South Carolina, as a whole, wasn’t the first to hop on the county history bandwagon, by any means. In fact, a number of county histories weren’t published until the last two decades of the 20th century, so will remain under copyright for some years to come.

FAQ

1. While every county in the state is listed, links are only provided for titles that no longer fall under U.S. copyright laws. All (almost) links connect to free websites.
2. There are a few instances when a book has been digitized, but is only found on a paid site. In that case, no link is inserted, but a note as to the website where it has been found is given.
3. When a state history has also been found in digital format, it is listed in the STATE section that precedes the county list. I have limited STATE entries to those with county histories/biographical volumes in them.
4. There are a number of counties that DO have histories written, BUT they remain copyrighted material. Therefore, if a county has NONE after its name, it doesn’t mean there is no county history, just that none has been digitized. It’s also possible that the only digitized county history is included in one of the state volumes, so be sure to check those entries.
5. If the book is on FamilySearch, you will need a free account to access it. This list does NOT include town histories.
6. When all fifty states have been completed, I will post a PDF of them all.
7. One last note – it is very possible that a book is digitally available on more than one website. I’ve only included links to one site per book.

SOUTH CAROLINA

 STATE – The story of the South Carolina lowcountry, Volume 1, Herbert Ravenel Sass, J.F. Hyer Publishing Company, West Columbia, South Carolina, 1956.
STATE – The story of the South Carolina lowcountry, Volume 2, Herbert Ravenel Sass, J.F. Hyer Publishing Company, West Columbia, South Carolina, 1956.
STATE – The story of the South Carolina lowcountry, Volume 3, Herbert Ravenel Sass, J.F. Hyer Publishing Company, West Columbia, South Carolina, 1956.
STATE – Colonial and Revolutionary history of upper South Carolina, John Belton O’Neall Landrum, Shannon & Company, Greenville, South Carolina, 1897.
STATE – Folklore of South Carolina : including Central and Dutch Fork sections of the state, and much data on the early Quaker and Convenanter customs, etc, George Leland Summer, c1950.
STATE – Historical collections of South Carolina: embracing many rare and valuable pamphlets and other documents relating to the history of that state from its first discovery to its independence in the year 1776. Volume 1, Bartholomew Rivers Carroll, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1836.
STATE – Historical collections of South Carolina: embracing many rare and valuable pamphlets and other documents relating to the history of that state from its first discovery to its independence in the year 1776. Volume 2, Bartholomew Rivers Carroll, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1836.

