Post Office Box 93

Winnsboro, South Carolina 29180-0093

 

The origin of the name Fairfield is not known, but local legend attributes it to a remark by Lord Cornwallis about the "fair fields" of the area. The county was formed in 1785 as a part of Camden District. The town of Winnsboro, which was settled around 1755, is the county seat. Fairfield County lies between the upcountry and the low country areas of the state, and it was settled both by Scotch-Irish immigrants from colonies to the north and by English and French Huguenot planters from the low country. In the colonial period this area was a center for the Regulator movement, which sought to bring law and order to the backcountry. During the Revolutionary War, Lord Cornwallis made his headquarters in Winnsboro from October 1780 to January 1781; the county was also invaded by General Sherman's troops during the Civil War. Cotton production was the major economic activity of the area, but the county also produced Winnsboro Blue Granite. Some prominent residents of the county were Regulator leader Thomas Woodward (d. 1779), Revolutionary War soldier Richard Winn (1750-1818), and artist Laura Glenn Douglas (1886-1962).

Compiled by South Carolina State Library 1996.

 

The Fairfield Chapter is one of 19 chapters of the South Carolina Genealogical Society. The State Society was founded in 1970 and currently has over 2,000 members. A person who joins the Fairfield Chapter is automatically a member of the South Carolina Genealogical Society, which is a nonprofit, tax exempt organization. The SCGS was chartered by the Secretary of State for South Carolina. The Internal Revenue Code, Section 501 (c) (3) allows tax deductions for the value of material donated to the chapter.
 

The Chapter directs its own activities as a member of the parent society. The Chapter's publications are of particular interest to the geographical area, while the Society's publications seek to serve the entire state. Through these publications, members may seek or share genealogical information.

The mission of the Fairfield Chapter is to raise the standards of genealogical research through educational programs and workshops, publications of genealogical data, promotion of the collection and preservation of records, and the stimulation of a general interest in genealogy and family history.