South Carolina as a governmental entity has existed for over three hundred years. But even before the first settlers arrived on the bank of the Ashley River in April 1670, England had begun to create and preserve records concerning this latest colonial venture under its flag. The first entry in the Account of Disbursements and Receipts kept by the Lords Proprietors, under whose patronage the settlement was made, is an account of 6 June 1663 for four shillings and three pence "To Cash paid for this booke." This initial cash outlay paid for the first volume in what has become one of the largest and most valuable collections of colonial and state records.
My goal is to have a complete listing for historical alumni, business, city, county, farm, Masonic, rural, social, and other types of directories for the United States and Canada, and then go on to add directories for other countries. There are also lists of resources, articles, and ideas of where to find offline historical directories.
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