Bexar County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Bexar County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Bexar County
In 1860 the census counted 1,395 enslaved people in Bexar County, 10% of everyone living there. Seven years later 500 freedmen registered to vote there, 22% of the county's voters. Many were born in Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky, and 415 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 1,395
- Enslaved in 1860
- 10%
- Of the county in 1860
- 2,241
- Registered voters
- 500
- Freedmen
- 22%
- Freedmen
- Virginia
- Largest birthplace
- 10 years
- Median time in Texas
- 56
- Register pages
Help finish Bexar County. 1 freedman registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Bexar County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 92 | 19% |
| Tennessee | 64 | 13% |
| Kentucky | 57 | 11% |
| North Carolina | 39 | 8% |
| South Carolina | 37 | 7% |
| Alabama | 32 | 6% |
| Georgia | 29 | 6% |
| Missouri | 28 | 6% |
| Louisiana | 26 | 5% |
| Mississippi | 25 | 5% |
| Texas | 24 | 5% |
| Maryland | 18 | 4% |
| Arkansas | 14 | 3% |
| Florida | 5 | 1% |
| District of Columbia | 2 | under 1% |
| New York | 2 | under 1% |
| Illinois | 1 | under 1% |
| Massachusetts | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Bexar County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1810s | 1 |
| 1820s | 1 |
| 1830s | 11 |
| 1840s | 78 |
| 1850s | 179 |
| 1860s | 226 |
Surnames of freedmen in Bexar County
Bexar County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Bexar County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
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. Bexar County's entries fill 56 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Questions about the Bexar County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Bexar County, Texas?
Search the Bexar 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 Bexar County in 1867?
500 freedmen registered in Bexar County between 1867 and 1870, 22% of the county's 2,241 registered voters.
Where were Bexar County's freedmen born?
Virginia (92), Tennessee (64) and Kentucky (57) were the birthplaces reported most often; 24 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Bexar County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 1,395 enslaved people in Bexar County, 10% of everyone living there. In 1867, 22% of Bexar County's registered voters were freedmen, 500 of 2,241. 415 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Bexar County: Atascosa County, Bandera County, Blanco County, Cameron County, Comal County, El Paso County, Gillespie County, Hays County, Hidalgo County, Kendall County, Kerr County, Kinney County, Llano County, Mason County, Maverick County, Medina County, Menard County, Nueces County, San Saba County, Starr County, Webb County, Wilson County, Young County, Zapata County.
For African American genealogy beyond Bexar County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Bexar County