Marlboro County Death Records Research Guide
Marlboro County death records are available through the South Carolina Department of Public Health and through several local offices in Bennettsville, the county seat. With a population of about 27,000, Marlboro County is a rural county in the Pee Dee region with a documented history stretching back to the colonial period. State-level death registration began January 1, 1915, and all deaths in Marlboro County from that date are on file with the state. The probate court holds estate records from 1787, and FamilySearch has indexed Marlboro County records going back even further. This guide explains how to search and obtain Marlboro County death records from current and historical sources.
Marlboro County Quick Facts
Marlboro County Death Certificates
The South Carolina Department of Public Health Vital Records office issues certified death certificates for all Marlboro County deaths recorded from January 1, 1915, forward. The statewide office is at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201, phone (803) 898-3630, and full ordering details are at dph.sc.gov/public/vital-records/death-certificates. Mail requests cost $12 and take approximately four weeks. Online orders through VitalChek or GoCertificates cost $17 and typically process within five to seven business days. Each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $3.
The Marlboro County Health Department at 115 S. Marlboro Street, Bennettsville, SC 29512, phone (843) 479-6801, can assist with questions about local vital records and help direct residents to the appropriate state resources. For in-person requests at the state office, bring a valid government-issued photo ID. Certified copies for deaths within the past 50 years are restricted to immediate family members and legal representatives under Section 44-63-84.
When ordering by mail, include the full legal name of the decedent, the date and place of death, your relationship to the decedent, and your own identification. Incomplete requests slow processing and may require follow-up correspondence before a certificate can be issued.
Note: Marlboro County has experienced population decline over recent decades, so local offices operate with limited staff. Ordering through the state office directly is recommended for the most reliable processing.
Marlboro County Coroner Death Records
The Marlboro County Coroner is De'Aron Smith, reachable at (843) 454-9393. The coroner's office is located at the Marlboro County Courthouse in Bennettsville. The office investigates deaths that are sudden, violent, suspicious, or occur without medical attendance. Autopsies for cases that require forensic examination are performed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Marlboro County is also home to Evans Correctional Institution, and the coroner handles deaths occurring at that facility when they fall under investigative jurisdiction.
When the coroner determines the cause and manner of death, that finding becomes part of the official death certificate submitted to the state vital records system. Investigative files, autopsy reports, and case documentation are separate records held by the coroner's office. Immediate family members and authorized legal representatives may request those materials in writing with documentation of their relationship to the decedent.
Deaths at a correctional facility follow the same reporting requirements as other deaths in the county. The coroner investigates, files findings with the state, and retains the case file. Family members seeking information about a death at Evans Correctional Institution can contact the coroner's office directly for guidance on available records.
Note: Coroner investigative records can include toxicology reports and autopsy findings that provide more detail than the standard certified death certificate from the state vital records office.
Searching Marlboro County Death Records Online
Several online resources support Marlboro County death records research. The SC Courts Public Index at publicindex.sccourts.org/marlboro/publicindex gives free access to court and probate filings. Estate cases in the probate index frequently confirm death dates and list surviving heirs. scprobate.net provides a statewide probate index searchable by county and is a useful companion to the Public Index for estate research.
The Marlboro County Public Index is a free online tool for searching court and probate case records that document Marlboro County deaths through estate filings.
A search by the deceased person's surname can quickly show whether an estate was opened in Marlboro County following a death, which in turn confirms the approximate date and place of death.
The Marlboro County government website lists all county offices, department contacts, and services. FamilySearch holds digitized Marlboro County records including Marriage Registers from 1724 to 1953, estate records from 1790 to 1904, and the South Carolina Deaths database from 1915 to 1965. The Internet Archive holds a digitized copy of "History of Marlboro County" by J.A.W. Thomas, published in 1897, which includes genealogical material and family histories useful for pre-1915 research. The South Carolina Archives at scdah.sc.gov holds microfilm of the statewide death index from 1915 to 1965.
