Records of St. Stephen's Parish, 1754-1890 (S.C. Historical Society manuscript)The vestry book of St. Stephen's Parish Church, 1754-1873
(one volume; available on microfiche, SCHS 54/11), contains records of church business, salaries, annual elections, and church construction and repair. A note, written sometime in the nineteenth century, states that the early vestry records (1754-1802) were copied from the original St. Stephen's vestry book, which was burned in 1865. There are three periods for which there are no entries: 1780-1784, 1803-1849, and 1859-1868. An associated collection of loose papers (ca. 30 items), covering the period 1869-1888, includes correspondence, records of meetings, and a historical sketch of the parish. Post-Civil War correspondence between Rev. P.F. Stevens, W. Mazyck Porcher, and John S. Palmer discusses efforts to reopen the church and sell glebe property.
The register of the United Chapels of St. Stephen's and St. John's (one volume; available on microfiche, SCHS 54/44) covers two distinct time periods. The first period (1828-1844) includes names and dates for baptisms, marriages, and funerals performed predominantly by Episcopal minister David Irving Campell. These services were performed on plantations in the region as well as at the chapels of ease in the parishes of St. Stephen's and St. John's, Berkeley (modern Berkeley County, S.C.), Pineville (St. Stephen's), the Rocks (Upper St. John's, and Black Oak (Middle St. John's). The second period of entries covers the years 1876-1890, during which time the Reverends J.V. Welch, H.H. Phelps, and Bishop William Bell Howe performed missionary work in the parishes of St. Stephen's and St. John's, Berkeley. Thus the names recorded here may represent African Americans in that region.
- Records 1754-1888 (S.C. Historical Society microfiche: 54/11)