DESCRIPTION:

This database is an index to deaths occurring in the state of South Carolina from 1950 to 1952. Information listed in this index includes the deceased's full name, sex, race, age, date of death, county of death, and death certificate number. With the information provided in this index you may be able to obtain a copy of the individual's death certificate. Death certificates can be very valuable because of the amount of information they may provide (see extended description).

A law mandating the registration of all births and deaths in South Carolina was signed into law on 1 September 1914. Actual registration began in 1915, and South Carolina achieved ninety percent compliance within a few years. Original copies of birth and death certificates are filed with the state, and copies can be obtained by writing to:

South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
Office of Vital Records and Public Health Statistics
2600 Bull Street
Columbia, South Carolina 29201

Extended Description:

Modern (post-1910) death records, though comparatively recent, are steadily increasing in value. People are living longer, and death records often provide information about birth as well as death.

Modern death certificates have not been standardized throughout the United States; but, like birth certificates, most of them contain the same types of information. Most contemporary death certificates include the deceased's name, sex, race, date of death, age at the time of death, place of death, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, name of spouse, Social Security number, occupation, residence, father's name, mother's name, cause of death, and place of burial. Records from some states provide the birthplace of the deceased's parents. The Social Security number is not always included, but, when it is, it can be invaluable because other records (subject to right-of-privacy laws) may be accessible if you have the Social Security number.

As any experienced researcher knows, death records are only as accurate as the knowledge of the person who provided the information. Many informants are unaware of the name of parents or are unsure about dates and places of birth. Always try to find additional information about parents and dates and places of birth whenever possible.