FamilySearch has released two new record series for South Carolina. South Carolina Darlington County Records: 1798-1923 was released on Dec 13 and the South Carolina Freedmen's Bureau Records: 1865-1875 were released on Dec 20.
The digital content is browseable but not keyword searchable. Indexing makes us rely on the indexer and not the primary document so I am very happy just to have the browsing feature.
However, using the primary document is slow going. I would highly recommend starting with Lowcountry Africana to understand and search the Freedmen records. Don't skimp on reading the finding aid. Despite the 80+ pages it will save you time.
Also, remember that as researchers explore the records tips and tricks will start being published. Wouldn't it be lovely if our SC Genealogy Societies indexed the records? Everything could be done from home and would be a wonderful statewide project.
Only the Dead Librarian would spend her day off looking at these records but it was well worth the effort. I already have a lot to share and I will share my findings in future posts. Frankly, I want to get back to work and re-look at Freemen's Bureau in South Carolina by Martin Abbott before sharing my findings.
The link to the Freedmen records is listed under "additional online resources".
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