Orangeburg County Probate Records

Orangeburg District was established in 1769 and included the counties of Lexington, Orange, Winton, and Lewisburg. It was named for the Prince of Orange, William IV (1711-1751), who was also the son-in-law of King George II. The name was first used in the 1730s for a township on the Edisto River. Orangeburg District was established in 1769, and from 1785 to 1791 it included four counties: Lexington, Orange, Winton, and Lewisburg. Swiss and German farmers began settling the area about 1735.

German Palatines to South Carolina

During the 18th century vast numbers of Germans from the lower Palatine immigrated to America. The vessels came via Rotterdam to Philadelphia. These were very poor people, many of them selling themselves and their children for labor in order to pay the passage. They could not speak English, nor write. About 1734 Rev. Riemensperger, a minister of the Reformed Church, brought about 200 Palatines to Orangeburg, South Carolina, and settled on the North end of the Edisto River. He kept a Church Register in German which was also maintained by his son after his death in 1761. This record survived. Most of the settlers originated from the cantons of Berne and Zurich in Switzerland and the lower end of the Palatinate which occupied the southernmost quarter of the Rhineland. From 1740 to 1755 a great many Palatines were sent to South Carolina. It is estimated that over 3000 vessels from that area landed in Philadelphia, yet of the passenger lists, only about 30 survived. Luckily, Reverend Riemensperger maintained his Church Register (for a complete list of the register, see History of Orangeburg South Carolina by Salley), but it does not represent all of the immigrants who came to Orangeburg from about 1734 to 1800. Also, the county courthouse destroyed all its records. Notably, these Germans were not included on the 1790 census, probably because they were poor farmers who could not read or write and only spoke German.

During the Revolutionary War, the battle of Eutaw Springs was fought on September 8, 1781, which was the last major battle of the war in South Carolina. Afterwardcotton plantations were established.