Historical Nuggets: Berkeley County was named for two of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina, Lord John Berkeley (d. 1678) and Sir William Berkeley (d. 1677). In 1682, the county was officially named and included the parishes of St. John Berkeley, St. James Goose Greek, St. James Santee, St. Stephen, St. Thomas, and St. Denis. Moncks Corner, the county seat, Goose Creek, Hanahan, Summerville, St. Stephen, and Jamestown are just a few of the cities and towns that make up the 1,098 square miles that fall inside the county lines. English and French Huguenot planters, and their African American slaves, settled the area in the late seventeenth century. As was the case in most of the Lowcountry, rice and cotton brought prosperity to the area's plantation owners. Today, due to the Santee-Cooper Hydroelectric project in the 1940s, many of the old rice plantations are now covered by the waters of Lake Moultrie. The county is also home to Mepkin Abbey a Trappist monastery established in 1949 on the site of the historic Mepkin Plantation along the banks of the Cooper River.
Population & Demographics: Per the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006-2008 American Community Survey, this county had a total population of 163,755 with 42,241 (26%) being African American. Heirs' property is an important issue for many African American families in Berkeley County. The Center offers services to families in Berkeley County. Please call the office to schedule an appointment for legal services or to sponsor a seminar.
To learn more about Berkeley County visit http://www.sciway.net/cnty/berkeley.html or check out the resources shown below.
Berkeley County Genealogy Resources
Donate Now to the Center for Heirs' Property Preservation
