York County and its county seat, the town of York, were named for York County, Pennsylvania. The county was first established in 1785 as part of Camden District. From 1791 to 1800 it was part of Pinckney District, and it became a separate district when Pinckney was dissolved in 1800. Part of the county went to form Cherokee County in 1897. When European settlers arrived, this part of the state was inhabited by the Catawba Indians. The Catawbas signed a treaty with the English in 1763, relinquishing their rights to much of their land. This treaty opened up the area to Scotch-Irish settlers moving down from Pennsylvania and up from the lowcountry. In later years the Catawba reservation was greatly reduced in size, but recent legal settlements have now restored many of the tribe's rights. The Catawba Nation is now the only federally-recognized Indian tribe in the state. Two battles were fought in this area during the Revolutionary War, Williamson's Plantation (July 12, 1780) and Kings Mountain (October 7, 1780); the latter battle was a major victory for the Americans. Small-scale cotton farming was prevalent in the county in the nineteenth century, but textile mills became important in the twentieth century, contributing to the growth of the county's largest city, Rock Hill. Some well-known natives of York County are Revolutionary leader Colonel William Bratton (1742-1815) and writer Dori Sanders. (Source: South Carolina State Library)
PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.
York County Clerk of Court has Court Records from 1786 and is located at 2 S Congress St, York, SC, 29745; Phone: 803-684-8505, Fax: 803-684-8560 . The Clerk of Court consist of The Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions. The Court of Common Pleas is the court of general jurisdiction over civil cases in York County, excepting those cases in which the amount or value of property in dispute is less than $7,500. Cases involving money or property totaling less than $7,500 are heard in Small Claims Magistrates' Courts. The Court of General Sessions is the court of general jurisdiction over criminal cases in York County, excepting most misdemeanor cases, which are usually adjudicated in the Magistrates' Courts.
York County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1911 , Probate Records> from 1786 and is located at 1 N Congress St, York, SC, 29745; Phone: 803-684-8513, Fax: 803-684-8536.
Probate Court has original jurisdiction over actions concerning the issuance of marriage licenses, the estate of a deceased person, the will of an individual, the estate of a minor or incapacitated person, trusts, and involuntary commitments. South Carolina had no law requiring marriage licenses or registration until 1 July 1911. Licenses are on file with the judge of probate in each county. Prior to 1911, marriages were legal if performed according to canonical law; common law marriages also were recognized. Many churches recorded marriages, but when compared with the vast number of marriages that took place, the number of documented marriages is small. Marriage settlements, made by a widow and her second husband to protect the heirs of her first husband, and pre-marital agreements, not necessarily involving widows, were popular for a while. These records date from about 1760 to about 1890 and may be found in county conveyance books or the South Carolina Department of Archives and History and on microfilm at the FHL. Newspapers accounts of marriages from 1732 to the present are a primary source of marriage documentation (see Newspapers).
York County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1786 and is located at 2 S Congress St, York, SC, 29745; Phone: 803-684-8505, Fax: 803-684-8560 . The Register Of Deeds Office records land titles, leins and other documents related to property transaction in York County. The Register Of Deeds Office must assure that all recorded documents comply with the requirements of federal and state recording statutes and are available for public review.
Below is a list of online resources for York County Court Records. Email us with websites containing York County Court Records by clicking the link below:
South Carolina Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
PLEASE READ!! There were no South Carolina birth or Death certificates before January 01, 1915
York County Health Departmenthas vital records and is located at PO Box 149,
116 N. Congress Street,
York, S.C. 29745,
Phone: (803) 684-7004. This office can search for birth and death records from January 01, 1915. Marriage records prior to 1950 may be available from the Probate Judge in the county where the license was issued. Divorce records since April 1949 should be available from the County Clerk in the county where the petition was filed (See York County Court Records for Address and Phone number)
Click Here to Search South Carolina Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
South Carolina DHEC, Division of Vital Records is located at
2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201; telephone # (803) 898-3630, fax #: (803) 799-0301. The fee to search for a birth, Marriage or Death certificate is $12.00, which includes one certified copy of the certificate or a "Certificate of Failure to Find." There were no South Carolina birth or Death "certificates" before January 01, 1915.
