Slavery and freedmen in Texas, county by county
Slavery in Texas, county by county. In 1860 the census counted 182,566 enslaved people in Texas, 30% of everyone living in the state. In 1867 more than 50,000 freedmen registered to vote across Texas, the first time Black men in the state had done so. Many reported birthplaces in Virginia, Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas and arrival in Texas during the decades of slavery. Their registrations list each man by name, with his birthplace and the year he came to Texas.
Choose a county to see how many freedmen registered there, where they were born, when they arrived and the surnames they carried. Search any name to find an African American ancestor in Texas, then open the original handwritten register page.
- 140,073
- Registered voters
- Over 50,686
- Registered freedmen
- 126
- Texas counties
- 2,743
- Register pages
| County | Largest birthplace | Enslaved, 1860 | Registered voters | Identified freedmen | % | Register pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County | 7,941 | 4,323 | 2,279 | 53 | ||
| Harrison County | Alabama | 8,784 | 3,838 | 2,773 | 72 | 92 |
| Harris County | 2,053 | 3,672 | 2,039 | 56 | 92 | |
| Galveston County | Virginia | 1,520 | 3,041 | 1,179 | 39 | 71 |
| Rusk County | 6,132 | 2,986 | 1,329 | 45 | 75 | |
| Grimes County | 5,468 | 2,822 | ||||
| Fayette County | Virginia | 3,786 | 2,799 | 1,169 | 42 | 70 |
| Davis County | Georgia | 3,475 | 2,781 | 986 | 35 | 67 |
| Austin County | Alabama | 3,914 | 2,575 | 1,107 | 43 | 65 |
| Lamar County | Tennessee | 2,833 | 2,572 | 772 | 30 | 64 |
| Smith County | Virginia | 4,982 | 2,564 | 1,318 | 51 | 65 |
| Colorado County | Virginia | 3,559 | 2,532 | 1,423 | 56 | 64 |
| Cherokee County | Tennessee | 3,246 | 2,333 | 695 | 30 | 59 |
| McLennan County | 2,395 | 2,317 | 1,109 | 48 | 58 | |
| Bexar County | Virginia | 1,395 | 2,241 | 500 | 22 | 56 |
| Red River County | 3,039 | 2,167 | 973 | 45 | ||
| Upshur County | 3,794 | 2,151 | 764 | 36 | ||
| Marion County | 2,017 | 2,144 | 1,374 | 64 | ||
| Anderson County | Alabama | 3,668 | 2,097 | 976 | 47 | 53 |
| Brazos County | 1,063 | 2,037 | 1,199 | 59 | 51 | |
| Walker County | Alabama | 4,135 | 2,023 | 1,373 | 68 | 48 |
| Travis County | 3,136 | 2,016 | 90 | 4 | ||
| Bastrop County | Tennessee | 2,591 | 2,000 | 946 | 47 | 50 |
| Houston County | Alabama | 2,819 | 1,924 | 963 | 50 | 47 |
| Fannin County | Tennessee | 1,721 | 1,888 | 437 | 23 | 48 |
| Robertson County | 2,258 | 1,867 | 1,131 | 61 | ||
| Collin County | Kentucky | 1,047 | 1,833 | 270 | 15 | 46 |
| Titus County | 2,438 | 1,802 | 524 | 29 | ||
| Hopkins County | Georgia | 990 | 1,797 | 282 | 16 | 40 |
| Gonzales County | 3,168 | 1,796 | 739 | 41 | 45 | |
| Freestone County | Alabama | 3,613 | 1,781 | 960 | 54 | 45 |
| Dallas County | Tennessee | 1,074 | 1,742 | 399 | 23 | 44 |
| Fort Bend County | Texas | 4,127 | 1,672 | 1,360 | 81 | 42 |
| Grayson County | Tennessee | 1,292 | 1,621 | 377 | 23 | 38 |
| Brazoria County | Virginia | 5,110 | 1,618 | 1,331 | 82 | 41 |
| Falls County | 1,716 | 1,615 | 52 | 3 | 41 | |
| Polk County | 4,198 | 1,558 | 856 | 55 | ||
| Nacogdoches County | 2,359 | 1,532 | 547 | 36 | ||
| Leon County | Alabama | 2,620 | 1,492 | 675 | 45 | 38 |
| Lavaca County | 1,707 | 1,487 | 435 | 29 | 38 | |
| Panola County | 3,058 | 1,467 | 574 | 39 | ||
| Milam County | 1,542 | 1,462 | 509 | 35 | ||
| Burleson County | Louisiana | 2,003 | 1,430 | 636 | 44 | 36 |
| Montgomery County | 2,811 | 1,358 | 782 | 58 | ||
| Guadalupe County | Virginia | 1,748 | 1,324 | 508 | 38 | 34 |
| Hunt County | Tennessee | 577 | 1,259 | 149 | 12 | 31 |
| Ellis County | Virginia | 1,104 | 1,239 | 342 | 28 | 32 |
| Navarro County | 1,890 | 1,173 | 500 | 43 | ||
| Tarrant County | Kentucky | 850 | 1,166 | 212 | 18 | 30 |
| Limestone County | Texas | 1,072 | 1,118 | 368 | 33 | 29 |
| Denton County | Tennessee | 251 | 1,114 | 61 | 5 | 28 |
| Bell County | 1,005 | 1,111 | 17 | 2 | 28 | |
| Williamson County | 891 | 1,082 | 205 | 19 | ||
| Kaufman County | Tennessee | 533 | 1,064 | 189 | 18 | 27 |
| Wood County | Georgia | 1,005 | 1,061 | 259 | 24 | 27 |
| Henderson County | Mississippi | 1,116 | 1,047 | 294 | 28 | 27 |
