Miscellaneous Records (Main Series), 1732-1981
Item
Country
US
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
eng
Contact information: postal address
8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC 29223
Contact information: phone number
001 803 896 6196
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
Reference number
S 213003
Type of reference number
Call number
Title (official language of the state)
Miscellaneous Records (Main Series), 1732-1981
Language of title
eng
Creator / accumulator
Secretary of State
Date(s)
1732/1981
Language(s)
eng
Extent
158 volumes, 65 microfilm reels, and 2 items
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Good
Scope and content
This series forms part of the records of Recorded Instruments of the Secretary of State and comprises various legal instruments recorded by the Secretary of the Province and the Secretary of State. In the colonial and antebellum periods, the series includes powers of attorney, bills of sale, mortgages, gifts in trust, conveyances in trust, bonds, manumissions, appointments of guardians, marriage settlements, naturalisations, appointments and revocations of appointments, proclamations of awards for the apprehension of criminals, pardons, remissions of fines, arbitration awards, receipts, certificates, promissory notes, releases, and articles of copartnership.
In 1773, the secretary began to use separate volumes of printed forms for bills of sale, but these volumes continued to bear letter designations within the sequence of this series until 1843. Volumes designated 2Q, 3N, 3P, 3T, 3X, 4A, 4D, 4F, 4I, 4K, 4M, 4P, 4S, 4V, 4X, 5A, 5D, 5K, 5O, 5T, and 5W in this series contain these bills of sale, primarily bills of sale for slaves. These volumes also include some sales of businesses, ships and boats, and other items. After 1843 the bills of sale volumes are considered a separate record series.
This series includes some materials related to Sephardic Jews settled in South Carolina, such as the following:
Vol. 2Q, p. 46: Bill of Sale for a slave named Bess by Isaac da Costa Jr. to John Perry, Jr. June 9, 1774.
Vol. 2Q, p. 162: Bill of Sale for a mulatto slave named Peter by Richard Donovan Murray of Savannah, Georgia, to Isaac da Costa. February 4, 1779.
Vol. 2Q, p. 167: Bill of Sale for six slaves by Abraham Sasportas to Isaac da Costa. April 28, 1779.
Vol. 2Q, p. 219: Bill of Sale for a slave named Michael by John Gervais, administrator of Francis Salvador, to William Nichol. September 8, 1781.
Vol. 3N, p. 347: Bill of Sale for a slave named Charity by Isaac Motta to Daniel Bruckner. April 5, 1802.
Vol. 4I, p. 231: Bill of Sale for a slave named Sandy by Sebastian Keely to Emanuel Nunes Carvalho. September 17, 1814.
In 1773, the secretary began to use separate volumes of printed forms for bills of sale, but these volumes continued to bear letter designations within the sequence of this series until 1843. Volumes designated 2Q, 3N, 3P, 3T, 3X, 4A, 4D, 4F, 4I, 4K, 4M, 4P, 4S, 4V, 4X, 5A, 5D, 5K, 5O, 5T, and 5W in this series contain these bills of sale, primarily bills of sale for slaves. These volumes also include some sales of businesses, ships and boats, and other items. After 1843 the bills of sale volumes are considered a separate record series.
This series includes some materials related to Sephardic Jews settled in South Carolina, such as the following:
Vol. 2Q, p. 46: Bill of Sale for a slave named Bess by Isaac da Costa Jr. to John Perry, Jr. June 9, 1774.
Vol. 2Q, p. 162: Bill of Sale for a mulatto slave named Peter by Richard Donovan Murray of Savannah, Georgia, to Isaac da Costa. February 4, 1779.
Vol. 2Q, p. 167: Bill of Sale for six slaves by Abraham Sasportas to Isaac da Costa. April 28, 1779.
Vol. 2Q, p. 219: Bill of Sale for a slave named Michael by John Gervais, administrator of Francis Salvador, to William Nichol. September 8, 1781.
Vol. 3N, p. 347: Bill of Sale for a slave named Charity by Isaac Motta to Daniel Bruckner. April 5, 1802.
Vol. 4I, p. 231: Bill of Sale for a slave named Sandy by Sebastian Keely to Emanuel Nunes Carvalho. September 17, 1814.
Archival history
The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina envisioned separate officers for recording land transactions and other contractual instruments. Act No. 106 of 1694 required the secretary to use separate books for different kinds of records but provided another book for recording the residuary "Bonds, powers of Attorneys & other papers." South Carolina Statute 1698 (2) 137, "An Act to Prevent Deceits by Double Mortgages and Conveyances of Lands, Negroes, and Chattels, &c.", required recording sales and mortgages of "negroes, goods, or chattels" in the secretary's office and reaffirmed the fundamental division between the recording of real property (land) by the register and the recording of personal property by the secretary.