For each additional copy of the certificate ordered at the same time, the fee is $3.00. Checks or Money Orders should be made payable to "S.C. DHEC, Division of Vital Records." Please do not send cash. Fees are non refundable. Additional fees of $5.00 are required for expedited service. The
expedite fee guarantees a response leaving the Division
of Vital Records within three (3) working days. A
response can be in the form of a letter, a telephone
call, or a certification being mailed.
Mail all Applications to: S.C. DHEC, Division of Vital Records is located at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates or Death Certificates. Ordering Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
Below is a list of online resources for York County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing York County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Below is a list of online resources for York County Census Records. Email us with websites containing York County Census Records by clicking the link below:
South Carolina Antique Maps & Atlases has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for South Carolina and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for South Carolina showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for South Carolina showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The South Carolina Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here
Below is a list of online resources for York County Maps. Email us with websites containing York County Maps by clicking the link below:
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for York County Military Records. Email us with websites containing York County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 from the State of South Carolina (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
Southern Claims Commission from the State of South Carolina (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
With
the exception of a single tax list from 1733 and occasional
lists of tax collectors, no colonial tax records of South Carolina
have survived. Parishes and townships functioned as tax districts
until 1800; circuit court districts and their counties also
functioned as tax districts from 1785–1800. Many of these
tax lists are incomplete, the known tax lists, 1783–99,
are as follows:
Christ Church Parish, 1784, 1786, 1788, and 1793–99
Prince Frederick's Parish, 1784 and 1786
Prince George's Parish, 1786–87
Prince William's Parish, 1798
St. Andrew's Parish, 1784–85, 1787, 1789, 1791, and 1795
St. Bartholomew's Parish, 1783–87 and 1798
St. Helena's Parish, 1798
St. James Goose Creek, 1796
St. John's Berkeley Parish, 1793
St. Luke's Parish, 1798–99
St. Paul's Parish, 1783, 1785–96, and 1798–99
Ninety-Six District, 1787
OrangeburghDistrict, 1787
Lancaster County in Camden District, 1797
Lexington County in Orangeburgh District, 1788.
Directories for the city of Charleston date from 1782.
These directories may help locate a Charleston ancestor who
does not appear in other records. They are housed at the Charleston
Library Society
Jury
List - The jury lists include men eligible to serve on juries
and were compiled from tax lists. The Jury Lists of South
Carolina, 1778–1779 is accepted as proof of the
identity of Revolutionary War patriots. The best available
substitutes for colonial tax lists are jury lists.
Voter
Registration Lists - Voter registration lists, 1867, 1868,
and 1898 are another valuable substitute for tax records.
The lists from 1867 and 1868 are particularly useful for
Black American research because the newly freed slaves registered
to vote; many blacks make their first appearance in the
voter registration lists. Although voter registration was
conducted by counties, the originals of the 1867, 1868,
and 1898 lists are at the South Carolina Department of Archives
and History; counties maintained copies for their records.
Most
districts/counties have some tax records dating from 1800 to
the present, with the majority of tax records dating from 1865.
A fairly complete series from 1824, mostly of the Low Country
districts, is available at the South Carolina Department of
Archives and History. The South
Carolina Department of Archives and History has originals
of most extant tax lists, and microfilmed copies of county tax
records are available at the South
Carolina Department of Archives and History and the FHL.
Below is a list of online resources for York County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing York County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
The Repositories
in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical
and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical
Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly,
quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies
should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are
usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived
materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be
more generalized and over look the smaller details that local
societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to
look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy
section and may have some resources that are not located at
archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums
in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years
gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All
these places are vitally important to the family genealogist
and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for York County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing York County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
South Carolina Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search South Carolina Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
The WPA and the DAR have compiled major collections of South Carolina tombstone inscriptions. Most South Carolina counties have historical or genealogical societies that have compiled cemetery records. See addresses for local historical and genealogical societies. Cemetery records are frequently published in the major genealogical periodicals of South Carolina
Below is a list of online resources for York County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing York County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers throughout the world.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for York County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing York County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
South Carolina Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
York County is located in the north central portion of South Carolina and is bordered by the state of North Carolina to the north, Chester County to the south, Lancaster County to the east, and Cherokee and Union Counties to the west. Natural boundaries include the Broad River on the west and the Catawba River on the east. All of York County is located within the Piedmont, a one hundred mile wide belt of land extending from the Sand Hills of northeastern South Carolina to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the state's northwestern corner. The Piedmont is characterized by varied terrain, ranging from rolling hills in the southeast to very steep hills in the northwest.
