Greenwood County Genealogy Records
Greenwood County genealogy research requires knowing that the county was formed in 1897 from Abbeville County and Edgefield County. All records for the Greenwood area before 1897 are held in those two parent counties depending on where an ancestor lived. Greenwood County sits in the western Piedmont of South Carolina and developed as a textile and agricultural center after its formation. The county Probate Court, Register of Deeds, and public library are the primary local sources for genealogy records from 1897 forward. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia holds additional collections that cover Greenwood County and the Abbeville and Edgefield county records that predate its formation.
Greenwood County Quick Facts
Greenwood County Probate Court and Marriage Records
The Greenwood 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 Greenwood County Courthouse, 528 Monument Street, Greenwood, SC 29646. Phone: (864) 942-8535.
Estate records at the Greenwood 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. Probate records from the early twentieth century document the farming, textile mill, and business families who shaped the development of Greenwood County after its formation. These files are primary sources for Greenwood County genealogy research from the county's founding through the mid-twentieth century.
For Greenwood 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 Greenwood Genealogy: Abbeville and Edgefield Records
All genealogy records for the Greenwood County area before 1897 are located in Abbeville County or Edgefield County. The northern and western portions of Greenwood County were carved from Abbeville County, while the eastern portion came from Edgefield County. Identifying which parent county holds records requires knowing the geographic location of an ancestor within the current county boundaries.
Abbeville County Probate Court and Register of Deeds hold records from the Greenwood area going back to 1785. Edgefield County records also date to 1785. Both parent county collections are accessible at the respective county courthouses and through the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. The SCDAH Online Records Index allows name-based searches that may return results from either parent county collection for the Greenwood area before 1897.
SCDAH's online research portal links to indexes and digital collections that cover both Greenwood County and the Abbeville and Edgefield county records from before 1897.
Greenwood 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 Greenwood 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 Greenwood County deaths from 1915 through 1967. For Greenwood County genealogy before 1915, church records, census data, and probate files are the primary sources. Greenwood County has historic Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian congregations whose registers document vital events going back into the nineteenth century in the Abbeville and Edgefield county eras.
Greenwood County Register of Deeds and Land Records
The Greenwood County Register of Deeds maintains land records from 1897 forward. The office is at 528 Monument Street, Greenwood, SC 29646. Phone: (864) 942-8542. Deeds, mortgages, and plats document property ownership since the county's formation. 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 Greenwood area before 1897, researchers must consult Abbeville or Edgefield county Register of Deeds offices. The SCDAH Online Records Index includes state land grant plats from 1784 to 1868 that cover the Greenwood County area during the Abbeville and Edgefield county eras. These plats document original land grants in the region and help trace the earliest families in what became Greenwood County.
Greenwood County Library and Local Resources
The Greenwood County Library at 600 S Main Street, Greenwood, SC 29646 maintains local history and genealogy collections. Phone: (864) 941-4650. The library holds materials specific to Greenwood County and the surrounding Piedmont region. Census records, local newspapers, and family history materials available through the library complement official county genealogy records. Piedmont Technical College Library may maintain special collections for the Greenwood area that supplement what is available at the public library.
The South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston at 100 Meeting Street holds statewide manuscript collections and genealogy vertical files that may include materials relevant to Greenwood County families. Phone: (843) 723-3225. The SCGenWeb Archives for Greenwood County provides free volunteer-contributed cemetery transcriptions, census extracts, and family histories.
The State Library guide is a practical reference for Greenwood County genealogy because the county's 1897 formation date means researchers need to navigate records in three different county systems.
South Carolina Archives Resources for Greenwood County Genealogy
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds records related to Greenwood County and the Abbeville and Edgefield county collections that predate its 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 and Will Transcripts from 1782 to 1855. Will Transcripts from Abbeville and Edgefield counties before 1897 may include estates from families in the Greenwood area. The Library of Congress South Carolina genealogy guide provides resources covering Greenwood County. The South Carolina Genealogical Society connects researchers to county-level genealogy resources through local chapters.
Cities in Greenwood County
Greenwood is the county seat of Greenwood County. All county genealogy records are maintained at the Greenwood County courthouse offices on Monument Street.
Nearby Counties
Greenwood County was formed from Abbeville and Edgefield counties in 1897. Those parent counties hold genealogy records for the Greenwood area before that year.