Anderson County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Anderson County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Anderson County
In 1860 the census counted 3,668 enslaved people in Anderson County, 35% of everyone living there. Seven years later 976 freedmen registered to vote there, 47% of the county's voters. Many were born in Alabama, Virginia and Georgia, and 839 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 3,668
- Enslaved in 1860
- 35%
- Of the county in 1860
- 2,097
- Registered voters
- 976
- Freedmen
- 47%
- Freedmen
- Alabama
- Largest birthplace
- 12 years
- Median time in Texas
- 53
- Register pages
Help finish Anderson County. 93 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Anderson County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 177 | 20% |
| Virginia | 139 | 16% |
| Georgia | 112 | 13% |
| South Carolina | 95 | 11% |
| Tennessee | 94 | 11% |
| North Carolina | 69 | 8% |
| Mississippi | 66 | 8% |
| Kentucky | 40 | 5% |
| Texas | 22 | 3% |
| Louisiana | 20 | 2% |
| Arkansas | 19 | 2% |
| Maryland | 11 | 1% |
| Missouri | 7 | under 1% |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | under 1% |
| District of Columbia | 1 | under 1% |
| Florida | 1 | under 1% |
| Illinois | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Anderson County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1830s | 10 |
| 1840s | 127 |
| 1850s | 538 |
| 1860s | 206 |
Surnames of freedmen in Anderson County
Anderson County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Anderson County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham, Joace | Arkansas | 1853 | |
| Adams, George | South Carolina | 1853 | 10 |
| Alexander, Benny | Tennessee | 1852 | |
| Alexander, Chad | Virginia | 1855 | |
| Alexander, Jordan | Tennessee | 1862 | |
| Alexander, Sandy | Tennessee | 1855 | |
| Allen, John | Georgia | 1863 | |
| Anderson, Anthony | Mississippi | 1849 | 3 |
| Anderson, Benjamin | North Carolina | 1855 | |
| Anderson, Buck | Virginia | 1852 | |
| Anderson, Edmmund | Mississippi | 1853 | |
| Anderson, George | Mississippi | 1847 | |
| Anderson, Henry | Tennessee | 1851 | 1 |
| Anderson, Jack | Georgia | 1850 | |
| Anderson, Jim | Alabama | 1854 | |
| Anderson, John | Pennsylvania | 1855 | |
| Anderson, Lewis | Texas | 1844 | |
| Anderson, Richard | Alabama | 1857 | 5 |
| Andrews, Harry | North Carolina | 1852 | 14 |
| Angel, Phillip | 1854 | ||
| Arnold, Nat | North Carolina | 1865 | |
| Arnold, Tory | Tennessee | 1864 | |
| Atkins, Jack | Alabama | 1855 | |
| Austin, Robert | Tennessee | 1863 | |
| Avant, Jeff | Mississippi | 1862 | 4 |
| Bagman, Charles | Georgia | 1864 | |
| Bagman, Hampton | Georgia | 1863 | |
| Bagman, Nicholas | Georgia | 1863 | |
| Bailey, Aaron | Virginia | 1864 | |
| Baily, John | Mississippi | 1849 | |
| Baker, Harrison | Georgia | 1851 | |
| Baker, William | Virginia | 1851 | |
| Banks, Eelow | Virginia | 1863 | |
| Banksdale, Adam | Texas | 1839 | 10 |
| Banksdale, Isaac | Alabama | 1854 | |
| Bannerman, Tony | North Carolina | 1866 | |
| Barett, Willis | Georgia | 1837 | |
| Barnes, George | Alabama | 1851 | |
| Barnes, George | Virginia | 1853 | 2 |
| Barnett, Peter | Alabama | 1855 | |
| Barrett, Lewis | Alabama | 1857 | |
| Barton, John | Alabama | 1852 | |
| Barton, Sam | Alabama | 1852 | |
| Beard, Jackson | Arkansas | 1863 | |
| Beason, Greene | Tennessee | 1847 | |
| Beaver, Nelson | Arkansas | 1855 | |
| Bennet, Samuel | South Carolina | 1863 | 2 |
| Bennyan, George | North Carolina | 1853 | 12 |
| Benston, Himelton | South Carolina | 1863 | 2 |
| Beny, Jackson | Virginia | 1860 |
Sources and county history
Figures come from the 1867 to 1870 Texas voter registration held by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. The 1860 population figures come from Population of the United States in 1860, printed by the Census Office in 1864. Anderson County's entries fill 53 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Anderson County was formed out of Houston County by 1850.
Questions about the Anderson County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Anderson County, Texas?
Search the Anderson County records by surname, then open the entry to read the original handwritten register page. Each entry gives the man's name, his birthplace and the year he reached Texas. Spellings vary, so try the sound of a name as well as its spelling, and names appear in the order men came to register, so a family can sit pages apart.
How many freedmen registered to vote in Anderson County in 1867?
976 freedmen registered in Anderson County between 1867 and 1870, 47% of the county's 2,097 registered voters.
Where were Anderson County's freedmen born?
Alabama (177), Virginia (139) and Georgia (112) were the birthplaces reported most often; 22 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Anderson County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 3,668 enslaved people in Anderson County, 35% of everyone living there. In 1867, 47% of Anderson County's registered voters were freedmen, 976 of 2,097. 839 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Anderson County: Houston County.
For African American genealogy beyond Anderson County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Anderson County