| Caldwell County | Tennessee | 1,610 | 1,046 | 447 | 43 | 27 |
| DeWitt County | Texas | 1,643 | 1,037 | 364 | 35 | 26 |
| Shelby County | Georgia | 1,476 | 1,027 | 374 | 36 | 26 |
| Wharton County | 2,734 | 992 | 830 | 84 | 25 | |
| Hill County | Tennessee | 650 | 916 | 159 | 17 | 23 |
| Van Zandt County | Alabama | 322 | 915 | 153 | 17 | 23 |
| Victoria County | 1,413 | 869 | 419 | 48 | ||
| Comal County | North Carolina | 193 | 849 | 76 | 9 | 22 |
| Bowie County | Tennessee | 2,651 | 833 | 462 | 55 | 21 |
| Johnson County | Tennessee | 513 | 814 | 88 | 11 | 20 |
| Cooke County | Tennessee | 369 | 813 | 89 | 11 | 20 |
| Parker County | Tennessee | 222 | 813 | 81 | 10 | 21 |
| Trinity County | 959 | 793 | 204 | 26 | ||
| Liberty County | Louisiana | 1,079 | 792 | 335 | 42 | 20 |
| Cameron County | Virginia | 7 | 777 | 99 | 13 | 20 |
| Matagorda County | Virginia | 2,107 | 743 | 174 | 23 | 19 |
| San Augustine County | Texas | 1,717 | 712 | 340 | 48 | 18 |
| Jasper County | Louisiana | 1,611 | 708 | 310 | 44 | 18 |
| Sabine County | Texas | 1,150 | 704 | 10 | 1 | 17 |
| El Paso County | Missouri | 15 | 703 | 4 | <1 | 18 |
| Angelina County | Alabama | 686 | 652 | 17 | ||
| Madison County | Alabama | 675 | 638 | 254 | 40 | 16 |
| Tyler County | Georgia | 1,148 | 620 | 256 | 41 | 15 |
| Hays County | Mississippi | 797 | 614 | 197 | 32 | 16 |
| Calhoun County | 414 | 598 | 152 | 25 | 12 | |
| Goliad County | 843 | 582 | 161 | 28 | 15 | |
| Coryell County | 306 | 566 | 15 | |||
| Nueces County | Texas | 216 | 547 | 69 | 13 | 14 |
| Bosque County | 293 | 523 | 85 | 16 | 14 | |
| Gillespie County | Alabama | 33 | 521 | 17 | 3 | 14 |
| Jackson County | 1,194 | 509 | 254 | 50 | 12 | |
| Hood County | Tennessee | 500 | 25 | 5 | 13 | |
| Atascosa County | Alabama | 107 | 472 | 30 | 6 | 12 |
| Wilson County | Mississippi | 418 | 97 | 23 | 11 | |
| Burnet County | Kentucky | 235 | 418 | 54 | 13 | 11 |
| Newton County | Mississippi | 1,013 | 365 | 162 | 44 | 9 |
| Karnes County | Mississippi | 327 | 337 | 46 | 14 | 9 |
| Erath County | North Carolina | 118 | 331 | 21 | 6 | 9 |
| Jefferson County | Alabama | 309 | 327 | 117 | 36 | 8 |
| Medina County | North Carolina | 106 | 317 | 17 | 5 | 8 |
| Chambers County | Texas | 513 | 297 | 8 | ||
| Wise County | Mississippi | 128 | 289 | 9 | 3 | 8 |
| Orange County | Louisiana | 392 | 264 | 54 | 20 | 7 |
| Lampasas County | Alabama | 153 | 243 | 16 | 7 | 6 |
| Kendall County | 234 | 31 | 13 | 6 | ||
| Hardin County | Georgia | 191 | 231 | 41 | 18 | 6 |
| Refugio County | Alabama | 234 | 218 | 39 | 18 | 6 |
| San Saba County | 89 | 217 | 19 | 9 | 6 | |
| Llano County | Texas | 54 | 211 | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| Montague County | Alabama | 35 | 209 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| Kerr County | Tennessee | 49 | 185 | 18 | 10 | 5 |
| Webb County | 0 | 183 | ||||
| Mason County | 18 | 177 | 1 | <1 | 5 | |
| Comanche County | Tennessee | 61 | 167 | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| Blanco County | Virginia | 98 | 166 | 9 | 5 | 5 |
| Jack County | Missouri | 50 | 165 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Brown County | 0 | 162 | 3 | 2 | 4 | |
| Palo Pinto County | Mississippi | 130 | 152 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Live Oak County | North Carolina | 85 | 149 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Bandera County | 12 | 147 | 10 | 7 | 4 | |
| Hamilton County | Mississippi | 26 | 134 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Starr County | Louisiana | 6 | 131 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Bee County | Virginia | 79 | 125 | 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Hidalgo County | Alabama | 1 | 104 | 11 | 11 | 3 |
| San Patricio County | Texas | 95 | 102 | 16 | 16 | 3 |
| Zapata County | 0 | 72 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Maverick County | 1 | 67 | 12 | 18 | 2 | |
| Kinney County | 0 | 20 | ||||
| Young County | Kentucky | 92 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
| Menard County |
For African American genealogy beyond the county, browse by birthplace or search every name in the register.