McCormick County Genealogy
- Formed 1916
- Parent district Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood
- County seat McCormick
- Neighbors Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood
Photos & maps
What’s new
- Hub includes record matrix, towns, newspapers (start-here title), cemeteries, societies, church notes, and neighbor panel.
- Printable: McCormick County research cheatsheet.
- Method path: Start here · Districts · Churches.
- Tools: free checklist & packs · surname queries · how we cite & update.
- Formation era 1916 — parent context: Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood.
- New signature topics deepen local research angles—see the in-depth topics list and McCormick cheatsheet.
- More local topic essays added (towns, churches, AA paths, industry)—browse in-depth topics or the McCormick cheatsheet.
- District-era jurisdiction map and record-survival notes; land matrix flags the pre-1785 Charleston recording trap.
This week in McCormick County history
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1780McCormick County Revolutionary late summer Sun, Aug 23
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
- McCormick Research Strategy
- Parent Jurisdictions & Boundaries
- Newspapers & Obituaries
- Records Roadmap
- McCormick District-Era Jurisdiction Map
- McCormick Record Survival & Loss Narrative
- Formed 1916 — Three Parents
- Savannah River Towns
- Willington & Savannah-Town Memory
- Parksville & Modoc
- Willington Academy Memory
- Plum Branch & Mt. Carmel
- African American Research via Parent Counties
Towns & communities
McCormick County was formed in 1916 (Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood). The county seat is McCormick. Neighboring counties include Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood.
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).
McCormick County was formed in 1916 from Greenwood County and Abbeville County. The county was named for Cyrus Hall McCormick, an inventor. The Cherokee Indians massacred early settlers in 1760 at Long Cane. As a response, Fort Charlotte was built to help protect the area. This was one of the first forts captured by the Colonists in the Revolutionary War. Gold was found on the site where the current town of McCormick sits around 1850. Cyrus McCormick had purchased the gold mine and then later gave some land for the town. The town bearing his name was established in 1882 and is the county seat.
McCormick County SCGenweb site
McCormick County Courthouse
Route 2, Box 84-AAA
County Courthouse
Mc Cormick, SC 29835
Query Forums
History notes
McCormick 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.
Local history & events
- Judge cited Murdaugh’s prison safety if given a laptop. McCormick’s history may be reason for pause. - Post and Courier
- North Augusta’s Living History Park could soon restore historic water wheel - NewsBreak: Local News & Alerts
- SC250 Charleston brings Revolutionary-era living history to Marion Square - WCBD News 2
- L.W. Paul Living History Farm hosts Tobacco Heritage Day Saturday - WPDE
- A living history: Gullah Geechee culture and America’s story - WJCL
- Revolutionary War reenactment draws crowd in South Carolina - WRAL
Record availability matrix
SC jurisdiction trap (read first)
| 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 1916, search parent jurisdiction: Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood. |
| 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 McCormick County existed (~1916), research the family in parent jurisdictions (Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood) for land, tax, church, and census—not for earlier county birth certificates. |
| Marriage records | partial | 1916– | 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 McCormick County (~1916), search parent jurisdiction (Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood) 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 (~1916): search parent context (Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood) for substitutes, not for modern-style county death certificates before registration. |
| Land & deeds | good | 1916– | 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 (~1916); earlier freeholders: Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood. |
| Probate & estates | good | 1916– | Wills, administrations, inventories, equity. Series usually begin near local court identity (~1916); gaps → neighbors, SCDAH microfilm, federal substitutes. Pre-formation: Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood. |
| Church & parish | partial | varies | Church rolls often beat civil vitals before the 20th century in McCormick County. Identify denomination and congregation neighborhood early (see church & cemetery panels). Parent/earlier context: Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood. |
| Newspapers | varies | varies | Named local weeklies densify after formation (~1916); for earlier obituaries search parent-county and regional city papers. Parent/earlier context: Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood. 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: Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood. |
| Court records | partial | 1916– | 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: Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood. |
| 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
| Series | Years (approx.) | Repository | Call / catalog notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colonial / Secretary of the Province–State land series (statewide) | 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-1916) | –1915 | Parent counties / SCDAH | For events before 1916, do not stop at modern McCormick film. Search parent context: Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood — deeds, probate, tax, churches under those labels. |
| McCormick County deeds / mesne conveyances (ROD) | 1916– | County ROD + SCDAH microfilm | County Register of Deeds (or Clerk as ROD). SCDAH holds many county deed books on microfilm—look up “McCormick County” in SCDAH / FamilySearch catalog for book/reel coverage. Call numbers change; verify before ordering film. |
| McCormick County probate (wills, administrations, inventories) | 1916– | 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. |
| McCormick / district equity & related chancery-type files | 1916– | 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. |
| McCormick County / district court of common pleas & sessions | 1916– | 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. |
| McCormick tax lists & related assessments (where surviving) | 1916– | 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 | 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 | 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 — McCormick County place search | see catalog | FamilySearch | Catalog search: Place = "McCormick, South Carolina". Review film notes for deeds, probate, court, vitals. Digitization status changes—re-check the catalog item. |
Churches & denominations
Upstate pattern: Presbyterian (Scotch-Irish), Baptist, and Methodist congregations dominate early substitutes for civil vitals. Mill villages later add chapel rolls separate from rural mother churches.
For McCormick County (seat: McCormick), identify the congregation before hunting only municipal cemeteries. Membership moves across county lines more easily than deeds.
Newspapers
- Start here McCormick Messenger / local weeklies (start here)
- Research portals (verify runs & holdings)
Cemeteries & burial research
- Featured McCormick County — Find a Grave cemetery search
- Featured McCormick town cemetery surveys
- Churchyards & family plots (survey first)
- McCormick County — Not a complete inventory
Societies & repositories
Research starting points
Census
Federal census schedules (and some state/colonial substitutes) are foundational for McCormick 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 McCormick 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
McCormick County Courthouse
McCormick, South Carolina
https://mccormickcountysc.org/
If not found here, try…
- Formed 1916
- Parent / earlier jurisdiction Abbeville, Edgefield, and Greenwood — check district-era records before this county existed (districts guide).
Neighboring counties (deeds, marriages, newspapers, and kin often cross the line):