ROD

Karen Hollings

History of the Office

The title known as 'Register of Deeds' refers to a specific position within a government that oversees the recording of documents which transfer ownership of real property. Charleston is one of only six counties in the state of South Carolina where the position is elected to oversee the office.

The Register of Deeds Office is the county office which provides "recorded" evidence of who owns land and where the land lines or boundaries are located. The office records plats, mortgages, leases, assignments, deeds, and other miscellaneous documents. The Office, led by the Register of Deeds, is charged with maintaining these records and transactions for future generations.

Each document must be executed according to state codes. Property descriptions for real estate usually include acreage; physical location including natural features, boundaries, and surrounding landholders; building and other improvements on the property if any; and previous owners of the property. The descriptions of previous owners (chains of title) sometimes provide a history of property ownership back to the original land grant.

The Register of Deeds (ROD) was previously called 'Register of Mesne Conveyances' (RMC), a title that hailed from colonial times. As of January 1, 2018 the 299-year-old office responsible for overseeing land titles and property records was renamed Register of Deeds, after the South Carolina state legislature passed a law mandating the name change.

Since the inception of the office in Charleston County, there has only been eight (8) people to serve as Register of Mesne Conveyance (or Register of Deeds). Seven were elected and one was appointed due to the inability of the fifth to complete his term:

1877 to 1893: Charles Kerrison Jr.
1893 to 1956: Julius Elisha Cogswell
1956 to 1978: Arthur H. Burton
1978 to 1994: Robert N. King
1994 to 2017: Charlie Lybrand
2017 to 2018: Elaine Bozman (appointed)
2019 to 2023: Michael Miller
2023 to present: Karen Hollings

Interesting Facts

In Fiscal Year 1996, the Register of Deeds office recorded over 81,000 documents.
The Register of Deeds has record books dating back to 1719.
If going back to 1719 isn’t sufficient, the earliest conveyances can be obtained from the archives in Columbia Conveyance Books series, 1673-1719.
The original documents and microfilm copies can be viewed in the Register of Deeds History Room, which is located on the second floor of the County Office Building (located at 101 Meeting St, Suite 200).
Local attorneys use the Register of Deeds Office for student instruction on conducting title searches.
The longest serving register is Julius Elisha Cogswell who served from 1893 through 1956 (63 years).

ROD

Karen Hollings

History of the Office

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