South Carolina Genealogy Trails

	Aiken County, South Carolina Established in 1871. Aiken county has a total area of 1,080 square miles, of which, 1,073 square miles of it is land and 8 square miles of it is water.
	Beaufort County, South Carolina Established in 1769. The county seat is Beaufort. The county has a total area of 923 square miles, of which, 587 square miles of it is land and 336 square miles of it is water.
	Bennettsville, Marlboro County, South Carolina The city has a total area of 6.2 square miles, of which, 5.6 square miles of it is land and 0.6 square miles of it is water. Bennettsville was founded in 1819, named in honor of Thomas Bennett, then governor of South Carolina. In 1865, during the Civil War, the city was occupied by Union troops. During this time, the Jennings-Brown House and the first County Courthouse was used as the headquarters for General William T. Sherman.
	Charleston County, South Carolina It is the third-most populous county in the state of South Carolina (after Greenville and Richland counties). The county has a total area of 1,358 square miles, of which, 919 square miles of it is land and 440 square miles of it is water.
	Chesterfield County, South Carolina The county has a total area of 806 square miles, of which, 799 square miles of it is land and 7 square miles of it is water.
	Conway, Horry County, South Carolina It is the county seat of Horry County and s the home of Coastal Carolina University. Conway is one of the oldest towns in South Carolina, originally named Kingston. The town was created in 1734 as part of Royal Governor Robert Johnson's Township Scheme. It was laid out on a riverbluff in the center of what became Horry County. Many area residents fought in the American Revolution and small engagements were fought near Kingston at Bear Bluff and at Black Lake. Francis Marion, who was known as the "Swamp Fox", had an encampment near Kingston just across the Waccamaw River After the war, patriotic citizens wanted to discard the name that honored Great Britain's King George II. The county's name was changed to Horry (OR-ee) in honor of General Peter Horry in 1801 and a courthouse was established in Kingston. Kingston's name was later changed to Conwayborough for General Robert Conway. In 1883, the General Assembly changed the name to the current name of Conway.
	Dorchester County, South Carolina Established in 1897. St. George is the county seat. The county has a total area of 577 square miles, of which, 575 square miles of it is land and 2 square miles of it is water.
	Easley, Pickens County, South Carolina Easley is a suburb of Greenville. Easley has been hosting the Big League World Series for several years.
	Folly Beach, Charleston County, South Carolina Folly Beach is has a total area of 18.6 square miles, of which, 12.3 square miles of it is land and 6.4 square miles of it is water. The Washout, on the Atlantic side of Folly Beach, is one of the more popular surfing spots on the East Coast despite its usually calm conditions. Morris Island Lighthouse is north of Folly Beach.
	Georgetown County, South Carolina The county seat is in Georgetown. the county has a total area of 1,035 square miles, of which, 815 square miles of it is land and 220 square miles of it is water. Georgetown County has several rivers including the Great Pee Dee River, the Waccamaw River, Black River, and Sampit River. All of them flow into Winyah Bay. The Santee River, which forms the southern boundary of the county, empties directly into the Atlantic.
	Greenwood County, South Carolina The county seat is Greenwood. The county has a total area of 463 square miles, of which, 456 square miles of it is land and 7 square miles of it is water.
	Hilton Head Island, Beaufort County, South Carolina Hilton Head Island is 20 miles north of Savannah, Georgia, and 95 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina. The island features 12 miles of beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean. The island became an important base of operations for the Union blockade of the Southern ports during the Civil War. Once the island fell to Union troops, hundreds of ex-slaves flocked to Hilton Head, which is still home to many 'native islanders', many of whom are descendants of freed slaves known as the Gullah (or Geechee) who have managed to hold onto much of their ethnic and cultural identity.
	Horry County, South Carolina Horry County was named after the Revolutionary War Hero, Peter Horry. Brigadier General Horry was born in South Carolina sometime around 1743, started his distinguished military career in 1775 as one of 20 captains the Provincial Congress of South Carolina elected to serve the 1st and 2nd Regiments. In 1790 he was assigned to the South Carolina militia under Brigadier General Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion. The county seat is Conway and the largest city is Myrtle Beach.
	Kiawah Island, Charleston County, South Carolina Kiawah Island has a total area of 13.5 square miles, of which, 11.2 square miles of it is land and 2.4 square miles of it is water. Kiawah was named for the Kiawah Indians who were led by head chieftain, Cassique. In the year 1670, Cassique leads English Colonists to settle at Charlestowne Landing.
	Lake City, Florence County, South Carolina Lake City area was originally part of Williamsburg Township, which was first settled by a group of Scotch-Irish in 1734. It was first called Graham's Crossroads and then Graham, after Aaron Graham, a land owner around the crossroads that now form Church and Main Streets in Lake City. In 1856, the Northeastern Railroad built its main line through the area. This brought new growth to the community and on March 4, 1874, after requests from residents, a city charter was granted to the new town of Graham. On December 24, 1883, the town changed its name to Lake City, after the swimming lakes just north of town.
