Edgefield County Genealogy and History

Edgefield County is situated in the west part of the state, and contains 1,680 square miles. Saluda River runs on its northeast border, and Savannah River on its southwest. Drained by Little Saluda River and Stephens’ Creek. The surface is moderately uneven; soil not very fertile, but well adapted to cotton, of which it produces annually 35,000 bales. Capital, Edgefield. There were in 1840, neat cattle 36,339, sheep 15,324, swine 62,184; wheat 40,295 bush, produced, rye 3,023, Ind. corn 1,063,521, oats 120,334, potatoes 62,069, cotton 7,613,125 pounds; 6 commercial and com. houses, cap. $26,000; 39 stores, cap. $205,500; 1 cotton factory 2,000 spindles, 8 tanneries, 80 grist mills, 52 saw mills, 2 printing offices, 2 weekly newspapers. 1 Cap. in manufacturing $127,175. 1 academy 65 students, 5 schools 152 scholars. Pop. whites 15,020, slaves 17,538, free col’d 294; total, 32,852. ^[1]A Complete Descriptive and Statistical Gazetteer of the United States of America, By Daniel Haskel, A. M and J. Calvin Smith, Published By Sherman & Smith, 1843.

Before the year 1785, Edgefield County was a part of Ninety-Six District, which then included a very extensive territory in the upper part of the State. By the Act of the Legislature of that year, March 12, 1785, Ninety-Six was divided into the Counties, afterwards called Districts, of Edgefield, Abbeville, Newberry, Laurens, Union, and Spartanburg. Augusta, as we shall see, was founded in the year 1736, and a very active and important trading post had been in existence already for some years at the place on the Savannah where Hamburg was afterwards built. Previous to its occupation by white people the greater part of the territory was in the possession of the numerous and war-like tribe of Indians, known as the Cherokees. The Southern part, lying on the Savannah River, was used by other tribes. Savannah, Creek, &c, as hunting grounds. Of these Indians, their habits, manners, customs, and traditions, it is not necessary at this time, to write, as our purpose is to give a history of Edgefield as it has been since its occupancy by Europeans and their descendants. ^[2]History of Edgefield County from the earliest settlement to 1897, by John A. Chapman, A.M., Newberry, SC, 1897.

History of Edgefield County, South Carolina

• History of Edgefield County from the earliest settlement to 1897
  • Roving Traders of the Ninety-Six District
  • Building Fort Keowee – Fort Prince George
  • Edgefield County Settlers of Various Nationalities
  • History of Ferries in Saluda
  • Stewart Settlement

Land Records of Edgefield County, South Carolina

• Edgefield County Real Property Records Search
  Search is for recent records only covering the years of 1995 to present.
  • Deeds – July 1995
    Mortgages – July 1995
    Miscellaneous – July 1995
    Plats – July 1995 (Large Plats are not available on-line)
    UCCs – January 2003
    Tax Liens – December 2006
    Lis Pendens – October 2006

Newspapers of Edgefield County, South Carolina

The following Newspapers have been published in Edgefield County, South Carolina. If they are linked, then the newspaper has been digitized and is online.

• Anti-Monarchist, and South-Carolina Advertiser (Edgefield Court House, S.C.) 1811-1819.
• Edgefield Advertiser (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-1922.
• Edgefield County Press (Edgefield, S.C.) 1977-1982.
• Edgefield Informer (Edgefield C.H., S.C.) 1856-1856.
• Edgefield Weekly Monitor (Johnston, Edgefield County, S.C.) 1877-1900.
• Johnston News (Johnston, S.C.) 1903-1906.
• Johnston News-Monitor (Johnston, Edgefield County, S.C.) 1906-1915.
• The Carolinian (Edgefield Court House, S.C.) 1829-1836.
• The Citizen-News (Johnston, S.C.) 1982-current.
• The Edgefield Chronicle (Edgefield, S.C.) 1881-1925.
• The Edgefield County News (Edgefield, S.C.) 1972-1982.
• The Edgefield Farmer (Edgefield, S.C.) 1892-1894.
• The Edgefield Hive (Pottersville [i.e., Edgefield], S.C.) 1827-1829.
• The Edgefield Hive (Pottersville, S.C.) 1829-1830.
• The Johnston Herald (Johnston, S.C.) 1923-1947.
• The Pottersville Hive (Pottersville, S.C.) 1981-1981.
• The Ridge Citizen (Johnston, S.C.) 1947-1982.
• The South-Carolina Republican (Pottersville, Near Edgefield Ct. Hs., S.C.) 1824-1827.
• The Weekly Monitor  (Johnston, Edgefield County, S.C.) 1900-1906.