York County is heavily wooded in many rural areas, as evidenced by the significant role played by the timber industry in today's local economy. Cotton, historically the dominant crop, is still grown, though not to as great an extent as in the past. York County still retains a predominantly rural character, the major exception being the county's eastern third. This section includes Rock Hill, which is by far the largest city, as well as the smaller towns of Fort Mill and Tega Cay, along with growing residential development along Lake Wylie. Much of the growth of northwestern York County is due to increasing development pressure from nearby Charlotte, North Carolina.
Many think of York County's history as beginning in the 1770s shortly before the American Revolution, but by that time the area was well on its way to developing a rich heritage. In the 1540s, Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto passed through the area in his search for gold, which eventually led to his death on the banks of the Mississippi River. Following De Soto came Juan Pardo. Pardo entered what is now York County during his travels through South Carolina in the late 1560s and recorded his observation of a predominant Indian tribe, later confirmed to be the Catawba, in the vicinity of present-day Fort Mill on the eastern bank of the Catawba River. Before De Soto, Pardo and other Europeans arrived, the area was the domain of the Catawba Indians, a band of Siouan speakers numbering about 6,000 at the time of the first European contact. Primarily agriculturists, the Catawbas gave much assistance and support to their new neighbors.
The colony of South Carolina began in 1670 when British settlers under the sponsorship of eight proprietors planted a settlement near present-day Charleston. From the Charles Towne settlement (named after King Charles II) on the South Carolina coast, the eight Lords Proprietors established one of the early British colonies south of the Chesapeake Bay. Twelve years later the colony was divided into three counties for administrative purposes. Craven County, encompassing roughly the northern half of South Carolina, included the land which would eventually become York County.
Allied by blood and religious affiliations, the Scots-Irish sought to escape a hard life in Ulster of Northern Ireland by migrating to the American colonies. The first European settlers in the Carolina Piedmont, or Backcountry as it was called, were these Scots-Irish Presbyterians. In order to rid themselves of the ever increasing rents and land prices in Pennsylvania, and with the opening of new and more fertile lands to the south where they would be free to practice their Calvinistic brand of religious beliefs, these Scots-Irish Presbyterians migrated southward. Coming predominantly from former homes in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina down the "Great Wagon Road," these early pioneers began arriving in the region west of the Catawba River during the mid to late 1740s and eventually drifted into what would become York County in the 1750s.
Prior to the establishment of a dividing line between the two Carolinas, the area to become York County was part of Bladen County, North Carolina. In 1750 it was included in the newly created Anson County, N.C. The first land grants and deeds for the region were issued in Anson County.
The Carolina Backcountry was nearly devoid of European settlers prior to 1750, but by the time the American Revolution reached the area in 1780, the Backcountry contained an estimated population of more than a quarter of a million. The largest proportion of these were Scots-Irish Presbyterians, although there were also numbers of English, Welsh, native Irish, native Scots, Swiss, French, and Germans.
By 1760 the whole Carolina Backcountry was ablaze with activity caused by the migrations. Two years later, Mecklenburg County, N.C. was cut from the western end of Anson and included the lands of present-day York County. The area next became part of Tryon County in 1767 when the Colonial Assembly of North Carolina set aside all the land west of the Catawba River and south of Rowan County. The York County area would remain a part of Tryon County until 1772, when the boundary line between North and South Carolina was finally established.
