LEXINGTON COUNTY, SC HISTORY AND LOOKUP

County History Books

*None Listed

Lexington County, South Carolina: A Genealogical Overview

Situated in the heart of the South Carolina Midlands, Lexington County is a region defined by its deep German cultural heritage, its pivotal location during times of war, and its modern-day role as a thriving suburban center. Originally settled as the colonial Saxe Gotha Township, the area became a haven for German and Swiss immigrants whose descendants populated the famous “Dutch Fork” region. For genealogists, tracing roots in Lexington County involves navigating a history of courthouse fires and shifting boundaries, requiring a focus on state-level archives and land records to uncover the stories of its industrious founding families.

I. County Formation and Evolution

Lexington County’s history includes several changes in name and judicial oversight, which is important to understand when searching for early records.

  • 1804: County Formed: While the area was first designated as Lexington County in 1785, it was temporarily merged into the larger Orangeburg District between 1791 and 1804. The permanent establishment of Lexington as a separate county (then called a district) dates to 1804.
  • Parent County/District: Lexington County was carved out of the southern part of the Orangeburg District. Prior to the creation of judicial districts in 1785, the area was part of the colonial Saxe Gotha Township, which was established in the 1730s. Research before 1804 requires consulting the records of the Orangeburg District and colonial land grant records at the state archives.
  • Subsequent Formations: A portion of southwestern Lexington County was used to help form Aiken County in 1871.
  • Name Origin: The county was named to honor the Battle of Lexington, Massachusetts, the first military engagement of the American Revolutionary War.
  • County Seat History: The first county seat was established at Granby, near the Congaree River. Due to persistent flooding, the seat of government was moved to its current location, the town of Lexington, in 1818.

II. Settlement and Early History

  • Early Inhabitants: The lands along the Saluda and Congaree rivers were the home of the Congaree, Saluda, and other Siouan-speaking Native American tribes.
  • Colonial Settlement (The “Dutch Fork”): The defining feature of Lexington’s early history was its organized settlement by European Protestants. Beginning in the 1730s, the British colonial government established the Saxe Gotha Township and offered incentives for settlement. This attracted a large and sustained wave of immigrants from Germany and German-speaking cantons of Switzerland. The area they heavily settled, primarily between the Saluda and Broad Rivers, became known as the Dutch Fork (a corruption of the German word “Deutsch”). This heritage is still a cornerstone of the county’s cultural identity.
  • Key Historical Events:
    • Revolutionary War: The region saw significant conflict between Patriots and Loyalists. Fort Granby, a key British outpost, was a major strategic target during the war.
    • Courthouse Fire (1865): This is the single most critical event for genealogical research. In February 1865, during the Civil War, General Sherman’s Union troops marched through the area and burned the county courthouse in Lexington. This fire destroyed the vast majority of county records, including most will books, estate papers, and court minutes created before 1865.
    • Lake Murray: In the late 1920s, the Saluda Dam was built, creating the massive Lake Murray. The creation of the lake submerged thousands of acres of land, including numerous family farms, churches, schools, and cemeteries.

III. Genealogical Records and Resources

Due to the 1865 courthouse fire, researchers must rely heavily on state-level records and surviving land documents to piece together pre-Civil War family histories.

  • County Courthouse: The Lexington County Courthouse, 205 East Main Street, Lexington, SC 29072, is the repository for surviving and post-1865 records.
    • Register of Deeds: Holds land records. The earliest deed books were re-recorded after the fire from original copies held by landowners, so coverage from 1785 is incomplete but exists.
    • Clerk of Court: Maintains civil and criminal court records, mostly post-1865.
    • Probate Judge: This office holds wills and estate files (mostly post-1865) and is the repository for marriage licenses.
  • Vital Records:
    • Birth and Death Records: Statewide registration began in South Carolina on January 1, 1915. Records are available from the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
    • Marriage Records: South Carolina did not require marriage licenses to be recorded at the county level until July 1, 1911. Records for marriages before this date are exceptionally rare and must be sought in church records, family Bibles, or newspapers. Licenses from 1911 to the present are held by the Lexington County Probate Court.
  • Essential State-Level Repositories:
    • South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH): Located in nearby Columbia, the SCDAH is the most important resource for Lexington County research. Due to the courthouse fire, the SCDAH’s collection of colonial and state-level records (colonial land grants, plats, memorials, Revolutionary War accounts, and state censuses) is often the only source for documenting 18th and early 19th-century ancestors.
    • South Caroliniana Library (University of South Carolina): Also in Columbia, this library houses an extensive collection of manuscripts, family papers, church records, maps, and newspapers for the region.
  • Libraries and Societies:
    • Lexington County Museum: Located in Lexington, the museum maintains a historical and genealogical research library and offers excellent exhibits on the county’s unique German heritage.
    • The “Dutch Fork” Chapter of the South Carolina Genealogical Society: This is the primary genealogical society for the county and a vital resource for anyone researching families from the region.
  • Bordering Jurisdictions:
    • Newberry County (northwest)
    • Saluda County (northwest)
    • Aiken County (southwest)
    • Orangeburg County (south)
    • Calhoun County (southeast)
    • Richland County (east)

Please share any resources you have and will do lookups or links to resources you are aware of. Thanks