Lancaster County Probate Records

Lancaster, formed in 1785, originally part of the Camden District, was named for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In 1791 part of it was removed to form Kershaw County.

Scotch-Irish settlers from Pennsylvania began settling the area in the mid 1700s. It was called the Waxhaw settlement and was the birthplace of President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845). During the Revolutionary War British Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton earned his nickname of Bloody Tarleton when he massacred American troops in this vicinity on May 29, 1780.