From 1772 until the end of the Revolutionary War the area was known as the New Acquisition and ran approximately eleven miles north-to-south and sixty-five miles from east-to-west. Finally in 1785, York County became one of the original counties in the newly created state. Its boundaries at the time of creation have remained unchanged to the present day with the exception of a small area in the far northwestern corner of the county (originally Cherokee Township), separated in 1897 and included in the formation of Cherokee County.
The first European settlers in the region migrated into York County from the east, northeast and southeast by way of Mecklenburg, Lancaster and Chester Counties. They settled in a dispersed community pattern denoted by its communal, clannish, family-related groups known as "clachans," much the same as they had in Pennsylvania and Ulster. The clachans developed around the Presbyterian Kirks, or meetinghouses, and became the forerunners of the congregations. These congregations generally encompassed a five-to-10-mile radius centered on the meetinghouse, and contained anywhere from 20 to 500 families. The church, therefore, became the focal point of Backcountry society, and around these churches settled the new residents of the region, eventually creating the present-day congregations. In York County, the "Four B" churches (all Presbyterian) of Bethel, Bethesda, Beersheba and Bullock Creek became the first religious and social centers in this Scots-Irish stronghold.
For purposes of self-defense, the settlers of the Backcountry began military drilling soon after they entered the region. Finding themselves sandwiched in between unfriendly natives to the west, (primarily in the form of Cherokee, Shawnee and Creek) and indifference on the part of English officials in Charleston, who considered residents of the Backcountry uncivilized, the early settlers frequently found themselves the targets of Indian raids. In a region so often ignored, the local militia became an early police force, patrolling the area for possible Indian or slave troubles and controlling the seemingly numerous outlaw bands which roamed the region. The militia system in the Backcountry was born of necessity.
Militia units, or "Beat Companies", enrolled every able-bodied man on the frontier. Although the militia system gave some limited military training to the men of the county, it never developed enough to enable it to wage an all-out war. The one advantage, however, which the militia systems brought to the area was their social organization. This organizational base contributed to the state's ability to fight for the next hundred years.
As the American Revolution in the South approached, militia service became instrumental in turning the tide of war against the British. The section of South Carolina known as the "New Acquisition" was the scene of significant activity during the war. The battles of Huck's Defeat and King's Mountain were both fought on York County soil. At first, however, the residents of the Backcountry did not readily take sides in the conflict. They were content to remain neutral as long as they were left alone. Most of the Backcountry approached the war with the attitude that the conflict was between the British Crown and Charleston aristocrats and, as such, did not concern them. The people of York County entered into vocal opposition to Royal authority in 1780 after three "invasions" of the region; first by Banastre Tarleton and his "Green Dragoons," and subsequently by Lord Cornwallis on two separate occasions. After the British capture of Charleston and Buford's Massacre in Lancaster County in May 1780, most of the state's population cowered or capitulated to British designs. While British terms and paroles were accepted across the state, the residents of the Backcountry continued a regional resistance, led by men such as William "Billy" Hill, William Bratton, and Samuel Watson. Lord Cornwallis was persuaded to look more northward for salvation instead of this "nest of hornets" in which he found himself.
The American Revolution in the Backcountry brought great economic hardship, but it also brought new opportunities, particularly in the role of increased self-government. The residents of the Backcountry, having played a significant role in the defeat of Tory forces within the state, enjoyed a greater share in the voice of administration in their region following the war. The entire Backcountry experienced phenomenal growth as huge numbers of new residents crowded into the region during the 1780s.
An act of the South Carolina General Assembly established York County in 1785. In the first census of the United States, taken five years later, York County contained a population of 6,604. This population, however, was not of the "planter class" that so many people raised on Gone With the Wind identify. Of those 6,604 counted in 1790, 923 were listed as slaves, and 1/4 of these belonged to just nine men. York County had less than 15% of its population living in bondage in 1790, while the state averaged around 30%.
