Find a Grave South Carolina by Name —
Cemetery & Burial Records Search
Your complete, practical guide to tracing South Carolina ancestors through cemetery and burial records — every free database, step-by-step instructions, official state resources, and insider tips in one place.
South Carolina’s burial records stretch from colonial-era churchyards in Charleston — some of the oldest in America — to backcountry Upcountry Piedmont family cemeteries, Gullah Geechee burial grounds along the Lowcountry coast, and Civil War battlefields at Fort Wagner and Battery Wagner. With 46 counties, centuries of Anglican, Baptist, and Methodist church registers, and colonial-era records dating to the 1680s, South Carolina genealogy rewards systematic searching.
📄 What South Carolina Cemetery & Burial Records Contain
South Carolina’s burial records hold rich genealogical detail — from headstone inscriptions and burial dates to military service records and family connections often found nowhere else.
- ✦Full name — including maiden names on older headstones
- ✦Birth and death dates — often the only source for pre-1915 South Carolina deaths
- ✦Cemetery name, address, and plot/section/lot
- ✦Headstone inscription verbatim — Bible verses, epitaphs, military unit information
- ✦Headstone photograph — available on Find a Grave and BillionGraves for indexed graves
- ✦Spouse and family members buried nearby or cross-linked in the database
- ✦Military service indicators — branch, rank, and conflict
- ✦GPS coordinates — BillionGraves provides exact grave navigation
Pre-1915 South Carolina Deaths: South Carolina did not require statewide death registration until 1915. For ancestors who died before that date, cemetery transcriptions, church burial registers, county courthouse records, and family Bibles are your primary sources. Search South Carolina Department of Archives and History for county-level records predating statewide registration.
🔎 How to Search South Carolina Graves by Name — Step-by-Step
- Go to findgraveusa.org — South Carolina and enter the person’s name in the search bar.
- Use the countie filter to narrow results — South Carolina has 46 counties and common surnames can return hundreds of statewide results.
- Click any result to open the full burial record with cemetery address, plot information, and headstone photo.
- No results? Try maiden name for women, check alternate spellings, or proceed to Method 2.
- Visit findagrave.com — South Carolina Cemeteries. Browse by countie or use the name search with wildcards.
- Use wildcards for uncertain spelling:
?replaces one letter,*replaces multiple — essential for variant spellings and transcription errors. - Click “More Search Options” to filter by birth year, death year, and countie.
- No headstone photo? Click “Request Photo” on any memorial — a local volunteer typically responds within days at no cost.
- Visit https://scdah.sc.gov/ — the official South Carolina state archives.
- Search the free online death certificate database and county-level cemetery surveys and records.
- In-person research: 8301 Parklane Rd, Columbia, SC 29223. Phone: (803) 737-0800.
- Many South Carolina state archives are FamilySearch affiliate libraries — free in-person access to restricted digital collections.
- Visit billiongraves.com and search for the person’s name in South Carolina. GPS-tagged headstone photos allow direct cemetery navigation.
- Results show the headstone photo alongside the exact GPS location on a map.
- Download the BillionGraves app before visiting any South Carolina cemetery — it provides turn-by-turn navigation to any indexed grave plot.
- Create a free account at familysearch.org — no cost, no subscription required.
- Search “South Carolina Deaths” in the Search → Records section to find the most relevant free indexed collections for this state.
- Also search county-level cemetery collections in the FamilySearch catalog by typing the South Carolina countie name plus “cemetery.”
- For pre-1915 records, search church burial registers available in the FamilySearch catalog for South Carolina.
Cross-referencing tip: When you find a burial record, immediately search the same name in FamilySearch census records. A census entry often reveals parents, siblings, and county of origin — significantly expanding your family tree beyond what a headstone alone provides.
📊 All South Carolina Burial Record Databases — Free vs. Paid
Database | What It Covers | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
South Carolina cemetery burial records; name search by countie | Free | First stop for any South Carolina burial search | |
Millions of South Carolina memorials; wildcard search; photo volunteers | Free | Headstone photos, memorial pages, family links | |
GPS-tagged headstone photos; smartphone navigation | Free | Finding exact grave location in large cemeteries | |
South Carolina death records; county microfilm; church burial records | Free | Historical death records; pre-1915 records | |
Official South Carolina historical records; county records; cemetery surveys | Free | Official records; state archives research | |
Countie-organized transcriptions from official cemetery registers | Free | High-accuracy records from original registers | |
Veterans in VA national cemeteries in South Carolina | Free | Veteran and military burial searches | |
Certified South Carolina death certificates from 1915 | $12 first copy | Legal/official proof of death |
🗺️ Search South Carolina Burial Records by Countie
South Carolina has 46 counties. Click any countie below to browse its indexed cemeteries on Find a Grave — all URLs verified working:
For all 46 South Carolina counties: Browse Find a Grave South Carolina or use Interment.net South Carolina for countie-organized transcriptions.
🪦 Notable South Carolina Cemeteries — History, Location & Search Links
South Carolina’s historic cemeteries are living documents of American history. These are the most significant and most-searched burial grounds in the state — with verified, clickable search links for each.