ABBEVILLE – Abbeville County bi-centennial, 1758-1958: historical souvenir program, Abbeville County Historical Society, Abbeville, South Carolina, 1958.
ABBEVILLE – The Huguenot settlement in Abbeville County, Cora Turner Morrah Rice, n.p., n.d.
AIKEN – An Aiken scrapbook: a picture narrative of Aiken and Aiken County, South Carolina, Dorothy Kelly MacDowell, Aiken Standard, Aiken South Carolina, 1982.
AIKEN – A short history of Aiken and Aiken County, P.F. Henderson, R.L. Bryan Company, Columbia, South Carolina, 1951.
ALLENDALE – The town of Allendale: a gem of the South Carolina Low Country, Louis Arthur Searson, Columbia South Carolina, 1949.
ANDERSON – Traditions and History of Anderson County, Louise Ayer Vandiver, Ruralist Press, Atlanta, Georgia, 1928.
ANDERSON – Index of names found in “Traditions and history of Anderson County” by Louise Ayer Vandiver, Ethel Speer Updike, Typescript, 1954.
ANDERSON – Anderson County, a pictorial history, Hurley E. Badders, Donning Company Publishers, Norfolk, Virginia, 1983.
ANDERSON – History of Old Pendleton district, with a genealogy of the leading families of the district, Richard Wright Simpson, Oulia Printing, Anderson South Carolina, 1913.
BAMBERG – NONE
BARNWELL – NONE
BEAUFORT – NONE
BERKELEY – NONE
CALHOUN – NONE
CHARLESTON – History of Charleston County, South Carolina: narrative and biographical, Thomas Petigru Lesesne, A.H. Cawston, Charleston, South Carolina, c1931.
CHEROKEE – NONE
CHESTER – Sketches and reminiscences, Joshua Hilary Hudson, The State Company, Columbia, South Carolina, 1903.
CHESTERFIELD – History of the old Cheraws: containing an account of the aborigines of the Pedee, the first white settlements, their subsequent progress, civil changes, the struggle of the revolution, growth of the country afterward, extending from about A.D. 1730-1810, with notices of families and sketches of individuals, Alexander Gregg, Richardson & Company, New York, 1867.
CLARENDON – History of Clarendon from 1810 to 1888, David Sturges Copeland, Courier Company, Buffalo, 1889.
COLLETON – Narratives of Colleton county, the land lying between the Edisto and Combahee rivers, Beulah Glover, Typescript, 1962.
DARLINGTON – History of the old Cheraws: containing an account of the aborigines of the Pedee, the first white settlements, their subsequent progress, civil changes, the struggle of the revolution, growth of the country afterward, extending from about A.D. 1730-1810, with notices of families and sketches of individuals, Alexander Gregg, Richardson & Company, New York, 1867.
DARLINGTON – History, description and resources of Darlington County, State of South Carolina, The News and Courier Job Presses, Charleston, South Carolina, 1874.
DILLON – Dillon County Economic and Social, Edgar Tristram Thompson & Dewey Stephens, University of South Carolina, 1922.
DORCHESTER – NONE
EDGEFIELD – History of Edgefield County from the earliest settlements to 1897 : biographical and anecdotical, with sketches of the Seminole War, nullification, secession, reconstruction, churches and literature, wtih rolls of all the companies from Edgefield in the war of secession, war with Mexico and with the Seminole Indians, John Abney Chapman, E.H. Aull, Newberry, South Carolina, 1897.
EDGEFIELD – The Hard Labor Section, Harvey Toliver cook, Greenville, South Carolina, 1923.
FAIRFIELD – Ederington’s history of Fairfield County, South Carolina : a manuscript history published in the News and Herald, a newspaper of Winnsboro, Fairfield County, South Carolina, in installments, on the dates indicated with each installment herein, William Ederington, Mrs. B.H. Rosson Jr., compiler, Jenkinsville, South Carolina, 1957.
FAIRFIELD – History of Fairfield county, South Carolina, from “before the white man came” to 1942, Fitz Hugh McMaster, State Commercial printing Company, Columbia, South Carolina, 1946.
FLORENCE – History of the old Cheraws: containing an account of the aborigines of the Pedee, the first white settlements, their subsequent progress, civil changes, the struggle of the revolution, growth of the country afterward, extending from about A.D. 1730-1810, with notices of families and sketches of individuals, Alexander Gregg, Richardson & Company, New York, 1867.
GEORGETOWN – History of the old Cheraws: containing an account of the aborigines of the Pedee, the first white settlements, their subsequent progress, civil changes, the struggle of the revolution, growth of the country afterward, extending from about A.D. 1730-1810, with notices of families and sketches of individuals, Alexander Gregg, Richardson & Company, New York, 1867.
GREENVILLE – History of Greenville County, South Carolina, narrative and biographical, James McDowell Richardson, S.H. Cawston, Atlanta, Georgia, 1930.
GREENWOOD – NONE
HAMPTON – NONE
HORRY – History of the old Cheraws: containing an account of the aborigines of the Pedee, the first white settlements, their subsequent progress, civil changes, the struggle of the revolution, growth of the country afterward, extending from about A.D. 1730-1810, with notices of families and sketches of individuals, Alexander Gregg, Richardson & Company, New York, 1867.
HORRY – Horry County Survey of Historic Places, Wacamau Regional Planning and Development Council, 1973.
HORRY – The Independent republic of Horry, 1670-1970, Florence Theodora Epps, editor, Horry County Historical Society, 1970?
JASPER – NONE
KERSHAW – NONE
LANCASTER – NONE
LAURENS – NONE
LEE – NONE
LEXINGTON – Early county history: [from] Dispatch news, Lee R. Gandee, Lexington, South Carolina, 1965.
LEXINGTON – Random recollections of a long life, 1806 to 1876, Edwin J. Scott, C.A. Calvo, Columbia, South Carolina, 1884.
MARION – A history of Marion County, South Carolina: from its earliest times to the present, 1901, William W. Sellers, R.L. Bryan, Columbia, South Carolina, 1902.
MARLBORO – A history of Marlboro County, with traditions and sketches of numerous families, John Alexander William Thomas, Foote & Davies Company, Atlanta, Georgia, 1897.
MARLBORO – Sketches of old Marlboro, Duncan Donald McColl, Bennettsville, South Carolina, 1916.
MARLBORO – History of the old Cheraws: containing an account of the aborigines of the Pedee, the first white settlements, their subsequent progress, civil changes, the struggle of the revolution, growth of the country afterward, extending from about A.D. 1730-1810, with notices of families and sketches of individuals, Alexander Gregg, Richardson & Company, New York, 1867.
MCCORMICK – NONE
NEWBERRY – The annals of Newberry: in two parts, John Belton O’Neall & John Abney Chapman, 1892.
OCONEE – History of Old Pendleton district, with a genealogy of the leading families of the district, Richard Wright Simpson, Oulia Printing, Anderson South Carolina, 1913.
ORANGEBURG – The history of Orangeburg County, South Carolina: from its first settlement to the close of the Revolutionary War, Alexander Samuel Salley, R. Lewis Berry Printers, Orangeburg, South Carolina, 1898.
PICKENS – History of Old Pendleton district, with a genealogy of the leading families of the district, Richard Wright Simpson, Oulia Printing, Anderson South Carolina, 1913.
PICKENS – It happened in Pickens County, Pearl Smith McFall, Sentinel Press, Pickens, South Carolina, c1959.
RICHLAND – NONE
SALUDA – History of Edgefield County from the earliest settlements to 1897 : biographical and anecdotical, with sketches of the Seminole War, nullification, secession, reconstruction, churches and literature, wtih rolls of all the companies from Edgefield in the war of secession, war with Mexico and with the Seminole Indians, John Abney Chapman, E.H. Aull, Newberry, South Carolina, 1897.

SPARTANBURG – A History of Spartanburg County, Writers’ Program of WPA, American Society of University Women, Spartanburg Branch, c1940.
SPARTANBURG – History of Spartanburg County; embracing an account of many important events, and biographical sketches of statesmen, divines and other public men, John Belton O’Neall Landrum, Franklin Printing and Publishing Company, Atlanta, Georgia, 1900.
SUMTER – History of Sumter County, South Carolina, Anne King Gregorie, Library Board of Sumter County, Sumter, South Carolina, 1954.
UNION – NONE
WILLIAMSBURG – History of Williamsburg; something about the people of Williamsburg County, South Carolina, from the first settlement by Europeans about 1705 until 1923, William Willis Boddie, The State Company, Williamsburg, South Carolina, 1923.
WILLIAMSBURG – Narrative of reminiscences in Williamsburg County, Samuel Davis McGill, Kingstree Lithographic Company, Kingstree, South Carolina, 1952.
YORK – Reminiscences of York, Maurice Moore & edited by Elmer Oris Parker, A Press, Greenville, South Carolina, c1981.