Steps to establish a county seat were first taken in 1786 with the laying out of a town on the site of Fergus's Cross Roads. The name of the crossroads originated with two brothers, John and William Fergus,12 and was the crossing of six roads near the geographic center of the county (near the present location of Congress and Liberty Streets in York). The six routes were important wagon roads; one running northwestward from the village of York toward Kings Mountain known as the Rutherford Road, one running southwestward toward Pinckney's Ferry on the Broad River, one running south to Chesterville, one running northeastward toward Charlottesburg and the Catawba River known as the Armstrong Ford Road, one running eastward towards Nation Ford on the Catawba River, and the sixth running southeastward to Landsford on the Catawba River in Chester County.
The new town became known as the village of York, or more commonly York Court House within a few years. In 1841, when the town was incorporated, the name officially became Yorkville. Nearly all of the original lots were sized with a width (or street frontage) of 66 feet and a depth of 330 feet. A public spring was established and utilized by the early residents as a source of drinking water and for washing clothes.
William D. Martin, a future member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, traveled through the village of York in May, 1809, and gave a description of the town in his journal. "Its local situation is pleasant & interesting. The scite [sic] is on a plane of some length, near the centre of which is a small eminence, on which is built the Court House, a neat brick building. The private houses also, are principally of brick, & very far excel those usually built in similar places."
The population of the village in 1823, as recorded by Robert Mills, stood at 441 and included 292 whites and 149 blacks. In his Statistics of South Carolina, Mills provides us with a good view of the village of York in 1826. The town was "regularly laid out in squares" containing "8 stores, 5 taverns, a male and female academy, post office, and a printing office, which issues two papers weekly." Brief descriptions are also given of the new courthouse, the public jail and several residences. Mills concluded that the village at that time had a bright future. "The increasing prosperity of this village, its salubrious site, interesting scenery, contiguity to the mountains, and cheapness of living, will have a tendency to give it a preference in the minds of those who are seeking residence in the upper country."
By 1840 the population of the town had reached 600; by 1850 Yorkville contained 93 dwellings and 617 inhabitants.16 In the years just prior to the Civil War, the town gained a reputation as a summer resort for many low-country planters trying to escape the malarial swamps of the lowcountry for the moderate climate to be found in the up-state. By 1860, the population of the town had topped 1,300, an increase of more than 125% in only one decade. During the Civil War, the town also became a focal point for residents from the low-country as a refugee destination during Federal occupation of their hometowns.
York County as a whole experienced significant growth during the antebellum years, and the increase occurred primarily among the black population. With the introduction of the cotton gin in the 1790s, the county's future was established. As the importance of "King Cotton" grew, so too did slavery become an integral part of the economic life of the county. The cotton boom, which had a tremendous impact on the entire southeast, greatly influenced agriculture and slave holding patterns in the South Carolina Backcountry, including York County. In 1793 all of South Carolina produced only 94,000 pounds of cotton, and most of this was grown in the Sea Islands. In 1811, however, the Backcountry alone accounted for over 30 million pounds. Obviously, cotton production greatly changed life on farms throughout the South Carolina Backcountry. While in 1800 25% of all white families in the Backcountry owned slaves, by 1820 nearly 40% of the families were slaveholders.
Slave ownership increased significantly in York County between 1800 and 1860, though most slaves worked on small and medium sized farms rather than large plantations. In 1800, whites made up 82.1% of the total population in York County, indicating that slave ownership had yet to become common. By 1820, however, the white population accounted for only 68.6% of the total, indicating that the institution of slavery had taken hold, and by 1860 the white percentage of the county's total population dropped to 62.5%.20 York County figures from 1860 reveal that slave holdings were relatively small, with approximately 70% of all farms holding fewer than 10 slaves and less than 3% of the farms holding 50 or more.21 Nearly 20% of all York District farms in 1860 had less than 50 acres of land, 23.9% contained from 51 to 100 acres, 53.9% ranged from 101 to 500 acres, and only 2.7% had over 500 acres. The average number of improved acres of York District farms in 1860 stood at 153.3.23 These figures substantiate the premise that York County was primarily a region of small and medium-sized farm operations during the antebellum period. Although some large plantations existed in York County, they were not the norm.
Twenty short years following the first census, York District had increased in population to more than 10,000--of which over 3,000 were slaves. As the county's dependence on cotton grew, its dependence on slave labor to produce the crop also grew. By 1850, York District topped 15,000 residents, over 40% of which were slaves.24 On the eve of the Civil War, the county's population grew to approximately 21,500 with almost 1/2 of the population enslaved labor.
