I have always had very positive experiences in all the SC courthouses, libraries, and state archives. However, I realize that any of these facilities can be intimidating at times. My approach, as a retired teacher and school administrator, is to walk in, head up, shoulders squared, and ask to see specifically one book or document or file. [If perchance you don't know specifically what you want to see, act as if you do.] No one has ever refused to help me. From that point on, the road gets smoother. I usually ask first for the Index to Deeds. If my people lived in that county, they probably bought or sold land. The Deed Index will tell me the approximate year of their arrival in the county and the year of their last land sale there. Additionally, land records often give the names of relatives and neighbors, along with the geographical location. If the patriarch did not sell his land, then I look for evidence of a sale by his executor or administrator, or even one of his heirs. When the Deed Index indicates a sale by one of the surname and has the added note "et al," I know that I have found a treasure. The notations "et ux" and "et vir" indicate "and wife" or "and husband." While these are helpful in learning the spouse's name, the "et al" tells the names of others involved. Happy day! Having extra names from the land transactions helps to know what to look for in Wills, Administrations, Estate Packets, and especially in Equity Court cases. In Edgefield, the defining Jones names and relationships were found only in an Equity case filed under the name of a Jones son-in-law, whose name was Wash -- 76 glorious pages. When I really want to know everything about one of my ancient families, I try to find a case where one family member sues one or more of the others. That's where the love, the anger, the hurt, and the dirt really fly!