GENEALOGY is defined as the study of families, family history and the tracing of lineages. The results are often displayed in charts or written narratives. And on most cases the family history not only covers family but includes community history.

Genealogical research was first organized in the United States in the early 19th century and continues to today as a sense of responsibility of preserving the past for future generations. Tracing ones genealogy was seen as an attempt by the American Colonists as a means of securing social standings. In todays programs and research, genealogists begin with the present known facts and work backwards in time.

There has been an increasing interest in family history research with the easy access to online records and DNA testing. Amateurs – those individuals researching their own ancestry – are intrigued in trying to understand where their ancestors came from, their lifestyles, biographies, medical histories, migration trends as well as historical socioeconomic or religious conditions. Genealogy and history have become one of the most popular research topics on the internet.

Laurens County is proud to have an active, functioning Genealogical Society since March 1985. The beginnings of the Laurens County Chapter began when a cosponsored workshop on genealogy was held by the Laurens County Library and the Henry Laurens Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

On May 8, 1986, Edward L. Cheatham of Greenville and past President of the South Carolina Genealogical Society (SCGS), presented the Laurens District Chapter Genealogical Society their Charter. Then President of the Laurens Chapter, Andres McGeachie, received the Charter Certificate.