Archives, Catholic Diocese of Charleston South Carolina

Students, scholars, journalists, writers and others will find valuable materials for reporting on social and political events of the region as well as Catholic history in the Diocese of Charleston. As the United States bishops stated in their Document on Ecclesiastical Archives (1974), “Church historians have still not penetrated to the heart of the peculiarly American experience.” This statement holds true for the Catholic Church in South Carolina, and we welcome historical research.

A brief description of holdings, a calendar inventory, and an online catalog to portions of archives collections are available.

Some recent research topics include:

• Black Catholic burial grounds
• Irish in the Atlantic World
• Refugees of the Haitian Revolution, 1791
• Bishop John England (1786-1842) and Catholic Republicanism
• Clergy and the Charleston Hospital Strike of 1969
• Bishop Patrick N. Lynch’s 1864 Confederate commission and pamphlet on slavery
• Patrick Keeley, architect of the Cathedral of St. John and St. Finbar & Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
• Black Catholics in nineteenth century Charleston
• Benedictine Father Michael McInerny's standard design for churches

**Please note that all active sacramental registers (baptism, confirmation, marriage, etc.) less than 100 years in age are maintained at the parishes.  Only parishes can issue sacramental certificates.  The Diocese of Charleston does not maintain a central repository for all sacramental records**

Registers 100 years or older and/or their copies that are held in Diocesan Archives are available to the general public. Researchers may personally review the sacramental registers or any other resource useful for their family history research by appointment (see Research Procedures).  Archives has available microfilmed copies of many, but not all, parish sacramental registers (i.e., registers of baptism, first communion, confirmation, marriage, and death). Please note that the collection of registers is not complete, not all registers are indexed, and registers are inconsistent in the type and amount of information recorded.

Archives offers very limited service for genealogical research requests. That service mainly includes a review of available sacramental register indexes. Genealogical research requests must be submitted IN WRITING (by email or post), CONCISE, and limited to FIVE NAMES OR LESS. In your request, include all contact information (address, telephone number, and e-mail address), state which sacramental record(s) you seek, and provide all relevant information known about the individual you seek (i.e., full name, date and place  in which the sacrament was celebrated, name of parents, names of sponsors, etc.). Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope if you wish to receive photocopies of found register records.  Requests submitted by email will receive PDF scans of found register records.

There are no fees for fulfilling a genealogical research request. However, we ask that you consider a donation payable to the Diocese of Charleston. The average donation has been $15.00. Please keep in mind that whether or not this office finds the records or materials you seek, it dedicates scarce resources to conduct your research. Archives staff will perform the research whether or not you choose to make a donation.

If you cannot make a personal visit to Archives and your research needs exceed the above terms, fee-based researchers are available for hire.

Archives staff members will assist with answering specific queries and are more than happy to search holdings for materials relevant to a given topic for on-site research by the requesting individual. However, Archives does not have the resources to conduct extensive research for individuals and will not respond to broad, general requests  (e.g., “Give me everything you have on the Civil War,” etc.).  Before submitting a research request, please review our description and terms of service for historical research and genealogical research.

Include your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address on all written or e-mailed research requests.

Please direct your request to:
Brian P. Fahey
Diocese of Charleston Archives
P.O. Box 818
Charleston, SC 29402-0818

If you cannot make a personal visit to Archives or your research needs exceed the above terms of service  fee-based researchers are available for hire:

Genealogy

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Regional African-American genealogy and historical research
429 Morrison St.
Mt. Pleasant, SC  29464
843-953-7609

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Genealogical Researcher
1423 Brookbank Ave.
Charleston, SC  29412
843-795-1486

Property and Preservation

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Property research, architectural history, and preservation
Charleston County Public Library
843-469-9623

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Architectural history and property research
P.O. Box 525
Charleston, SC  29402

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Historic building research
732-996-7745

Historical

Ethel Nepveaux
Shipping, business economy, and Civil War era Charleston
717 Parish Road
Charleston, SC  29407-7235

Lenoir L. Roberts
Early Charleston records
1540 Plover Avenue
Mt. Pleasant, SC  29464
843-884-8845

Regional

Brent Holcomb
P.O. Box 21766
Columbia, SC  29221
803-772-6919

Helen Milliken
104 King Mill’s Road
Columbia, SC  29206
803-782-5119

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12702 Golf Club Dr.
Savannah, GA  31419
912-925-5347