chesterfield County estates from the decades after the county was formed in 1785. Grand Jury Presentments from 1783 to 1877 document community affairs in Chesterfield County during the early republic and antebellum periods.
The South Carolina State Library genealogy guide explains which office holds each type of record based on date range. The Library of Congress South Carolina genealogy guide provides a curated directory of resources covering Chesterfield County. The South Carolina Genealogical Society publishes transcribed records and connects researchers to county-level resources through local chapters.
Cities in Chesterfield County
Chesterfield is the county seat of Chesterfield County. All county genealogy records are maintained at the Chesterfield County courthouse offices on W Main Street.
Nearby Counties
Chesterfield County borders South Carolina Pee Dee counties and North Carolina counties along its northern edge. Ancestors near the state line may have records in neighboring states.