During this period York County was heavily tied to agriculture, with 93% of the work force involved in raising crops in 1850; this at a time when the rest of the United States averaged a 78% agricultural work force. Only 13% of the York County population was involved in industry of one form or another.26
The antebellum period saw the establishment and growth of several rural settlement areas and communities in York County. In 1825 only three post offices were in operation in all of York County, at Yorkville, Blairsville and Hopewell. By 1852, however, York District contained 27 post offices, a clear sign that the county was becoming increasingly settled. A fairly extensive system of roads was also in place by this time.
Signs of growth and prosperity from the early 19th century can be seen in the establishment of York County's first newspaper, The Yorkville Pioneer, in 1823. Although this publication was only in operation for slightly over a year, it was followed by several others, including The Patriot, The Whig, The Journal of the Times, The Yorkville Compiler, The Yorkville Miscellany and, in 1855, The Yorkville Enquirer, which remains in publication today.
A major factor in York County's mid-19th-century growth was the arrival in the eastern part of the county of the Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad, opened in 1852. While construction progressed on the Charlotte and South Carolina, residents of Yorkville and western York County realized they would also benefit from rail access. Chartered in 1848, the Kings Mountain Railroad Company began construction of a connecting line between Yorkville and the Charlotte and South Carolina at Chester. This track was completed in 1852. The resulting rail service provided a great economic boost to York County, bringing new goods, offering an easy source of transportation for the county's agricultural products, and even adding additional employment opportunities. Rock Hill, located on the Charlotte and South Carolina, rapidly developed as a transportation center in eastern York County, and yet by 1860 it contained no more than 100 residents and remained little more than a crossroads settlement.
Education played an important part in the lives of the early residents. Stemming from the great importance placed upon education by the Scots-Irish Presbyterians, numerous schools operated within the county prior to the Civil War. More than a dozen academies were operating at the outbreak of hostilities. These academies flourished throughout the county and provided instruction in a variety of subjects, including reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as geography and rhetoric. The most famous was the Kings Mountain Military Academy in Yorkville, founded in 1854 by Micah Jenkins and Asbury Coward.
On the eve of the war, York District was one of the more populated districts in Upstate South Carolina. The 1860 white male population of York County was just over 5,500.33 When war broke out, the men of the county rose to the support of the Confederate cause in numbers large enough to create fourteen infantry companies (not to mention many more who saw service in different cavalry and artillery regiments, and those that joined outside the county). The companies formed had colorful names: Jenkins' Light Infantry, Whyte Guards, Carolina Rifles, Kings Mountain Guards, Catawba Light Infantry, Bethel Guards, Lacy Guards, Indian Land Guards, Palmer Guards, Campbell Rifles, Turkey Creek Grays, Indian Land Tigers, Mountain Guards, and the Broad River Light Infantry.
Ebullient about a quick and glorious victory over the "invader," many of these men would pay a heavy price for their support of the Confederacy. During the war, York District would have the highest death rate of any county in South Carolina.
Even though only one (minor) battle was fought during the Civil War in York County (the battle for the Catawba Bridge at Nation Ford in 1865), the war caused a great upheaval in the county that was not soon overcome. Growth was halted, and in fact Yorkville itself actually contained fewer residents in 1880 (1,339) than it had in 1860 (1,360). Gradually, however, signs of recovery appeared.
Though York County never developed a plantation economy to match that of the Lower Piedmont and the state's coastal region, Reconstruction did bring changes to established agricultural patterns. Many of York County's larger property owners were forced to sell off portions of their land to smaller farmers, for without slave labor they could not productively work such large land holdings. As a result, the size of the average farm in York County dropped considerably while the number of small farming operations increased. Late-19th-century agriculture in York County, as in much of South Carolina and the southeast, was characterized by relatively small farm operations and ignorance concerning soil qualities and the benefits of diversification. As a body of knowledge emerged concerning scientific farming practices, advocates of diversification urged farmers to avoid relying on a single crop (typically cotton) and instead plant a variety of crops and raise livestock. This advice was generally ignored, contributing to the agricultural difficulties of the 1920s and 1930s.
