Glossary of South Carolina Research Terms
District, parish, mesne conveyance, equity, and other terms you’ll meet in the records.
- District
- Historic judicial jurisdiction in SC; not always identical to modern county boundaries.
- Parish
- Colonial/ecclesiastical geography (especially Lowcountry Anglican) used in early records.
- Mesne conveyance / RMC / ROD
- Offices and record series for land transfers (deeds).
- Equity
- Court handling trusts, partitions, and many family property disputes beyond simple probate.
- Plat
- Survey drawing describing land boundaries; critical with metes and bounds.
- Dower
- Widow’s interest in land; releases often prove a wife’s given name and survival.
- FAN club
- Friends, Associates, Neighbors—research method using people around your ancestor.
- Burned county
- Informal term for jurisdictions with major courthouse record loss; requires substitute sources.