SC Department of Archives & History

From the Treaty of DeWitt’s Corner to Thomas Sumter’s claims for military service, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History has remarkable records for researching Revolutionary War ancestors. A guide to these sources is available on their website (https://scdah.sc.gov/research-and-genealogy/resources/military-records) and digital copies of more than 11,000 claims from patriots for military service and supplies are available via the Online Records Index (www.archivesindex.sc.gov). The Research Room at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. While there, check out the temporary installation on SC’s Constitutions and learn about their restoration. The Archives also has records for the South Carolina Navy 1776-1780 which list the names of free and enslaved African Americans who served as pilots, mariners, seamen, coopers, carpenters, and rope makers. Thanks to links to the South Caroliniana Library and the National Archive, one can also discover amazing stories like Richland District’s Gideon Griffin, a free African American who saw action at important battles such as Monck’s Corner, Cowpens, and Eutaw Springs.