Regarding queries about the changing political and administrative boundaries within South Carolina, I would highly recommend the works of Dr. George K. Schweitzer, PhD., of Knoxville, TN. I purchased two ~ 175 pp paperbacks by Schweitzer from vendors at a genealogical workshop for about $12 each. The titles are: "South Carolina Genealogical Research" and "North Carolina Genealogical Research." Both of these works do an excellent job of setting the geographical and administrative contexts of these states, particularly in the case of ever-confusing South Carolina. This work offers a clear, illustrated provenance of current county divisions, starting from the earliest days of civil and religious administration of the state. A last paragraph in each book following a descriptive list of the genealogical guides Dr. Schweitzer has written modestly states that... "All of the above books may be ordered from Dr. George K. Schweitzer, 407 Ascot Court, Knoxville, TN, 37923-5807. Or send a long SASE for a FREE descriptive leaflet on any of all of the books." I do not know Dr. Schweitzer's academic field, although I would guess history, nor do I know whether he is associated with a university. For me, these issues are moot, as he has proven himself most valuable to me in understanding what's involved in South Carolina genealogy research. Each of these books is also appropriately replete with suggestions for further pertinent reading in serious historical and academic works. The books are packed with useful and practical information and represent the best twelve bucks I have yet spent on genealogical information. Also, if you haven't yet heard of "Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790 - 1920", better get on your horse and get this baby. Authors Thorndale and Dollarhide do a superb job of visually showing the changing county boundaries within each state using a "snapshot" of those boundaries at the time of each census. For example, in nine excellent diagrams on nine pages, the changing boundaries of South Carolina are presented. The state outline is shown, with black lines showing the counties at, say, the time of the 1860 census. Overlaid on the same diagram, in faint white lines, is the present county structure of the state, making comparisons between then and now a no-brainer. This book is a beautifully conceived and executed idea, helpful beyond words to the serious researcher. I know it is available from ancestry.com and amazon.com. Bill Gordon