Georgetown County Genealogy Records
Georgetown County genealogy research reaches back to the colonial era. Georgetown was one of South Carolina's original parishes and has land records dating to the colonial period. The county is known for its rice plantation history along the Waccamaw, Black, and Pee Dee rivers, which makes genealogy research here especially rich and complex for both planter families and the enslaved people who worked the rice fields. Georgetown County stands out because birth and death registration began locally in 1883, more than thirty years before the state system started in 1915. The county Probate Court, Register of Deeds, and library are the primary local sources. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia holds additional collections that extend Georgetown County genealogy research to the very beginnings of English settlement in the area.
Georgetown County Quick Facts
Georgetown County Probate Court and Marriage Records
The Georgetown 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 Georgetown County Courthouse, 401 Cleland Street, Georgetown, SC 29440. Phone: (843) 527-6215.
Estate records at the Georgetown County Probate Court include wills, inventories, administration papers, and guardianship files dating back to the colonial period. Georgetown County's estate files from the rice plantation era are among the most detailed in South Carolina. Antebellum probate inventories list enslaved people by name, age, and sometimes family group, making them critical sources for African American genealogy research in the county. Post-Civil War estate files document the transition from the plantation system and can trace family property through generations.
For Georgetown 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.
Georgetown County Early Vital Records
Georgetown County is one of a small number of South Carolina counties where birth and death registration began before the state system. Local vital records registration in Georgetown County began in 1883, giving researchers access to birth and death information for more than thirty years before South Carolina began statewide registration in 1915. These early local birth and death records are held at the Georgetown County Courthouse and may also be available through SCDAH in Columbia.
The state registration system began on 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 Georgetown 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 Georgetown County deaths from 1915 through 1967. For Georgetown County deaths between 1883 and 1914, the local records that predate the state system are the primary source. Researchers should contact the Georgetown County Courthouse or SCDAH directly about accessing these pre-1915 local vital records.
For deaths in Georgetown County before 1915, check the early local vital records that began in 1883, which are a unique genealogy resource not available for most South Carolina counties.
Georgetown County Register of Deeds and Land Records
The Georgetown County Register of Deeds maintains land records dating back to the colonial period. The office is at 401 Cleland Street, Georgetown, SC 29440. Phone: (843) 527-6216. Georgetown County's land records are among the oldest in South Carolina and document property ownership along the coastal rivers from the earliest period of European settlement. Deeds, mortgages, and plats held here trace the rice plantation economy across generations.
The SCDAH Online Records Index includes state land grant plats from 1784 to 1868 and colonial plats from the proprietary era that cover Georgetown County. These plats document the original land grants in the Georgetown area and are essential for tracing families back to the colonial era. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds early Georgetown County land records and colonial court documents in Columbia.
Georgetown County Library and Local Resources
The Georgetown County Library at 405 Cleland Street, Georgetown, SC 29440 maintains local history and genealogy collections including resources on the area's rice plantation history. Phone: (843) 545-3349. The library holds census records, local newspapers, and family history materials specific to Georgetown County. The library's collections on rice culture and the Low Country plantation system can help researchers understand the community and economic context for ancestors who lived in Georgetown County.
The Georgetown County Historical Society preserves county history and maintains genealogical collections. The society may hold materials related to the planter families, the enslaved workforce, and the freedpeople who shaped Georgetown County's history. The South Carolina Maritime Museum in Georgetown maintains maritime history collections that can document merchant families and those involved in the rice trade and coastal commerce.
The South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston at 100 Meeting Street holds manuscript collections and genealogy vertical files that cover Georgetown County families. Phone: (843) 723-3225. Their holdings include plantation records, family papers, and church registers from the Georgetown area that document families across multiple generations.
The SCGenWeb Archives for Georgetown County provides free volunteer-contributed cemetery transcriptions and census extracts. The South Carolina State Library genealogy guide explains which office holds each type of Georgetown County genealogy record by date range.
SCDAH holds Georgetown County records from the colonial period through the twentieth century and is the best single source for comprehensive Georgetown County genealogy research across multiple time periods.
South Carolina Archives Resources for Georgetown County Genealogy
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds extensive Georgetown County records including early land grants and colonial-era court documents. 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. Colonial plats from the Georgetown area document original land grants in the rice plantation region and are essential for early genealogy research in the county. Will Transcripts from 1782 to 1855 include Georgetown County estates from the colonial and early statehood period.
The Library of Congress South Carolina genealogy guide provides a curated list of resources covering Georgetown County. The South Carolina Genealogical Society publishes transcribed records and connects researchers to county-level resources through local chapters.
Cities in Georgetown County
Georgetown is the county seat of Georgetown County. All county genealogy records are maintained at the Georgetown County courthouse offices on Cleland Street.
Nearby Counties
Georgetown County borders several South Carolina Lowcountry and Pee Dee counties. Ancestors who lived near a county line may have records in neighboring counties.