Brent Holcomb

Laurens County, South Carolina, Minutes of the County Court, 1786-1789 Brent Holcomb

Laurens County, South Carolina, was formed in 1785 as a county of Ninety Six District. Laurens County bordered on the counties of Spartanburg, Union, Newberry, Abbeville, Greenville, and Edgefield. A small portion of Laurens County was annexed to Greenville County in 1793.

It is very unusual for a record, such as these minutes of the county court for Laurens County, to surface after being lost for so many years. While this volume is not complete, missing the first fifty-four pages, pages 103-126, and an unknown number of pages at the end of the volume, it is still an exciting and significant find.

Within the pages of these court minutes are small court cases, lists of deeds presented to be recorded, applications for administrations on estates and wills proved (beginning in 1787), jury lists, petitions of various kinds, appointments for various offices, apprenticeships, estray animals tolled, and other items. Larger court cases were heard in the district courts. Occasionally, one can infer a relationship of a plaintiff or defendant to a juror.

Maps and an index to names, places and subjects add to the value of this work