historical property research

Charleston, South Carolina

Hello, I’m Doreen Larimer

In 1982 I was hired by Young Clement Rivers law firm in Charleston, South Carolina as a real estate paralegal. I was fortunate to be trained by what I always thought was one of the best real estate attorneys in the city, William J. Bates. As with most abstractors you begin with residential work and then transition to commercial work. In 1985 I became an independent contractor continuing with the same work in most of the counties of the lower part of state.

A little over ten years ago my interest turned to doing historical property research. Whether it’s determining where your ancestors lived in the lowcountry or preparing for a King’s grant search I enjoy all of the process. It’s the perfect combination of real estate documents, history and genealogical research.

Services

Historical Property search

Real estate records for South Carolina begin with the founding of our state in 1670. We are fortunate that many documents have survived despite hurricanes and wars. The original transaction would have been a grant from the Lords Proprietors, the King of England, or the State of South Carolina depending on the time. Regardless of the time period they are all often referred to as a King’s Grant search.

My services would be to provide a copy of every grant, deed, or plat in the chain of title. The documents would be presented in a binder with a summary sheet of the transactions. All information would also be scanned for delivery digitally. If the goal is for litigation then I can provide the testimony for court. I have worked on projects in Charleston, Berkeley, Colleton, and Georgetown counties.

Much of 18th-century land research revolves around genealogical research for the families that owned the property. I can provide that research as well.