Welcome to the South Carolina - Reference Books

Early Pee Dee Settlers - John M. Gregg. This work is a compilation of individuals who settled in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina before 1790. It is an attempt to consolidate available biographical and genealogical information in one source. It identifies more than 5,700 of the individuals who settled or were born in this area before the first census of 1790. They are listed alphabetically along with the known dates of their residence and if known, the following information: spouse, children, origin, occupation, specific area, sources of information on the entry, Revolutionary War service, and miscellaneous information. 1993, 629 pp., maps, bibl., paper $44.50 #ZG613

Marriage and Death Notices from the Charleston Observer, 1827-1845 - Brent Holcomb, C.A.L.S. Newspaper abstracts can be extremely helpful sources of genealogical data, especially where and when civil records were not kept with diligence. The Observer was a Presbyterian newspaper which published denominational news, and marriage and death notices from a wide area. Although the bulk of the notices pertain to South Carolina, many relate to North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. (1980) reprint, 283 pp., index, paper $24.50 #ZH542

Letters to Rebecca - William B. Moore, Jr. Rebecca Berry Whitten was the daughter of Silas Reagan Whitten and Eleanor Kee Earle. In the early 1840s, when a teenager, she began saving all the mail that came to her home, Pleasant Grove, in Gowensville, South Carolina. This careful preservation became a life-long habit, even after her family had settled in Tippah County, Mississippi, in 1851. Adding to the value of this collection as a research tool are the chapters Mr. Moore has written on the Whitten and Earle families. Here the writers and subjects of most of the letters are introduced, and their relationships to each other can be determined. (1995) reprint, 368 pp., indices, paper, $30.00 #ZM556

A History of Marion County, South Carolina, From its Earliest Times to the Present, 1901 - W. W. Sellers. This history, first published in 1902, contains hundreds of pages of genealogy in addition to its historical coverage. Mr. Sellers begins his book with a history of the settlement of South Carolina, from its earliest existence in 1670. Once this general background has been established, he sets forth the history of Marion County. Beginning with a physical description, including boundaries, Mr. Sellers then proceeds to touch upon such areas of interest as educational, political and judicial history. Brief discussions of various towns of the county consist of such information as the year of establishment, physical description, economic make-up, and population.

The most important aspect of any settlement is the citizenry, and it is this subject to which over 500 pages are dedicated. The bulk of these, over 400 pages, are dedicated to families of 130 distinct surnames who settled in Marion County. Marriages, children, specific area of settlement and other family relationships are common examples of what these descriptions provide. Following the examination of these specific families are lists of clerks of court; sheriffs; legislators; senators; judges; governors; and lawyers from the years 1800 to 1900. Volunteers in the Confederate Army are also listed, and organized according to specific companies and regiments. These entries generally include information regarding whether or not these soldiers survived the war, and if not, the location and date of death is often appended.

A new surname index has been compiled to make this already valuable work more useful to the researcher and casual reader alike. (1902) reprint, 673 pp., new index, paper, $45.50 #ZS144

Edgefield County, South Carolina: Deed Books 13, 14, 15 - Abstracted by Carol Wells. At the time these deeds were written, Edgefield contained all or parts of the present counties of Aiken, Greenwood, McCormick and Saluda. Unless specified otherwise, land and people mentioned were of Edgefield. Deed books contain not only land conveyances, but also powers of attorney, depositions, judicial sales and sales of household and farm equipment, livestock and slaves. The deeds in this book were written from the 1770s through the late 1790s and were recorded between 1796 and 1799.

Every name and all watercourses are indexed. Deeds amplify census material, adding such details as names of wives, children, parents, other kinfolk, previous owners, purchases, inheritances, divisions among heirs, names of witnesses, justices, sheriffs, dates of death, and dates and references to royal and state grants. Names and ages of slaves may be stated; approximate age of minors and occupations may be given. Other states and counties mentioned may prove family movement at a time in American history when the population was settling into newly-opened lands, when the recently-invented cotton gin was changing Southern agriculture, and when seeds of sectional strife were being planted. 1997, 134 pp., paper, index, $15.00 #ZW149

Edgefield County, South Carolina, Deed Books 16, 17, 18 - Carol Wells. Although these abstracted deeds were recorded from 1798 to 1800, the years in which they were written stretch from the 1760s. Many chains of title reach back to the 1750s and may tell of land sold, disputed and inherited; they name heirs, kinfolk of other surnames, remarriages, residences in different states and counties, and may state exact or approximate dates of arrivals, departures, deaths and marriages.

Edgefield then included parts of present Aiken, Greenwood, McCormick and Saluda Counties. Much commerce across the Savannah River with businessmen and planters in several Georgia counties is documented. Locations are identified by names of nearby watercourses and by names of adjoining landowners. Names of witnesses and surveyors give further details. Besides the land conveyances, deed books include mortgages, releases of dower, rights, powers of attorney, depositions, bills of sale for slaves and other possessions, and conditional sales that provide care of the aged until death.

Edgefield clerks who wrote county names such as "Linkhorn" (Lincoln) and "Ogle Thorp" (Oglethorp), Georgia; and the state of "Tenecy" (Tennessee) could also do interesting things to family names. All names written in the original books are given here. The everyname index is a convenient aid in checking for these variant name spellings. 1997, 154 pp., index, paper, $16.00 #ZW154

Edgefield County, South Carolina: Deed Books 19, 20, 21, & 22 - Abstracted by Carol Wells. By the end of the 18th century, Edgefield County veterans of the American Revolution were becoming the older generation. Changes surrounded them. The cotton gin gave a profitable crop to the South and strengthened the once-fading institution of slavery. Prices of slaves and land rose. Large holdings were divided into farms. There was much traffic across the Savannah River with Augusta, Georgia.

Deed books concern land conveyances but also contain powers of attorney, depositions, bills of sale and other documents. Occasionally, deeds explain family relationships. Chains of titles may show why land was passed from one owner to another. Some deeds mention other places of residence. This book abstracts four deed books. Almost 2,000 handwritten pages are here reduced to 157 pages that retain all dates and names of persons, watercourses and places. Recorded between 1800 and 1803, many deeds were written earlier, some in the 1760s; titles may be carried back to the 1750s. 1997, 181 pp., index, paper, $17.50 #ZW155