Marlboro County Probate Court Death Records
The Marlboro County Probate Court at 200 John Corry Road, Bennettsville, SC 29512, phone (843) 479-5610, holds one of the deepest sets of historical estate records in the Pee Dee region. Estate records date from 1787, and will books covering 1787 to 1905 have been preserved. Marriage licenses on file run from 1911 to the present. For genealogists tracing Marlboro County families, these probate records are a primary resource for the period before 1915 when statewide death registration began. Estate inventories, accounts, and will books from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries often identify heirs, approximate death dates, and property holdings.
FamilySearch has indexed Marlboro County estate records from 1790 to 1904, making a portion of these files searchable online without visiting Bennettsville. For records not yet digitized, contact the probate court directly with a written request identifying the person you are researching and the approximate time period. The Marlboro County Courthouse at Bennettsville also houses the Clerk of Court, who holds records from civil and criminal proceedings that may contain additional death-related documentation.
The Marlboro County government website provides contact information and details for the county's offices, including the probate court that holds Marlboro County death records in the form of estate and will filings.
Use the county website to confirm current office hours for the probate court before making a trip to Bennettsville to review historical estate files in person.
Note: Marlboro County's estate records from 1787 are among the oldest surviving county-level records in the Pee Dee area and are worth searching even if you only need to confirm a death date, because the file may contain family details unavailable elsewhere.
Historical Marlboro County Death Records
Marlboro County has a long colonial history, and its records extend well before South Carolina's 1915 statewide death registration requirement. The oldest formal records are in the probate court's estate files and will books, which begin in 1787. Before that, deaths were documented only through church registers and family records. FamilySearch holds Marlboro County Marriage Registers from 1724 to 1953, which can help establish family relationships and approximate death dates for generations going back to the colonial period. The estate records collection from 1790 to 1904 indexed on FamilySearch is a practical starting point for anyone researching Marlboro County families before 1915.
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History at scdah.sc.gov, phone (803) 896-6100, holds microfilm of the statewide death index for 1915 to 1965, which covers Marlboro County. These records are available to public researchers at the Archives in Columbia. The Marlboro County Public Library at 200 John Corry Road, Bennettsville, phone (843) 479-5630, provides in-library access to Ancestry and HeritageQuest. The library also holds cemetery records and transcribed family Bible records that have been donated by local researchers over the years.
The South Carolina State Library genealogy research guides provide structured guidance for working with South Carolina death records and historical vital records collections, including Marlboro County materials.
The state library guides are a practical roadmap for researchers who are new to South Carolina death records research and want to work systematically through available sources.
The "History of Marlboro County" by J.A.W. Thomas, published in 1897 and available at the Internet Archive, includes family histories and genealogical detail for early Marlboro County settlers. This book predates formal death registration and is particularly useful for tracing families from the county's earliest decades. Note: FamilySearch continues to add newly digitized Marlboro County materials, so checking the site periodically may reveal records that were not available on a previous visit.
South Carolina Vital Records Law and Marlboro County Death Records
Title 44, Chapter 63 of the South Carolina Code governs how Marlboro County death records are created, maintained, and released. Section 44-63-74 requires the attending physician or the coroner to file the death certificate within five days of the death. South Carolina moved to mandatory electronic filing statewide in 2022, streamlining the process for medical providers and local officials across all 46 counties including Marlboro. Penalties for non-compliance start at $250 for a first violation and can reach $1,000 for continued failure to comply.
Section 44-63-84 limits access to certified copies of death certificates for deaths within the last 50 years to the decedent's immediate family and authorized legal representatives. Those outside that category can receive a statement of death but not the full certified copy. After 50 years, Marlboro County death records are open to all requestors. Section 44-63-150 provides the procedure for correcting errors on a filed certificate, which requires documentary evidence to support the proposed correction. Section 44-63-161 makes fraudulent use or alteration of a vital record a felony under South Carolina law. The full text of the statute is at scstatehouse.gov/code/t44c063.php.
Nearby Counties
Marlboro County borders three South Carolina counties in the Pee Dee region. Researchers tracing families from this part of the state often find relevant death records in adjacent counties, especially Chesterfield and Dillon where many Marlboro County families had connections.