In 1791, the Pinckney Judicial District was established, comprising Union, Spartanburg, York, and Chester counties. In 1800, the judicial districts were abolished, and Union County was known as Union District from 1800 to 1868. This area included Draytonsville and Goudiesville Townships. Click here to view the links to SC GenWeb pages for Neighboring Counties . As of July 1960, Union County consisted of eight townships.
Union Township is located in the center of the county.
Return to top of page Union County Historic and Demographic Trends Union County's changing population reflects its history. The following description is primarily based on information from The Narrative History of Union County, South Carolina by Allan D. Charles. The migration of European settlers from Virginia and Pennsylvania into Union County as early as 1751 was encouraged by the availability of free frontier land. The Cherokees made raids on Union and other frontier settlements until they were defeated in the Cherokee War, which ended in 1761. During the early years, Union County's economy revolved around subsistence agriculture.