Hi Jason,
Beaufort is a burned county but church records do survive, also colonial period records for Beaufort were filed in Charleston so there are some records that survive.

There are family papers collections in archives that can be very complete if your research progresses to the final slaveholder. If you learn the slaveholding family the Historical Newspaper collection at Genealogybank can be very fruitful for a search.

Freedmen's Bank records and Freedmen's Bureau Field Reports also survive for Beaufort.

There may also be 1868 voter registrations surviving for Beaufort. It's a tough county though so you will have quite a search, but it can be done, not as easily as in other counties in SC.

If you post or email who you are searching for we might be able to suggest some records for you to consult.

Beaufort's a tough county though, you will have to be prepared to get creative in where to look.

Best,
Toni