Atascosa County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Atascosa County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Atascosa County
In 1860 the census counted 107 enslaved people in Atascosa County, 7% of everyone living there. Seven years later 30 freedmen registered to vote there, 6% of the county's voters. Many were born in Alabama, Georgia and Virginia, and 24 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 107
- Enslaved in 1860
- 7%
- Of the county in 1860
- 472
- Registered voters
- 30
- Freedmen
- 6%
- Freedmen
- Alabama
- Largest birthplace
- 13 years
- Median time in Texas
- 12
- Register pages
Where Atascosa County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 4 | 13% |
| Georgia | 4 | 13% |
| Virginia | 4 | 13% |
| South Carolina | 3 | 10% |
| Texas | 3 | 10% |
| Arkansas | 2 | 7% |
| Louisiana | 2 | 7% |
| North Carolina | 2 | 7% |
| Tennessee | 2 | 7% |
| Kentucky | 1 | 3% |
| Maryland | 1 | 3% |
| Mississippi | 1 | 3% |
| Missouri | 1 | 3% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Atascosa County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1830s | 3 |
| 1840s | 6 |
| 1850s | 9 |
| 1860s | 12 |
Surnames of freedmen in Atascosa County
Atascosa County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 30 names in the Atascosa County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banks, Henry | Virginia | 1839 | 27 |
| Barksdale, George | Texas | 1848 | 9 |
| Buoy, David | North Carolina | 1855 | 8 |
| Claiborne, Lemuel | Alabama | 1866 | 1 |
| Dickenson, Henry | Alabama | 1865 | |
| Doummer, Friend | South Carolina | 1865 | |
| Doummer, Glenn | South Carolina | 1865 | |
| Drake, John | Texas | 1863 | 1 |
| Fagens, Franklin | Virginia | 1837 | 18 |
| Folly, Edward | South Carolina | 1864 | 2 |
| Harrison, Alexander | Mississippi | 1845 | 13 |
| Harrison, Dock | Kentucky | 1864 | |
| Howard, John | Georgia | 1851 | 16 |
| Lemons, Clem | Georgia | 1858 | 3 |
| Lincoln, Henry A. | Louisiana | 1842 | |
| Linley, Miles | Alabama | 1854 | 14 |
| Little, Solomon | North Carolina | 1842 | 12 |
| McLean, Moses | Louisiana | 1861 | |
| Murray, William | Maryland | 1863 | 3 |
| Perkins, Peter | Arkansas | 1855 | 13 |
| Richards, John | Virginia | 1837 | 25 |
| Ross, Houston | Texas | 1846 | 19 |
| Saunders, Nelson | Alabama | 1862 | 3 |
| Shade, James | Tennessee | 1856 | 9 |
| Taylor, Zachary | Virginia | 1852 | 7 |
| Thomas, Jacob | Georgia | 1849 | 17 |
| Thomas, James | Missouri | 1865 | 1 |
| Tollett, Benjamin | Arkansas | 1853 | 2 |
| Tomlinson, Harvey | Tennessee | 1852 | 3 |
| Zackary, Doctor | Georgia | 1865 |
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. Atascosa County's entries fill 12 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Atascosa County was formed out of Bexar County by 1860.
Questions about the Atascosa County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Atascosa County, Texas?
Search the Atascosa 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 Atascosa County in 1867?
30 freedmen registered in Atascosa County between 1867 and 1870, 6% of the county's 472 registered voters.
Where were Atascosa County's freedmen born?
Alabama (4), Georgia (4) and Virginia (4) were the birthplaces reported most often; 3 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Atascosa County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 107 enslaved people in Atascosa County, 7% of everyone living there. In 1867, 6% of Atascosa County's registered voters were freedmen, 30 of 472. 24 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Atascosa County: Bexar County.
For African American genealogy beyond Atascosa County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Atascosa County