Digital Collections

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has been digitizing selected portions of its holdings for on-line access.  The following materials have been scanned and are now available via the Archives' Online Records Index:

• Confederate Pension Applications, 1919-1938
  This series consists of more than 10,000 applications for Confederate pensions or pension transfer documents.  The lists and miscellaneous documents were not indexed or scanned.
  
  To access the images: On the Search Page, select the Database: "Confederate Pension applications, 1919-1938"
  
  
• Insurance file photographs of public schools, 1935-1952
  This series consists of photographs taken by the Special Agent of the Sinking Fund Commission for insurance purposes.  Information with the photograph generally includes the name of the school or public property, school district for the school photographed, and county in which the school was located.
  
  To access the images:  On the Search Page, select the Data Base: "Insurance file photographs of public schools, 1935-1952"
  
  
• Grand Jury Presentments to the General Assembly, 1783-1877
  Grand Jury presentments state the concerns or needs of a district, as presented by grand juries, to the legislature.  The concerns and grievances were submitted along with information on specific crimes to the appropriate court.  The clerk of court recopied the information dealing with specific grievances and forwarded only this portion to the General Assembly.
  
  To access the images: From the Search page, click on "Show Advanced Search Functions" -- when that screen appears, select Series "S165010 Grand Jury Presentments"
  
  
• Colonial Plats
  This series consists of copies of earlier recordings of plats for colonial land grants.  The plats include their certificates of admeasurement.
  
  To access the images:  From the Search page, click on "Show Advanced Search Functions" --when that screen appears, select Series "S213184 Colonial Plat Books (Copy Series), 1731-1775"
  
  
• National Register of Historic Places
  This series consists of the State Historic Preservation Office's official copies of the more than 1,400 National Register Nominations.  Photographs of the properties have also been digitized.
  
  To access the images: On the Search Page, select the Database: "National Register Properties".  The images are also available through county listings included in the Historic Preservation web pages.
  
  
• Will Transcripts, 1782-1855 This series consists of transcripts of wills from 21 counties.  A will is the legal expression of an individual's wishes as to the distribution of his property after his death.  Information typically includes the names ot testator, legatees, executor(s), and witnesses; family and other relationships of the testator; testator's wishes as to the distribution of his property; and the nature of the real and personal property to be distributed.  As these are all antebellum wills, they often contain the names of slaves in family or apparent family groupings.
  
  To access the images: On the Search Page, select the Database: "Will Transcripts"
  
  
• Militia Enrollments of 1869
  This series consists of militia enrollment books for individual counties in South Carolina.  The enrollments were made between June and December of 1869 and include men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five.
  
  To access the images: From the Search page, click on "Show Advanced Search Functions" -- when that screen appears, select Series "S192021 Militia Enrollments, 1869"