South Carolina Room

African American Genealogy for Beginners: Strategies and sources for tracing your lineage

Christina Shedlock — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:08:08 +0000

Join local genealogy expert Wevoneda Minis and CCPL historians Christina Shedlock and Dr. Nicholas Butler for an overview of research strategies, tips for overcoming complications in African American family research, and a discussion of helpful local resources. This event will take place in the Main Library Auditorium on Monday, September 26th at 6 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Please click the link below for more information and to view the program flyer:

African American Genealogy program

Upcoming Book Talk and Signing!

Christina Shedlock — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:06:55 +0000

Main Library Auditorium, from 6:30-7:30 pm.

Native South Carolinian Skip Johnson will discuss his newly published guide to the city, A Charleston Primer for Yankees: History With A Southern Accent. Useful for locals and visitors to the city alike, Johnson’s book provides an easy to understand, entertaining look at the history of the city from its founding to the present. The author will have books for sale and will be available to sign copies and answer questions after the program. Please click on the link below to view the program flyer:

Johnson Program Flyer

New map and general guide to SC Room

Christina Shedlock — Mon, 09 May 2011 16:01:36 +0000

Please click on the link below for a new brochure featuring a breakdown of the department’s collections, with a map and organizational guide to facilitate researchers in finding the records they need while planning their visit. The brochure can also be found under the “About Us’ tab at the top of the blog page.

Guide and map to SC Room

New property research resource added to the ‘Research Guides’ tab!

Christina Shedlock — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:12:21 +0000

Deed Research and Conducting a Chain of Title

Making sense of deeds and property records can be a daunting task, but is often useful for genealogists wishing to find where their ancestor’s homes and land were located. This is brief introduction to how deeds are organized and indexed, how to format them to trace a historic property from the past to the present or vice versa, and some important steps to start the process. This guide is geared towards resources at the Charleston County Register of Mesne Conveyance, but should be useful for research in other counties as well, as deeds across the state are essentially organized in the same fashion. There is also a list of books in CCPL’s holdings that contain useful deed information abstracts.

Upcoming Genealogy Program with Wevonneda Minis!

Christina Shedlock — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 17:10:22 +0000

Please join us on Saturday, November 13th at 1:30 for a special program on conducting family history research. Genealogical lecturer and Post and Courier columnist Wevonneda Minis will discuss how to get the most out of family history interviews. The one-hour PowerPoint presentation will instruct how to conduct oral interviews that lay a solid foundation for successful genealogical research.

Please see attached flyer:

Wevonneda Minis Program

Upcoming Program on Maritime Archaeology!

Christina Shedlock — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 18:47:23 +0000

Please join us in the Main Library auditorium on October 6, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. for “Above and Below: The Maritime Archaeology of South Carolina Shipwreck Sites”. The hour-long program will be hosted by the Sport Diver Archaeology Management Program, a division of the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology. This event is free and open to the public.

“Come listen to maritime archaeologists talk about the history and archaeology surrounding a variety of South Carolina vessels. Ashley Deming and Carl Naylor, part of the Maritime Research Division at the University of South Carolina, will discuss the archaeology conducted by SCIAA on many of the shipwreck sites in South Carolina waters. (taken from promotional flyer)” To view the flyer for the event, please click below:

Maritime Program Flyer

Map Collections!

Christina Shedlock — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:05:02 +0000

The South Carolina Room staff has completed several map indexes to make our uncataloged collections more accessible. The maps are broken down into sub-sections, including Charleston city, Charleston County, South Carolina and the Southeastern region, and miscellaneous, which maps of the harbor and other topics. There is a separate index for each of these collections, which are available under the finding aid link as keyword searchable pdf files. Please check back soon for more map indexes!

New Pages! Finding Aids and Research Guides

Christina Shedlock — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:34:15 +0000

The South Carolina Room staff have created several pathfinders that are available to patrons in our research facility, and now the public can access these guides through the blog to learn more about our collections and plan their research trips or queries. Two new pages have been added to the top tool bar and include PDF formatted guides. ‘Research Guides’ features pamphlets and listings of what sources are available in our collections for specific topics, including probate, cemetery, military, and property records. The ‘Finding Aids’ page offers in-depth descriptions of primary sources in the collections, especially microfilm sets, with instructions on how to use the resources. The staff will be adding more guides to these pages, so be sure to check back regularly to see what is available!

Upcoming Program: “Marine Archaeology: South Carolina Style.”

Christina Shedlock — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:18:18 +0000

Please join us on Tuesday, May 25, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm at the Charleston County Public Library. Maritime archaeologist Ashley Deming and author and archaeological technician Carl Naylor will host “Maritime Archaeology: South Carolina Style”. Deming, who holds a master’s degree in maritime archaeology from the University of Bristol, is a member of the Maritime Research Division at the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA), a research arm of the University of South Carolina, where she manages the Sport Diver Archaeology Management Program (SDAMP). Naylor, whose book The day the johnboat went up the mountain: Stories from my twenty years in South Carolina maritime archaeology was recently published by the University of South Carolina Press, is also a member of SCIAA’s Maritime Research Division working with the Sport Diver Archaeology Management Program (SDAMP). The presentation will feature the educational programs offered by SDAMP as well as highlight some of their many archaeological projects. Artifacts found in South Carolina waters will also be shown and discussed. (taken from promotional flyers.)

Upcoming Lecture and Book Signing with Batt Humphreys, author of “Dead Weight”

Christina Shedlock — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:00:53 +0000

Please join us in the Main Library Auditorium on Sautrday, April 3rd from 2:00 to 3:00 pm for an afternoon with Batt Humphreys, who will discuss his new book, Dead Weight- Base on a True Story.

“Charleston 1910- A young black man is tried, convicted, and executed for murder on the eve of his wedding. There is every reason to believe an innocent man was hanged. Batt Humphrey’s new novel Dead Weight is a heartbreaking tale base on the role of race in the southern criminal jusitce system of the early 20th century. NPR’s Radio Reader choice for April! This event is free and open to the public; please call 843-805-6956 for more information.” (Taken from lecture promotional flyer.)