Union County Genealogy
- Formed 1785
- Parent district Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period
- County seat Union
- Neighbors Cherokee, Chester, Fairfield, Laurens, Newberry, Spartanburg, York
Photos & maps
What’s new
- Hub includes record matrix, towns, newspapers (start-here title), cemeteries, societies, church notes, and neighbor panel.
- Printable: Union County research cheatsheet.
- Method path: Start here · Districts · Churches.
- Tools: free checklist & packs · surname queries · how we cite & update.
- Formation era 1785 — parent context: Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period.
- New signature topics deepen local research angles—see the in-depth topics list and Union cheatsheet.
- More local topic essays added (towns, churches, AA paths, industry)—browse in-depth topics or the Union cheatsheet.
- District-era jurisdiction map and record-survival notes; land matrix flags the pre-1785 Charleston recording trap.
This week in Union County history
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1860Union County late antebellum harvest season Sun, Aug 9
Tax, crop, and household clues just before secession winter—use with 1860 schedules carefully.
This week in South Carolina history · Genealogist timeline · Queries for this county
In-depth topics
- Broad River Communities
- Union Research Strategy
- Parent Jurisdictions & Boundaries
- Newspapers & Obituaries
- Records Roadmap
- Pinckney District Context
- Textile & Rural Mix
- Union District-Era Jurisdiction Map
- Union Record Survival & Loss Narrative
- Buffalo & Jonesville Mills
- Cross Keys & Backcountry Memory
- Lockhart & Carlisle
- African American Mill & Rural Trails
Union County was formed in 1785 (Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period). The county seat is Union. Neighboring counties include Cherokee, Chester, Fairfield, Laurens, Newberry, Spartanburg, York.
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).
Like most of the northwestern area of South Carolina, this area was inhabited by the Cherokee Indians prior to European settlement, although it's primary use may have been as hunting grounds. Union County was formed in 1785. The town and county got it's name from a Union Church located near Monarch Mill. This Church was a place that Methodist, Baptist, or Presbyterians could meet in worship. The Revolutionary War battle of Musgrove Mill took place at the intersection of Union, Spartanburg and Laurens counties. Other Revolutionary War sites here are Fishdam Ford and Blackstock Battlefield.
In the late 1700s, the General Assembly created a district court and created a town called Pinckneyville in Union County. It was at the confluence of the Broad and Pacolet Rivers and meant to be the Charleston of the Upstate. The idea never caught on and eventually all activity moved to Union County, leaving Pinckneyille as a ghost town. Pinckneyville is on the national historic register.
Union County is also home to Boogaloo Folk Life Productions which seeks to retell memories of historical events in theatre form.
Union County SCGenweb site
Union County Historical Foundation
P.O. Drawer 220
Union, SC 29379
Query Forums
History notes
Union 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
- Union County museum honors American Revolution with weekend of reenactments - Queen City News
- Union County Heritage Museum welcomes New Albany native John Peter Ford - djournal.com
- Union County Heritage Museum hosts adult summer camp - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
- Historic marker preserves memory of forgotten Union County settlement - Sioux City Journal
- Zip Trip: Union County Museum - WSPA 7News
- UNION COUNTY MUSEUM - WSPA 7News
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 1785, search parent jurisdiction: Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period. |
| 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 Union County existed (~1785), research the family in parent jurisdictions (Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period) for land, tax, church, and census—not for earlier county birth certificates. |
| Marriage records | partial | 1800– | 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 Union County (~1785), search parent jurisdiction (Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period) 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 (~1785): search parent context (Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period) for substitutes, not for modern-style county death certificates before registration. |
| Land & deeds | good | 1785– | 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 (~1785); earlier freeholders: Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period. |
| Probate & estates | good | 1785– | Wills, administrations, inventories, equity. Series usually begin near local court identity (~1785); gaps → neighbors, SCDAH microfilm, federal substitutes. Pre-formation: Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period. |
| Church & parish | partial | varies | Church rolls often beat civil vitals before the 20th century in Union County. Identify denomination and congregation neighborhood early (see church & cemetery panels). Parent/earlier context: Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period. |
| Newspapers | varies | varies | Seat-town and regional titles both matter. Start with the county “start here” newspaper, then Chronicling America + SC State Library microfilm catalogs. Parent/earlier context: Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period. |
| 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: Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period. |
| Court records | partial | 1785– | 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: Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period. |
| 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). |
| Union County deeds / mesne conveyances (ROD) | 1785– | County ROD + SCDAH microfilm | County Register of Deeds (or Clerk as ROD). SCDAH holds many county deed books on microfilm—look up “Union County” in SCDAH / FamilySearch catalog for book/reel coverage. Call numbers change; verify before ordering film. |
| Union County probate (wills, administrations, inventories) | 1785– | 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. |
| Union / district equity & related chancery-type files | 1785– | 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. |
| Union County / district court of common pleas & sessions | 1785– | 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. |
| Union tax lists & related assessments (where surviving) | 1780– | 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 — Union County place search | see catalog | FamilySearch | Catalog search: Place = "Union, 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 Union County (seat: Union), identify the congregation before hunting only municipal cemeteries. Membership moves across county lines more easily than deeds.
Newspapers
- Start here Union Daily Times lineage (start here)
- Research portals (verify runs & holdings)
Cemeteries & burial research
- Featured Union County — Find a Grave cemetery search
- Featured Forest Lawn / city cemetery surveys
- Featured Forest Lawn / Union city cemetery surveys
- Churchyards & family plots (survey first)
- Union County — Not a complete inventory
Societies & repositories
Research starting points
Census
Federal census schedules (and some state/colonial substitutes) are foundational for Union 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 Union 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
Union County Courthouse
Union, South Carolina
https://www.countyofunion.org/
If not found here, try…
- Formed 1785
- Parent / earlier jurisdiction Ninety-Six District; Pinckney District period — check district-era records before this county existed (districts guide).
Neighboring counties (deeds, marriages, newspapers, and kin often cross the line):