	Lincolnville, Charleston County, South Carolina Lincolnville's populations is under 1000 people.
	Loris City, Horry County, South Carolina Loris is named after either a novel or a favorite dog of the Chadbourn children. Development in the late 1800s drove the Chadbourn Lumber Company to purchase a tract of land on December 7, 1887 from James Patterson. The five sided lot was purchased for $1 and Loris, South Carolina was born. The railroad company built a depot on the land to service their trains and a successful timber business. By 1890, there were four stores near Todd's Ferry Road, now Main Street. In the 1900s, the city grew. On July 26, 1902, Loris was incorporated with a one mile radius. The first mayor was D. J. Butler.
	Meggett, Charleston County, South Carolina Meggett has a total area of 14.8 square miles, of which, 14.6 square miles of it is land and 0.3 square miles of it is water.
	Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Mount Pleasant is a suburban town in area of Charleston, Charleston County. The town has a total area of 49.5 square miles, of which, 41.9 square miles of it is land and 7.7 square miles of it is water. At the foot of the Arthur Ravenel Bridge is Patriot's Point, a naval and maritime museum, home to the World War II aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, which is now a museum ship. The Ravenel Bridge, spans the Cooper River and links Mount Pleasant with downtown Charleston.
	Mullins, Marian County, South Carolina Mullins was named after Col. William S. Mullins, who served as a representative for Marion County in the South Carolina State Legislature from 1852 to 1866. On March 4, 1872, the charter was approved for the town of Mullins. The Macedonia Methodist church was established in 1872, the first church within city limits. By 1878, the city of Mullins had a population of 75 people, a total of 12 families. There were only three stores and four unpaved streets: Railroad, Main, Smith, and Gapway Streets. In 1894, the growth and sale of tobacco sparked the further development of the city of Mullins. In 1895, tobacco was sold for $17.13 a pound, a good price. Mullins became the largest distributor of tobacco in the country, known as “South Carolinas Largest, The world’s best tobacco market.” In the late 1920’s the tobacco festival was started and is still celebrated today. The first school was established in 1872, attended by boys and girls from the town, nearby rural areas, and neighboring counties. The first schoolhouse was built in 1904; a brick, two story building on Academy Street. A second schoolhouse was built in 1913, on the corner of Main and Academy streets. The present high school was built in 1923 on North Park Street and has burned to the ground and was rebuilt. McCormick Elementary School was built on Sandy Bluff Road in 1956. The Palmetto school for Negroes was built in 1919. Its mascot was a bulldog and it colors were purple and gold.
	North Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina North Charleston is a suburban city in Charleston. The North Charleston Coliseum is located in North Charleston near the Charleston International Airport. The coliseum is one of the biggest in South Carolina with 14,000 seats. The coliseum is home to the South Carolina Stingrays for hockey, and the Carolina Sandsharks for indoor football.
	North Myrtle Beach, Horry County, South Carolina North Myrtle Beach was created in 1968 from four existing municipalities north of Myrtle Beach. They are Windy Hill, Crescent Beach, Ocean Drive, home of the Carolina shag, and Cherry Grove, a spit bordering North Carolina. Atlantic Beach, which lies inside of North Myrtle Beach, chose to remain its own town during the merger. It is serviced by the greater city but is independently run.
	Oconee County, South Carolina The name Oconee is believed to be derived from a Hitichi (Creek) word meaning "land of springs". When the county was first formed, the name was picked up from the Yuchi Tribe (Creek) which was prevalent around Anderson and Pendleton, the seat of the district government. An alternative theory holds that the name and meaning came from the Cherokee language. Its county seat is Walhalla. Other cities in the county include Seneca and Westminster. Towns include Salem and West Union. 1780s - The rare wildflower, Oconee Bell, first recorded by André Michaux. 1780s - After the Revolutionary War, Colonel Benjamin Cleveland and a group of followers received land grants from Georgia and settled in present day Oconee County. 1787 - Georgia withdrew its claims to the land between the Tugaloo and Keowee River by the Treaty of Beaufort to South Carolina. 1816 - Cherokee sold their remaining South Carolina land. 1850s - The largest town was Tunnel Hill, located above Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel. 1870- Air line Rairoad build a railroad through the county which helped to form Seneca and Westminster 1893 - Newry was established as mill village to house workers of the Courtenay Manufacturing Company 1900s - The town of Salem was chartered.
	Spartanburg County, South Carolina Spartanburg County - county seat is Spartanburg.
	Sullivan's Island, South Carolina Sullivan's Island is a barrier island in Charleston County, at the entrance to Charleston Harbor. The population was 1,911 at the 2000 census. It is also the site of a major battle of the American Revolution at Fort Sullivan (Now Fort Moultrie) on June 28, 1776.