Colleton County Genealogy Records
Colleton County genealogy research draws on records that go back to the county's formation in 1800 from the Charleston District. Colleton County is in the South Carolina Lowcountry and has a rich history tied to rice cultivation, the antebellum plantation economy, and the Gullah Geechee cultural tradition. The county Probate Court, Register of Deeds, and public library in Walterboro are the primary local sources for genealogy records. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia holds additional state and county collections. Researchers tracing Colleton County families before 1800 should search Charleston District records, which are held at SCDAH and cover the colonial and early statehood period.
Colleton County Quick Facts
Colleton County Probate Court and Marriage Records
The Colleton 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 Colleton County Courthouse, 101 Hampton Street, Walterboro, SC 29488. Phone: (843) 549-5795.
Estate records at the Colleton County Probate Court include wills, inventories, administration papers, and guardianship files from 1800 forward. These documents name heirs, list property, and define family relationships across generations. Antebellum probate inventories from Colleton County are especially detailed, reflecting the plantation economy that dominated the county. Estate records from the post-Civil War era document the transition to sharecropping and wage labor and can trace both white and African American families in Colleton County.
For Colleton 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 Colleton County Genealogy Records
The free South Carolina Archives Online Records Index is the best starting point for Colleton 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 indexed entries connected to Colleton County ancestors. The index covers Colleton County records from 1800 and Charleston District records that predate the county's formation.
The South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index at sccourts.org provides access to court case records. You can search Colleton County court cases by party name or case number. For full document copies, contact the Colleton County Clerk of Court at 101 Hampton Street, Walterboro, SC 29488. In-person research at the Colleton County Courthouse gives direct access to the full range of genealogy records held by both the Probate Court and Register of Deeds.
SCDAH staff answer queries by mail, email, and phone and can help researchers locate Colleton County records and the earlier Charleston District collections that cover the area before 1800.
Colleton 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 Colleton 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 Colleton County deaths from 1915 through 1967. For Colleton County genealogy before 1915, church records are important. The county has a number of historic congregations, including African Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, and Episcopal churches, whose registers document births, deaths, and marriages going back into the nineteenth century and in some cases into the colonial era through predecessor congregations.
Colleton County Register of Deeds and Land Records
The Colleton County Register of Deeds maintains land records from 1800 forward. The office is at 101 Hampton Street, Walterboro, SC 29488. Phone: (843) 549-5797. 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 Colleton County. These early plats document the original allocation of land in the Walterboro area and along the coastal rivers. For land records before 1800, researchers must consult Charleston District records at SCDAH. The colonial-era land grants in the Colleton County area are among the oldest in South Carolina and document the first European families to settle the Lowcountry interior.
Colleton County Library and Local Resources
The Colleton County Memorial Library at 600 Hampton Street, Walterboro, SC 29488 maintains local history and genealogy collections. Phone: (843) 549-4691. The library holds materials specific to Colleton County and the surrounding Lowcountry region. Census records, local newspapers, and family history materials available through the library can complement official county genealogy records.
The Colleton County Historical and Preservation Society preserves Colleton County history and maintains genealogical materials. The Walterboro Historical Society is another local resource for Colleton County genealogy research. Both organizations may hold documents, photographs, and local histories that supplement official records. Walterboro itself has a significant history as a summer retreat for Lowcountry planters, and records related to those families may be held in local collections.
The South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston at 100 Meeting Street holds manuscript collections and genealogy vertical files that cover Colleton County families. Phone: (843) 723-3225. Because Colleton County was formed from the Charleston District, many family papers and plantation records connected to Colleton County ended up in the Historical Society's collections in Charleston.
The SCGenWeb Archives for Colleton County provides free volunteer-contributed cemetery transcriptions, census extracts, and family histories. The South Carolina State Library genealogy guide explains which office holds each type of Colleton County genealogy record based on date range.
The State Library guide helps researchers navigate the different offices and date ranges for Colleton County genealogy records, from colonial-era land grants through twentieth-century vital records.
South Carolina Archives Resources for Colleton County Genealogy
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds Colleton County records and the Charleston District records that predate the county's formation. SCDAH is at 8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223. Phone: (803) 896-6100. The Research Room provides access to microfilm 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 1782 to 1855 may include Colleton County estates from the early antebellum period and Charleston District estates that covered the Colleton area before 1800. Colonial plats document original land grants in the Colleton area from the proprietary era.
The Library of Congress South Carolina genealogy guide provides a curated directory of resources covering Colleton County and the state. The South Carolina Genealogical Society publishes transcribed records and connects researchers to county-level genealogy resources through local chapters.
Cities in Colleton County
Walterboro is the county seat of Colleton County. All county genealogy records are maintained at the Colleton County courthouse offices on Hampton Street.
Nearby Counties
Colleton County borders several South Carolina Lowcountry counties. Ancestors who lived near a county line may have records in neighboring counties.