Lee County Genealogy Records
Lee County genealogy research requires understanding that the county was formed in 1902 from Darlington, Kershaw, and Sumter counties. All records for the Lee County area before 1902 are held in those three parent counties depending on where an ancestor lived. Lee County sits in the central Pee Dee region of South Carolina. Its economy was built on cotton and tobacco farming in the early twentieth century, and the county's genealogy reflects the agricultural communities that developed around Bishopville after the county's formation. The Lee 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 collections covering Lee County from its 1902 formation and the parent county records that predate it.
Lee County Quick Facts
Lee County Probate Court and Marriage Records
The Lee 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 Lee County Courthouse, 123 S Main Street, Bishopville, SC 29010. Phone: (803) 484-3414.
Estate records at the Lee County Probate Court include wills, inventories, administration papers, and guardianship files from 1902 forward. These documents name heirs, list property, and define family relationships. Lee County's early twentieth-century probate records document the farming and business families who established communities in the newly formed county. For Lee County genealogy, the probate files held at the Bishopville courthouse are the primary local source for family relationships and property histories from 1902 onward.
For Lee 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-1902 Lee County Genealogy: Parent County Records
All genealogy records for the Lee County area before 1902 are located in Darlington County, Kershaw County, or Sumter County. The boundaries of the three parent counties divided the territory that became Lee County. Identifying which parent county holds records for a specific ancestor requires knowing their geographic location within the current county boundaries.
Darlington County has maintained records since 1785. Kershaw County records date to 1791. Sumter County records begin around 1800. All three 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 any of the three parent counties for the Lee area before 1902.
SCDAH's online research portal links to indexes and digital collections covering Lee County and the three parent county records from before the county's 1902 formation.
Lee 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 Lee 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 Lee County deaths from 1915 through 1967. For Lee County genealogy before 1915, church records, census data, and the parent county probate files are the primary sources. Because the county was formed in 1902, there is a short window between the county's creation and the start of vital records registration where only probate and church records document family events.
Lee County Register of Deeds and Land Records
The Lee County Register of Deeds maintains land records from 1902 forward. The office is at 123 S Main Street, Bishopville, SC 29010. Phone: (803) 484-3415. 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 Lee County area before 1902, researchers must consult Darlington, Kershaw, or Sumter county Register of Deeds offices. The SCDAH Online Records Index includes early land grant plats that cover the Lee County territory during the parent county eras. These plats document the original allocation of land in the region and help identify the earliest families in what became Lee County.
Lee County Library and Local Resources
The Lee County Library at 110 W Church Street, Bishopville, SC 29010 provides local history resources and genealogical materials. Phone: (803) 484-5921. The library holds materials specific to Lee County and the surrounding central Pee Dee region. Census records, local newspapers, and family history materials available through the library complement official county genealogy records.
The Lee County Historical Society preserves local history and genealogical materials specific to the county. The society may hold records and photographs documenting families in the Lee area from the early twentieth century. Because Lee County is one of the newer counties formed in the early 1900s, local societies serve an important role in documenting family histories from the period before official vital records registration.
The South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston at 100 Meeting Street holds statewide manuscript collections that may include materials relevant to Lee County families. Phone: (843) 723-3225. The SCGenWeb Archives for Lee County provides free volunteer-contributed cemetery transcriptions, census extracts, and family histories.
The State Library guide helps researchers navigate Lee County genealogy records across the different offices and time periods, including the Darlington, Kershaw, and Sumter county records that predate 1902.
South Carolina Archives Resources for Lee County Genealogy
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds Lee County records and the Darlington, Kershaw, and Sumter county records that predate the county's 1902 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 and colonial plats from Darlington, Kershaw, and Sumter counties cover the territory that became Lee County and are valuable for genealogy research from the antebellum period. The Library of Congress South Carolina genealogy guide provides resources covering Lee County. The South Carolina Genealogical Society connects researchers to county-level genealogy resources through local chapters.
Cities in Lee County
Bishopville is the county seat of Lee County. All county genealogy records are maintained at the Lee County courthouse on South Main Street in Bishopville.
Nearby Counties
Lee County was formed from Darlington, Kershaw, and Sumter counties in 1902. Those parent counties hold genealogy records for the Lee area before that year.