- Established 1850; 2,000+ Confederate soldiers
- South Carolina governors and Civil War figures
- Beautiful Victorian-era monuments and mausoleums
- 35,000+ burials; active and historic sections
- Address: 70 Cunnington Ave, Charleston, SC 29405
- Established 1683 — one of the oldest active cemeteries in America
- Colonial and antebellum Charleston families
- South Carolina statesmen and founding generation
- Edward Rutledge (signer of Declaration of Independence) buried here
- Address: 142 Church St, Charleston, SC 29401
- Civil War Confederate prison camp burial site
- Over 2,800 Union soldiers who died in captivity
- One of the most significant prisoner-of-war burial sites in the South
- Address: 803 E. National Cemetery Rd, Florence, SC 29506
- Phone: (843) 413-5400
- Established 1768 — one of SC’s oldest cemeteries
- Revolutionary War soldiers buried here
- Cheraw founded 1740; important backcountry settlement history
- Many Huguenot and Scots-Irish colonial families
- Free to visit; maintained by historic preservation group
📜 Official South Carolina Death Certificates — How to Get Them
An official South Carolina death certificate provides cause of death, attending physician, parents’ names and birthplaces, and other details not found on headstones — invaluable for genealogy research.
Access Restriction: South Carolina death certificates are confidential for 50 years. Records older than 50 years are accessible to anyone. Newer records require proof of qualifying relationship.
- Visit any South Carolina county or local health department during business hours, Mon–Fri 8AM–5PM.
- Bring valid photo ID and proof of relationship if the record is under 50 years old.
- Pay $12 for the first certified copy. Certificates are typically issued while you wait.
- Download the application form from www.scdhec.gov/vital-records.
- Make a check or money order payable to “SCDHEC Vital Records” for $12 per copy. Do not send cash.
- Mail to: SCDHEC Vital Records, PO Box 101106, Columbia, SC 29211.
- Visit vitalchek.com or call 1-888-279-9888 (24/7). VitalChek adds a service fee to the standard state fee.
- Select South Carolina and follow prompts. Credit and debit cards accepted.
📚 South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH) — Official State Archives
South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH) at scdah.sc.gov/ is the official South Carolina state archives. Located at 8301 Parklane Rd, Columbia, SC 29223. Phone: (803) 737-0800. Hours: Mon–Fri 8AM–5PM. It holds historical death records, county court records, cemetery surveys, church registers, and genealogy collections covering all 46 counties.
Many state archives are FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries — providing free in-person access to restricted digital collections not available online. Contact the archives to confirm affiliate status and plan your research visit accordingly.
🎖️ South Carolina Veteran & Military Grave Search
- VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator: Search gravelocator.cem.va.gov for veterans buried in any VA national cemetery in South Carolina. Covers all conflicts from the Civil War through present day.
- Find a Grave Military Filter: On Find a Grave, use “More Search Options” and check “Has Military” to filter results to veteran memorials only.
- Civil War Records: Use Fold3 (free at state archive terminals) for pension records and burial details of Civil War veterans from South Carolina.
- FamilySearch Veterans Collections: Search “U.S. Veterans Gravesites, 1775–2006” on FamilySearch for free veteran burial location records from South Carolina.
🌿 Insider Tips — South Carolina-Specific Genealogy Tricks
Lowcountry vs. Upcountry Records
SC’s two regions have very different genealogy patterns. Lowcountry (coastal) has Anglican/Episcopal church records from the 1680s and Gullah Geechee community records. Upcountry (Piedmont) settled later with Scots-Irish Baptist records from the 1760s. Know your region before searching.
Gullah Geechee Burial Traditions
The Gullah Geechee people of the SC Lowcountry maintain unique burial traditions. Many historic Gullah cemeteries are not in any online database. Contact the Gullah Cultural Heritage Corridor at nps.gov/guge for burial site documentation and preservation records.
SCDAH Death Certificates 1915-1959
SCDAH provides free online access to South Carolina death certificates 1915–1959. These certificates include parents’ names and birthplaces — a genealogical goldmine. Even if you know the burial location, the death certificate reveals an entire additional generation.
Charleston County Has the Most Records
Charleston County holds more indexed Find a Grave memorials than any other SC county due to the city’s age (founded 1670) and the active volunteer network. If you have Lowcountry ancestors, start with Charleston County even if they lived in surrounding parishes.
Huguenot Records Are Unique to SC
South Carolina was one of America’s primary Huguenot (French Protestant) settlement areas. The Huguenot Society of South Carolina at huguenot.org maintains records of French Protestant families and burial sites not in any public database — essential for French-American genealogy.
Civil War Prison Camp Records
Florence National Cemetery holds Union prisoners who died at the Florence Stockade (1864). The National Park Service maintains a database of identified prisoners at nps.gov — far more detailed than Find a Grave for this specific cemetery and time period.
St. Philip’s vs. St. Michael’s — Two Different Cemeteries
Charleston has two famous colonial churchyards often confused: St. Philip’s (established 1683, 142 Church St) and St. Michael’s (established 1751, 80 Meeting St). They hold different families. Always verify which church your ancestor attended before searching.
Request Photo — Charleston Volunteers Are Fastest
Find a Grave’s Charleston County volunteer network is among the most active in the South. Photo requests in Charleston County are often fulfilled within 24 hours. For rural Upcountry counties, requests may take 2–3 weeks but are generally fulfilled.