After the fall of the proprietary government in 1719 and the arrival of a provisional royal governor in 1721, Secretary of the Province Charles Hart began a new series of volumes with Volume A. This Interregnum Series did not clearly separate different types of documents into separate volumes. However, a more concerted effort in that direction began in 1732 when John Hammerton arrived in the province with a new commission as secretary under the now permanent royal government. Hammerton began another new series of volumes for his office designated with double letters (AA, BB, CC, etc.). It has long been believed that Volume AA was used for land grants, and it has been considered the beginning of a separate land grant series. This series, therefore, began with Volume BB and continued in a letter-designated sequence until Volume 7M was completed in 1903. The lack of any volume covering the period 1732-1741, containing the sorts of documents usually found in this series, suggests that there may have once been another volume AA that has not survived. The designations skipped from 6M to 7L, and the last volumes in the series were designated simply by beginning date or single letters or numbers.
After the fall of the proprietary government in 1719 and the arrival of a provisional royal governor in 1721, Secretary of the Province Charles Hart began a new series of volumes with Volume A. This Interregnum Series did not clearly separate different types of documents into separate volumes. However, a more concerted effort in that direction began in 1732 when John Hammerton arrived in the province with a new commission as secretary under the now permanent royal government. Hammerton began another new series of volumes for his office designated with double letters (AA, BB, CC, etc.). It has long been believed that Volume AA was used for land grants, and it has been considered the beginning of a separate land grant series. This series, therefore, began with Volume BB and continued in a letter-designated sequence until Volume 7M was completed in 1903. The lack of any volume covering the period 1732-1741, containing the sorts of documents usually found in this series, suggests that there may have once been another volume AA that has not survived. The designations skipped from 6M to 7L, and the last volumes in the series were designated simply by beginning date or single letters or numbers.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The series is arranged chronologically in letter-designated volumes with some volumes devoted to particular types of records, namely the first four volumes of the series: volumes BB and AB (Mortgages, 1732-1735 and 1735-1736), volume CC (Inventories, 1732-1736), and volume DD (Commissions and Instructions, 1732-1742).
Access, restrictions
Digital images of Vol. CC and all of the separate volumes of printed forms for bills of sale are available on the free side of the subscription website Fold3.com in the category South Carolina Estate Inventories and Bills of Sale, 1732-1872.
Most volumes through 1868 are available on microfilm produced by the Genealogical Society of Utah.
Volumes CC, FF through LL, NN, OO, and RR were transcribed by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. Most of these transcripts and Genealogical Society of Utah microfilms are in the Miscellaneous Records (WPA Typescripts), 1692-1779 series.
Most volumes through 1868 are available on microfilm produced by the Genealogical Society of Utah.
Volumes CC, FF through LL, NN, OO, and RR were transcribed by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. Most of these transcripts and Genealogical Society of Utah microfilms are in the Miscellaneous Records (WPA Typescripts), 1692-1779 series.
Finding aids
Finding aids on the index strand in the repository's Reference Room:
- a seven-volume 19th-century index to volumes EE through 5A, 1732-1825. This index also includes Volume H, 1730-1731, of the Miscellaneous Records (Interregnum Series);
- a one-volume grantor index to the 5-letter volumes, 1825-1846, which also refers to the document type is also on the index stand;
- a two-volume 20th-century grantor index to volumes 2P, 2Q, 2S, 2U, 2X, and 2W (arranged volume-by-volume);
- a one-volume grantor index to volumes 3A-4Z, 1791-1825;
- a one-volume grantor index to the 6-letter volumes, 1846-1868, which also indexes volumes R-2C of the Miscellaneous Records (Columbia Series).
These indexes have been reproduced on microfilm by the Genealogical Society of Utah.
Volume 2E (1741-1743) through 2I (1751-1754), the first 112 pages of volume 2K (1754-1758) and the volumes containing Bills of Sale, 1773-1843, are indexed in detail in the repository's On-line Index to Multiple Record Series, 1675-1929.
Indexes to commissions of public officers extracted from the general index to volumes 2E through 5A, 1732-1825, are also available in the repository.
- a seven-volume 19th-century index to volumes EE through 5A, 1732-1825. This index also includes Volume H, 1730-1731, of the Miscellaneous Records (Interregnum Series);
- a one-volume grantor index to the 5-letter volumes, 1825-1846, which also refers to the document type is also on the index stand;
- a two-volume 20th-century grantor index to volumes 2P, 2Q, 2S, 2U, 2X, and 2W (arranged volume-by-volume);
- a one-volume grantor index to volumes 3A-4Z, 1791-1825;
- a one-volume grantor index to the 6-letter volumes, 1846-1868, which also indexes volumes R-2C of the Miscellaneous Records (Columbia Series).
These indexes have been reproduced on microfilm by the Genealogical Society of Utah.
Volume 2E (1741-1743) through 2I (1751-1754), the first 112 pages of volume 2K (1754-1758) and the volumes containing Bills of Sale, 1773-1843, are indexed in detail in the repository's On-line Index to Multiple Record Series, 1675-1929.
Indexes to commissions of public officers extracted from the general index to volumes 2E through 5A, 1732-1825, are also available in the repository.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2022
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Jews of Charleston, South Carolina Collection | Existence and location of originals |
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina Department of Archives and History | Collections (official language of the state) |