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Dorchester County Genealogy

Edited by Avery Parker for South Carolina Genealogy · Dorchester County hub · Last reviewed July 13, 2026 · How we work & cite

  • Formed 1897
  • Parent district Berkeley and Colleton
  • County seat St. George
  • Neighbors Bamberg, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Orangeburg

Photos & maps

Freely licensed images from Wikimedia Commons (and related open sources), cached locally for research context.

Historic view — Dorchester County
Historic view Fæ · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Source
Map — Dorchester County
Map David Benbennick · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Source

What’s new

History

This week in Dorchester County history

  • 1780
    Dorchester County Revolutionary late summer Fri, Aug 21

    Militia movements and later pensions cross modern lines—use federal files.

This week in South Carolina history · Genealogist timeline · Queries for this county

In-depth topics

Towns & communities

11 places — view all town pages

St. George county seat Saint George county seat Charleston Dorchester Grover Harleyville Lincolnville North Charleston Reevesville Ridgeville Summerville

Dorchester County was formed in 1897 (Berkeley and Colleton). The county seat is St. George. Neighboring counties include Bamberg, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Orangeburg.

Use the research panels below for modern starting points—government contacts, census, vital records, cemeteries—and read the legacy narrative for local history notes and older link collections (some updated).

Dorchester County was formed in 1897 from Berkeley and Colleton Counties. The county was named for Dorchester Massachusetts. As early as 1696 a group of Congregationalists from there relocated to South Carolina and founded the town of Dorchester. That town was abandoned in 1788, but the parish name of St. George Dorchester persisted. The county seat is St. George. One notable location in Dorchester county is Middleton Place Gardens, laid out in 1741, the oldest landscaped gardens in the country. This was a rice plantation. The Middleton family included a member of the Continental Congress, signer of the Declaration of Independence and a Governor and Ambassador.

Dorchester County SCGenweb site [Wayback; prefer SCDAH / FamilySearch wiki]

Dorchester County Courthouse
201 Johnson Street
County Courthouse
Saint George, SC 29477

Dorchester County Records

Census

1790 Federal Census of the areas that would become Dorchester County

Dorchester County Query Forums

History notes

Dorchester County's documentary trail follows South Carolina's district-to-county evolution. When searching before county formation, check parent districts and neighboring counties for deeds, estates, and tax lists.

SC jurisdiction depth: Use the district-era map and record survival topics—plus the pre-1785 statewide deed recording trap on the land matrix row.

Formation sources: County formation ~1897 from Berkeley and Colleton — verify against SCDAH, FamilySearch Wiki, and official county government history pages. Do not rely on Wikipedia alone.

Local history & events

Recent news and notices about historic sites, heritage programs, reenactments, and local history related to Dorchester County (and statewide South Carolina heritage stories). Links open external publishers — verify details before traveling.

Updated automatically from public news feeds focused on history and heritage. See statewide local history news · Suggest an event

Research tools

Free printables for field sessions and home research nights—core to this site’s practical-tools mission.

This county’s cheatsheet Starter checklist Statewide bundle Start here guide

Record availability matrix

Guidance for what tends to exist for this county—not a guarantee. Always verify at the repository. Statewide method notes: vitals, land, probate, census.

SC jurisdiction trap (read first)

Pre-1785 deeds were often recorded centrally in Charleston (Secretary of the Province/State), not only in a local courthouse. Always pair the land row below with parent-district labels and SCDAH colonial series. See also this county’s district-era map and record survival topics.

