Hampton County, South Carolina Genealogy Records

Records that survive

These are the record series of Hampton County held at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia, in the original or on microfilm, with the office that kept each and the years covered. A span can include gaps. Hampton County was formed in 1878, so records from before then are with the county or counties it was formed from.

See the full list at the South Carolina Archives

Source: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Summary Guide to County Records. Many county offices keep their own older books too, so ask the county as well. South Carolina required marriage licenses from July 1, 1911, and statewide birth and death registration began in 1915.

Where to find the records

• Hampton County official website

  Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the probate judge, the register of deeds and the clerk of court, and any online record search the county offers.

• The probate judge

  Wills and estates (from 1868; before that, the Court of Ordinary), and marriage licenses from July 1911.

• The register of deeds

  Deeds and mortgages. The office was called the Register of Mesne Conveyances (RMC) until 1998, and in most counties the clerk of court records deeds instead.

• The clerk of court

  Civil and criminal court records, and in some counties the old equity court's files on estate divisions and land disputes.

• The South Carolina Department of Archives and History

  Older county records in the original or on microfilm, plus colonial and state land grants and plats, and Confederate pension applications.

• South Carolina Archives: Hampton County recordsfree

  Every record series the state archives holds for this county, with its years, office and microfilm.

• South Carolina Archives Online Records Indexfree

  Search by name for land grants and plats, Confederate pension applications, will transcripts and other records, many with images.

• FamilySearch Catalogfree

  Search by place for "South Carolina, Hampton" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.

Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.

Boundaries and parent counties

Formed from: Beaufort County

Check the parent county for earlier records: Beaufort County

Later formed partly from Hampton County: Allendale County, Jasper County

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1878, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.