Jasper County Genealogy Records
Jasper County genealogy research requires understanding the county's formation in 1912 from Beaufort County and Hampton County. All records for the Jasper area before 1912 are held in those two parent counties depending on where an ancestor lived. Jasper County is in the southern tip of South Carolina near the Georgia border, and its history is closely tied to the Lowcountry Gullah Geechee culture and the coastal communities that developed along the Savannah River and the Sea Islands. The county Probate Court, Register of Deeds, and public library in Ridgeland are the primary local sources for genealogy records. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia holds collections that cover Jasper County and its Beaufort and Hampton county parent records.
Jasper County Quick Facts
Jasper County Probate Court Records
The Jasper County Probate Court holds marriage licenses issued from July 1, 1911 through June 30, 1950. Note that the state marriage licensing system began on July 1, 1911, before Jasper County was formed in 1912. The Jasper County Probate Court holds marriage records from 1912 when the county began operations. 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 Jasper County Courthouse, 265 Russell Street, Ridgeland, SC 29936. Phone: (843) 726-7710.
Estate records at the Jasper County Probate Court include wills, inventories, administration papers, and guardianship files from 1912 forward. These documents name heirs, list property, and define family relationships. Jasper County's estate records from the early twentieth century document the farming, timber, and coastal communities that made up the county's economy after its formation. For Jasper County genealogy research, these probate files are the primary local source for family relationships before the era of statewide vital records.
For Jasper 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-1912 Jasper Genealogy: Beaufort and Hampton Records
All genealogy records for the Jasper County area before 1912 are located in Beaufort County or Hampton County. The northern portion of Jasper County came from Hampton County, while the southern and coastal portions came from Beaufort County. Identifying which parent county holds records for a specific ancestor requires knowing their geographic location within the current county boundaries.
Beaufort County has maintained records since the colonial era, giving researchers access to very early documentation for the Jasper area. Hampton County records date to 1878. Both parent county collections are accessible at the 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 for the Jasper area before 1912.
SCDAH staff can help researchers navigate the Beaufort and Hampton county collections to locate pre-1912 records for ancestors who lived in what is now Jasper County.
Jasper 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 Jasper 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 Jasper County deaths from 1915 through 1967. For Jasper County genealogy before 1915, church records, census data, and Freedmen's Bureau records are the primary sources. Because Jasper County has a significant Gullah Geechee population, researchers tracing African American families should also search Freedmen's Bureau records for the South Carolina Sea Islands region that cover this area from the Civil War era.
Jasper County Register of Deeds and Land Records
The Jasper County Register of Deeds maintains land records from 1912 forward. The office is at 265 Russell Street, Ridgeland, SC 29936. Phone: (843) 726-7711. 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 Jasper area before 1912, researchers must consult Beaufort or Hampton county Register of Deeds offices. The SCDAH Online Records Index includes early land grant plats that cover the Jasper County area during the Beaufort and Hampton county eras. Colonial-era land grants in the Beaufort County area, which covered much of what became Jasper County, are among the oldest in South Carolina.
Jasper County Library and Local Resources
The Jasper County Library at 135 N Jacob Smart Boulevard, Ridgeland, SC 29936 provides local history resources and genealogical materials. Phone: (843) 726-7744. The library holds materials specific to Jasper County and the surrounding southern Lowcountry region. Census records, local newspapers, and family history materials available through the library can complement official county genealogy records.
The Jasper County Historical Society preserves local history and genealogical materials specific to the county. Because Jasper County is one of the smallest and most recently formed counties in South Carolina, formed only in 1912, researchers often need to go beyond county-level resources and search the Beaufort County and Hampton County collections that predate the county's formation.
The South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston at 100 Meeting Street holds manuscript collections and genealogy vertical files that may cover Jasper County families. Phone: (843) 723-3225. The SCGenWeb Archives for Jasper County provides free volunteer-contributed cemetery transcriptions and census extracts.
The State Library guide helps researchers navigate Jasper County genealogy records across the different offices and time periods, including the Beaufort and Hampton county records that predate 1912.
South Carolina Archives Resources for Jasper County Genealogy
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds Jasper County records and the Beaufort and Hampton county 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 and colonial plats from the Beaufort County area cover the territory that became Jasper County and are especially useful for genealogy research from the antebellum and colonial periods. The Library of Congress South Carolina genealogy guide provides resources covering Jasper County. The South Carolina Genealogical Society connects researchers to county-level resources through local chapters.
Cities in Jasper County
Ridgeland is the county seat of Jasper County. All county genealogy records are maintained at the Jasper County courthouse offices on Russell Street.
Nearby Counties
Jasper County was formed from Beaufort and Hampton counties in 1912. Those parent counties hold genealogy records for the Jasper area before that year. Jasper also borders Georgia.