Record type Coverage Years (approx.) Notes
Federal census good 1790–1950 Federal schedules available for SC with known quirks/losses in some years. Place the household in the correct county/district for each decade. Before 1897, search parent jurisdiction: Berkeley and Colleton.
Birth records sparse 1915– Statewide birth registration in SC is comparatively late (certificates densify after ~1915). Do not expect a civil birth certificate for pre-registration generations—use delayed births, church baptisms, Bibles, census, and probate. For people living before Dorchester County existed (~1897), research the family in parent jurisdictions (Berkeley and Colleton) for land, tax, church, and census—not for earlier county birth certificates.
Marriage records partial 1897– County marriage licenses/returns densify in the 19th–20th centuries; earlier marriages often appear only in church books, bonds, newspapers, or pension files. If the couple married before Dorchester County (~1897), search parent jurisdiction (Berkeley and Colleton) and neighboring counties for the ceremony place—not only this courthouse.
Death records partial 1915– Death certificates densify after statewide registration (~1915). Earlier deaths: obituaries, church burial, probate, cemeteries, coroner notes. Pre-formation residence (~1897): search parent context (Berkeley and Colleton) for substitutes, not for modern-style county death certificates before registration.
Land & deeds good 1897– Pre-1785: many SC deeds were recorded centrally in Charleston (Secretary of the Province/State), not only in the modern county courthouse—search colonial/Charleston series plus parent districts. County ROD typically densifies near formation (~1897); earlier freeholders: Berkeley and Colleton.
Probate & estates good 1897– Wills, administrations, inventories, equity. Series usually begin near local court identity (~1897); gaps → neighbors, SCDAH microfilm, federal substitutes. Pre-formation: Berkeley and Colleton.
Church & parish partial varies Church rolls often beat civil vitals before the 20th century in Dorchester County. Identify denomination and congregation neighborhood early (see church & cemetery panels). Parent/earlier context: Berkeley and Colleton.
Newspapers varies varies Named local weeklies densify after formation (~1897); for earlier obituaries search parent-county and regional city papers. Parent/earlier context: Berkeley and Colleton. Use the newspapers panel’s “start here” title first, then title variants by decade.
Military good 1775– Revolutionary through 20th-century service may generate pensions, CMSRs, and local militia notes. Pair with county context for battles and units.
Cemeteries partial varies Featured municipal and churchyards on this hub are starting points—not a complete inventory. Published abstracts and Find a Grave are incomplete; rural family plots are common. Submit survey citations via contact. Parent/earlier context: Berkeley and Colleton.
Court records partial 1897– Common pleas / sessions / equity labels change with district-era reforms (1785, ~1800, 1868). Confirm the courthouse that held the year—not only the modern county name. Parent context: Berkeley and Colleton.
Tax lists sparse varies Tax lists can substitute for missing census years. Coverage is uneven by locality and year; check SCDAH and published abstracts.

SCDAH & repository series inventory

Professional finding-aid layer for this county. Year ranges are research guidance based on formation and statewide patterns. Call numbers and reel IDs change—confirm in SCDAH catalogs and the FamilySearch catalog before ordering film or citing a reel.

Series Years (approx.) Repository Call / catalog notes
Colonial / Secretary of the Province–State land series (statewide)
THE SC land trap: pre-1785 conveyances often recorded centrally in Charleston. Search even for upcountry families. Pair with parent-district labels.
 1670–1785 SCDAH SCDAH colonial plats, grants, and memorials — confirm current series titles & microfilm/digital IDs in SCDAH catalogs (do not rely on a single county courthouse for pre-1785 title).
Parent-jurisdiction series (pre-1897)
See this hub’s district-era map and neighbor panel.
 –1896 Parent counties / SCDAH For events before 1897, do not stop at modern Dorchester film. Search parent context: Berkeley and Colleton — deeds, probate, tax, churches under those labels.
Dorchester County deeds / mesne conveyances (ROD)
Modern ROD for post-1897 events; earlier title usually in parent jurisdictions: Berkeley and Colleton.
 1897– County ROD + SCDAH microfilm County Register of Deeds (or Clerk as ROD). SCDAH holds many county deed books on microfilm—look up “Dorchester County” in SCDAH / FamilySearch catalog for book/reel coverage. Call numbers change; verify before ordering film.
Dorchester County probate (wills, administrations, inventories)
Equity may be bound with or near probate depending on era. Thin years → neighbors + SCDAH.
 1897– County Probate + SCDAH microfilm Wills/administrations/inventories. Many counties filmed; FamilySearch wiki catalog links list digitized vs film-only. Confirm packet vs will-book coverage separately.
Dorchester / district equity & related chancery-type files
Do not assume equity lives under the modern county name for every decade.
 1897– SCDAH + county Equity/bills often resolve kin and land when law-side probate is thin. Series labels shift with district reforms (~1785, ~1800, 1868). Use SCDAH equity finding aids + county inventories.
Dorchester County / district court of common pleas & sessions
Useful for debts, land disputes, and name lists when deeds are silent.
 1897– SCDAH + county clerk Judgment rolls, sessions, and related court papers. Coverage and labels vary; start with SCDAH county records inventory and FamilySearch catalog entries for the county.
Dorchester tax lists & related assessments (where surviving)
Compare with census decades for neighbor clusters.
 1897– SCDAH + published abstracts Tax survival is uneven. Check SCDAH and published society abstracts; some lists exist only in print abstracts or FS film. Never treat a partial web extract as complete.
Statewide vital registration (birth/death) — not a colonial county series
For pre-registration generations use church, Bible, probate, obituary, cemetery.
 1915– SC DHEC / SCDAH / FamilySearch Civil birth/death certificates densify after statewide registration (~1915). Search statewide systems and FS collections; parent counties do not hold earlier “birth certificates” for 1915+ events that never used civil registration.
Newspapers (local + regional) — SC State Library / Chronicling America
Confirm year ranges before travel; runs are often fragmentary.
 see catalog SC State Library + LOC Microfilm and digital runs: SC State Library newspaper catalogs; Chronicling America; local libraries. Hub “start-here” title is first masthead only.
FamilySearch catalog — Dorchester County place search
Wiki overview: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Dorchester_County,_South_Carolina_Genealogy
 see catalog FamilySearch Catalog search: Place = "Dorchester, South Carolina". Review film notes for deeds, probate, court, vitals. Digitization status changes—re-check the catalog item.