The post-Civil War economy in York County, as in much of South Carolina, was characterized by an expanding transportation network and growth in the commercial and industrial base. The railroad played a major role in bringing York County out of its post-war economic decline. In 1872 a plan was developed for the construction and extension of the Kings Mountain Railroad. The Carolina Narrow Gauge Railroad Company was incorporated in North Carolina, followed by the incorporation of the Chester and Lenoir Railroad in South Carolina. The Chester and Lenoir was authorized to construct a narrow gauge railroad from Chester through Yorkville and on to some point on the North Carolina-South Carolina line, thus consolidating the Kings Mountain Railroad with the Carolina Narrow Gauge and bringing rail service to western York County. On the other side of the county, the Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad's bridge over the Catawba River was replaced and allowed the Rock Hill vicinity to begin economic recovery.
The eventual revival of the cotton market through technological advances was another reason why York County recovered from economic devastation brought by the Civil War. In 1880 the establishment of the Rock Hill Cotton Factory (the first steam-powered cotton factory in South Carolina) ushered in a new era of agricultural expansion and, even more significantly, industrial development. The Rock Hill Buggy Company, founded by John Gary Anderson, originally began as a small operation and eventually grew to become the highly successful Anderson Motor Company, the first automobile manufacturing facility in the South. Rock Hill experienced profound growth between 1880 and 1895, its population rising from 809 to over 5,500.
Since 1900, York County has continued the pattern of growth begun around 1880, but with one obvious and rather extended exception. This was a period of decline initiated by the failure of the cotton industry in the early 1920s; the Great Depression of the 1930s thus continued the county's stagnation. Between 1900 and 1920 York County's population increased from 41,684 to 50,536; a 21.2% increase. By 1930, however, the population total had only risen to 53,418, or a 5.7% increase. By 1940, the figure stood at 58,663, a 9.8% increase.40 Cotton production remained the dominant agriculture in early 20th century York County, and the textile industry continued to develop. Rock Hill became the hub of this industry, while mills blossomed throughout the county.
South Carolina's peak cotton crop was harvested in 1921; thereafter, cotton production began a long, steady decline. There were several factors involved, the most important being destruction caused by the boll weevil and soil erosion resulting from years of overuse. In 1918 an all-time high of 49% of the state's cultivated land was planted in cotton; by 1938 cotton accounted for only 10%. New Deal programs of the 1930s prodded farmers into switching to crops such as soybeans, which actually improved soil conditions.41 York County saw a similar process, as cotton gradually became less and less important to the economy during the 1920s and 1930s. The late 19th and early 20th century trend toward smaller farming operations was reversed, resulting in the smaller communities no longer playing such an important role in offering services to farming families. As a consequence, these communities have declined or disappeared.
One of the most important developments in 20th century York County was the 1904 completion of Catawba Dam and Power Plant, primarily due to the efforts of William C. Whitner. In 1899, Whitner founded the Catawba Power Company along with Dr. Gill Wylie and his brother Robert Wylie. Construction on the dam began in 1900, but the vastness of the project combined with periodic flooding made progress excruciatingly slow. When finally completed, however, the dam and power plant constituted one of the most important engineering accomplishments in the southeastern United States. The venture resulted in the eventual establishment of the Duke Power Company, and a series of dams and hydroelectric facilities were subsequently constructed on the Catawba River in both North and South Carolina. The Catawba Power Plant itself is credited with sparking the industrialization of the Catawba Valley, as by 1911 more than a million textile spindles were being powered as a result of this one plant.
Regardless of Rock Hill's development into a mid-sized city, the ever-increasing developmental pressure being exerted by nearby Charlotte, North Carolina, and the decline of small-scale farming, much of York County remains rural in character and has held on to a good measure of its historic integrity. The county seat of York remains a small town, clearly expressive of its lengthy history, while several other smaller communities and many of the rural areas offer confirmation of York County's developmental periods through their remaining historic structures and sites.
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