Manuscript Collection

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Identifier

Accession 910

Inclusive Dates

1787-1969

Restrictions

Open under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections

Collection Size

22 reels

Language

English;

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of 22 microfilm reels containing copies of probate records created by the York County (formerly York District), South Carolina, Probate Judge and its predecessor, the Office of the Ordinary, dating from 1787 to 1969. The original records are held by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

The collection documents the administration and settlement of estates in York County and includes estate record books, will books, inventories, appraisements and sales books, returns books, real estate books, minute books and journals of the Ordinary, indexes to estate papers, and selected estate case files. These records preserve probate proceedings involving testate and intestate estates, as well as guardianships and committees established for minors and individuals deemed mentally incompetent. Estate files typically contain wills, petitions, letters testamentary or letters of administration, administration and guardian bonds, inventories, appraisements, sale bills, annual returns, financial accounts, petitions for final settlement, receipts, and related legal documents.

Also included are records documenting the work of the Office of the Ordinary, including minute books and journals recording official probate proceedings. Real estate and returns books provide additional documentation relating to estate administration, while inventories, appraisements, and sales books record the valuation and disposition of personal property belonging to deceased individuals.

The collection also contains an index to York County estate papers spanning 1787–1969 and selected estate case files representing various probate cases from that period. According to notes prepared by the records custodians at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, some original volumes and individual estate papers were missing at the time of filming. Estate Records Book C, referenced in early indexes and documents, was not located during the archival inventory, resulting in a gap between Estate Records Books B and D. The index volume also contains records relating to articles provided for students attending the Yorkville Female Academy (1821–1823) and guardianship returns filed by Benjamin Chambers, Ordinary of York District, in the Court of Equity (1822–1826).

This collection provides a comprehensive record of probate administration in York District and York County during the late eighteenth through twentieth centuries and serves as a significant resource for genealogical, legal, land ownership, and local history research.

Provenance

The York County – Probate Judge Records were purchased by Louise Pettus from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History and donated to the Winthrop Archives on October 23, 1996.

Copyright

For information concerning copyright please contact the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University.

York County - Probate Judge Records - Accession 910

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