Cameron County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Cameron County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Cameron County
In 1860 the census counted 7 enslaved people in Cameron County, under 1% of everyone living there. Seven years later 99 freedmen registered to vote there, 13% of the county's voters. Many were born in Virginia, Louisiana and Kentucky, and 46 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 7
- Enslaved in 1860
- under 1%
- Of the county in 1860
- 777
- Registered voters
- 99
- Freedmen
- 13%
- Freedmen
- Virginia
- Largest birthplace
- 2 years
- Median time in Texas
- 20
- Register pages
Where Cameron County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 25 | 21% |
| Louisiana | 19 | 16% |
| