Caldwell County, Texas · 1867 voter registration

Caldwell County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration

Slavery in Caldwell County

In 1860 the census counted 1,610 enslaved people in Caldwell County, 36% of everyone living there. Seven years later 447 freedmen registered to vote there, 43% of the county's voters. Many were born in Tennessee, Mississippi and Virginia.

Map of Texas counties in 1870 with Caldwell County highlighted
Caldwell County on the 1870 county map
1,610
Enslaved in 1860
36%
Of the county in 1860
1,046
Registered voters
447
Freedmen
43%
Freedmen
Tennessee
Largest birthplace
1 years
Median time in Texas
27
Register pages

Where Caldwell County's freedmen were born

Reported birthplaces of Caldwell County registrants
BirthplaceRegistrants%
Tennessee7116%
Mississippi6114%
Virginia5813%
Alabama5513%
Georgia399%
North Carolina379%
South Carolina266%
Missouri246%
Texas215%
Kentucky174%
Arkansas113%
Louisiana4under 1%
Maryland4under 1%
Florida2under 1%
Africa1under 1%
District of Columbia1under 1%

When they arrived in Texas

Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Caldwell County.

Reported arrival decades for Caldwell County registrants
DecadeRegistrants
1860s
462

Surnames of freedmen in Caldwell County

Caldwell County genealogy: search the register by name

The first 50 names in the Caldwell County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.

Caldwell County registrants, by surname
NameBirthplaceArrivedGap
Adair, GeorgeUnited States1868
Adair, GeorgeGeorgia1866
Alexander, GaleAlabama1866
Alexander, ThorntonVirginia1866
Alpin, EdmundGeorgia1866
Anderson, MaryattMississippi1866
Anderson, ThomasMississippi1866
Aukium, PaulSouth Carolina1866
Bailey, AnthonyVirginia1866
Bailey, BostonArkansas1866
Banks, DanielNorth Carolina1866
Banns, GranvilleMississippi1866
Barksdale, AlfredTennessee1866
Barnes, PleasantUnited States1868
Barnett, AdamGeorgia1866
Barnett, DanielUnited States1868
Barnett, IramGeorgia1866
Barnett, JackNorth Carolina1866
Barnett, RobertAlabama1866
Barnett, SimonMississippi1866
Beckworth, JamesMissouri1866
Belinger, TheodoreSouth Carolina1866
Bell, FrankAlabama1866
Bell, IsamMississippi1866
Bell, WilliamUnited States1868
Bennett, EdwardVirginia1866
Berry, SandersNorth Carolina1866
Berry, WashingtonTennessee1866
Berry, WilliamTennessee1866
Berry, WilliamTennessee1866
Better, NathanTennessee1866
Biggs, LouisMissouri1866
Bird, ChesterTexas1866
Bird, ColbertMississippi1866
Bird, LeeTexas1866
Bishop, DavidTennessee1866
Blunt, EphraimNorth Carolina1866
Bombray, StrotherVirginia1866
Bomer, FrankTennessee1866
Boner, HamiltonTennessee1866
Bosher, LewisVirginia1866
Bowen, MilesMississippi1866
Boyd, AndrewTexas1866
Boyd, PeterVirginia1866
Boyd, ThomasUnited States1868
Brady, GeorgeTennessee1866
Brady, StephenTennessee1866
Brady, Stephen H.Tennessee1866
Brawley, BenjaminNorth Carolina1866
Breedlove, JosephKentucky1866

Search Caldwell County freedmen records by 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. Caldwell County's entries fill 27 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.

Caldwell County was formed out of Gonzales County by 1850.

Questions about the Caldwell County records

How do I find African American ancestors in Caldwell County, Texas?

Search the Caldwell 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 Caldwell County in 1867?

447 freedmen registered in Caldwell County between 1867 and 1870, 43% of the county's 1,046 registered voters.

Where were Caldwell County's freedmen born?

Tennessee (71), Mississippi (61) and Virginia (58) were the birthplaces reported most often; 21 were born in Texas.

Was slavery widespread in Caldwell County, Texas?

In 1860 the census counted 1,610 enslaved people in Caldwell County, 36% of everyone living there. In 1867, 43% of Caldwell County's registered voters were freedmen, 447 of 1,046.

Keep looking

Counties that share a boundary history with Caldwell County: Gonzales County.

For African American genealogy beyond Caldwell County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.

All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Caldwell County