Related: District-era atlas · This county’s district map · Cited abstracts · Repositories guide

Churches & denominations

Lowcountry pattern: Anglican/Episcopal parish geography for colonial generations; Baptist, Methodist, and historically African American churches for later eras. Plantation chapels and praise houses may leave thin paper—pair with burial grounds.

For Dorchester County (seat: St. George), identify the congregation before hunting only municipal cemeteries. Membership moves across county lines more easily than deeds.

Newspapers

Named titles with year ranges and repository notes. Start with the highlighted title, then search decade variants—mastheads change often. Confirm runs before you travel.

  • Start here Summerville Journal-Scene lineage (start here)
    Summerville · 1890–present · Weekly
    Corridor-town press; pair with Charleston papers. Repos: Dorchester libraries, SC State Library.
  • Research portals (verify runs & holdings)
    St. George · n/a
    Cross-check: Chronicling America · SC State Library · local public library microfilm · SCDAH newspaper finding aids · commercial digitization. Mastheads change by decade—log every title variant you search.

Statewide newspapers guide · Libraries & societies directory · Repos: SCDAH · SC State Library · local microfilm · Chronicling America

Cemeteries & burial research

Major municipal grounds, historic churchyards, and portals—not a complete inventory of every graveyard. Published abstracts and Find a Grave are incomplete.

  • Featured Dorchester County — Find a Grave cemetery search
    St. George
    Portal search for user-contributed cemetery pages and memorials. Verify stones and surveys independently.
    Find a Grave · More
  • Featured Summerville Cemetery surveys
    Summerville
    Corridor-town cemeteries. Colonial Old Dorchester memory ≠ continuous burial register.
    Submit a correction
  • Churchyards & family plots (survey first)
    Various
    Many SC burials never appear in municipal cemeteries. Start with church affiliation, then published surveys and GPS-enabled modern inventories.
    Find a Grave · More
  • Dorchester County — Not a complete inventory
    Various
    This list is a research starting set (featured grounds + portals), not every graveyard. Published abstracts and Find a Grave are incomplete. Know a survey, correction, or missing churchyard? Use the contact form—we update county pages as evidence arrives.
    Find a Grave · Submit a correction

Not complete — help us improve. Know a published survey citation, missing churchyard, or bad link? Send a correction. · Cemeteries research guide

Societies & repositories

Full societies & libraries directory

Research starting points

Census

Federal census schedules (and some state/colonial substitutes) are foundational for Dorchester County household reconstruction. Start with every decade the family should appear, then correlate with land and probate.

Vital records

South Carolina statewide vital registration is comparatively late. For many Dorchester County families you will rely on a mix of county probate, church registers, Bible records, newspapers, and delayed birth certificates—not only a single “vital records office” file.

Courthouse & contacts

Canonical mailing target for this hub. Confirm the specific office (Clerk of Court, Register of Deeds, Probate) and current address on the county government site before you mail a records request. Historical society PO boxes are not the courthouse.

Dorchester County Courthouse
St. George, South Carolina
https://www.dorchestercountysc.gov/

If not found here, try…

South Carolina brick walls are often jurisdiction problems. Search parent districts and neighbors when deeds or probate are thin—and for pre-formation families. Civil birth/death certificates are late statewide; parents do not hold earlier “county birth certificates.”

  • Formed 1897
  • Parent / earlier jurisdiction Berkeley and Colleton — check district-era records before this county existed (districts guide).

Neighboring counties (deeds, marriages, newspapers, and kin often cross the line):

Bamberg Berkeley Charleston Colleton Orangeburg

Expand the same decade in neighbor newspapers, church rolls, and cemeteries—kin often cross the line for marriage and burial. Also use Start here, the districts & counties guide, migration corridors, and local history news.