Guides to government Documents, Private Manuscripts, Published Records, and Maps

The Genealogy Resources section of the Archives and History website includes guides to government records that may prove useful in researching a historic property. For example, county land and probate records can help you trace the ownership of a historic property, and census and military records can help document the lives of persons associated with the property. The Genealogy Resources page also includes a link to Archives and History’s online records index, which allows you to search Archives and History’s key record series by a personal name, geographic location, or topic. The Confederate Pension Applications, 1919-1938 have been scanned and are available online, but you will need to visit the Reference Room at the Department of Archives and History to see most documents. Follow this link for information about research at the Archives and History Center.

The website of the South Caroliniana Library provides information about the collections in both the Book Division and the Manuscript Division of the Library. Both Divisions include materials that may help your research on historic properties. The Book Division includes published materials such as county histories, city directories, family histories, and newspapers from around the state. Historic maps, especially the maps produced by the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company from the 1870s to about 1950, can be particularly useful in researching historic buildings. Most of the Book Division collection is described in USC’s online library catalog, USCAN. The Manuscript Division includes private papers, photographs, and postcards. About a third of the manuscript collection is included in USCAN.

The South Carolina Historical Society is a repository of books, letters, journals, maps, drawings, and photographs about South Carolina history that may help your research on historic properties. The website includes an online catalog that allows you to search 4 databases: Manuscripts, Books, Genealogy, and Visual Images. You can type in the name of a historic property or individual associated with the property to determine if the Historical Society has any records relevant to your research.

The Archives and History website includes a Directory of Historical Records Repositories in South Carolina to help you identify local archival collections that may help your research. The directory is arranged by county and provides addresses, brief descriptions of the collections, and information about access to the collections