Bastrop County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Bastrop County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Bastrop County
In 1860 the census counted 2,591 enslaved people in Bastrop County, 37% of everyone living there. Seven years later 946 freedmen registered to vote there, 47% of the county's voters. Many were born in Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia, and 925 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 2,591
- Enslaved in 1860
- 37%
- Of the county in 1860
- 2,000
- Registered voters
- 946
- Freedmen
- 47%
- Freedmen
- Tennessee
- Largest birthplace
- 14 years
- Median time in Texas
- 50
- Register pages
Where Bastrop County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 167 | 17% |
| Georgia | 148 | 15% |
| Virginia | 124 | 13% |
| Texas | 114 | 12% |
| Alabama | 99 | 10% |
| Mississippi | 63 | 7% |
| North Carolina | 53 | 5% |
| South Carolina | 45 | 5% |
| Louisiana | 44 | 5% |
| Kentucky | 40 | 4% |
| Arkansas | 28 | 3% |
| Missouri | 23 | 2% |
| Maryland | 10 | 1% |
| Indiana | 4 | under 1% |
| New York | 3 | under 1% |
| Africa | 1 | under 1% |
| District of Columbia | 1 | under 1% |
| Florida | 1 | under 1% |
| Ohio | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Bastrop County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1820s | 3 |
| 1830s | 57 |
| 1840s | 224 |
| 1850s | 466 |
| 1860s | 222 |
Surnames of freedmen in Bastrop County
Bastrop County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Bastrop County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abram, Lewis | Georgia | 1842 | 25 |
| Abron, James | Georgia | 1851 | 16 |
| Abron, William | Georgia | 1853 | 14 |
| Adams, Ned | Georgia | 1854 | 13 |
| Aldridge, John | Tennessee | 1851 | 16 |
| Aldridge, Luke | Louisiana | 1855 | 12 |
| Alexander, David | North Carolina | 1846 | 21 |
| Alexander, Dennis | Georgia | 1860 | 7 |
| Alexander, John | Georgia | 1850 | 17 |
| Alexander, Martin | Georgia | 1851 | 16 |
| Alexander, Sam | Alabama | 1853 | 14 |
| Alford, Buck | Georgia | 1853 | 14 |
| Alford, Musk | Tennessee | 1839 | 28 |
| Allen, Thomas | Alabama | 1866 | 1 |
| Allen, Thomas | Virginia | 1843 | 24 |
| Allen, William | Alabama | 1845 | 22 |
| Allin, Calvin | Alabama | 1854 | 13 |
| Alstone, Michael | North Carolina | 1849 | 18 |
| Anderson, Albert | Mississippi | 1857 | 10 |
| Anderson, Alexander | North Carolina | 1865 | 2 |
| Anderson, Claiborne | Alabama | 1862 | 5 |
| Anderson, George W. | Virginia | 1846 | 21 |
| Anderson, Henry | Louisiana | 1855 | 12 |
| Anderson, Jackson | Virginia | 1845 | 22 |
| Anderson, James | Virginia | 1852 | 15 |
| Anderson, Joseph | Tennessee | 1840 | 27 |
| Anderson, Richmond | Kentucky | 1848 | 19 |
| Arldrige, Harrison | North Carolina | 1862 | 5 |
| Arnold, Elijah | Georgia | 1854 | 13 |
| Arnold, George | Georgia | 1854 | 13 |
| Arnold, William | Georgia | 1854 | 13 |
| Aron, Anderson | Georgia | 1850 | 17 |
| Aron, Gabreil | Georgia | 1851 | 16 |
| Auldrige, Benjamin | Alabama | 1852 | 15 |
| Auldrige, Fountain | Kentucky | 1852 | 15 |
| Backmore, Austin | Georgia | 1857 | 10 |
| Bailey, Benjamin | Mississippi | 1851 | 16 |
| Bailey, Benjamin | Texas | 1851 | 16 |
| Bailey, Dennis | Texas | 1845 | 23 |
| Bailey, Joseph | Tennessee | 1845 | 22 |
| Bailey, Wilson | Texas | 1846 | 22 |
| Banks, Dennis | Virginia | 1844 | 23 |
| Baptist, Jackson | Tennessee | 1853 | 14 |
| Baras, Ned | Alabama | 1855 | 12 |
| Barge, Jesse | Arkansas | 1862 | 5 |
| Barnes, Jack | Virginia | 1853 | 14 |
| Barnett, Henry | Virginia | 1863 | 4 |
| Barnett, Jim | Virginia | 1864 | 3 |
| Barnett, Josephus | Kentucky | 1852 | 15 |
| Barron, Levi | Louisiana | 1865 | 2 |
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. Bastrop County's entries fill 50 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Bastrop County was formed out of Mina County by 1840.
Questions about the Bastrop County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Bastrop County, Texas?
Search the Bastrop 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 Bastrop County in 1867?
946 freedmen registered in Bastrop County between 1867 and 1870, 47% of the county's 2,000 registered voters.
Where were Bastrop County's freedmen born?
Tennessee (167), Georgia (148) and Virginia (124) were the birthplaces reported most often; 114 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Bastrop County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 2,591 enslaved people in Bastrop County, 37% of everyone living there. In 1867, 47% of Bastrop County's registered voters were freedmen, 946 of 2,000. 925 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
For African American genealogy beyond Bastrop County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
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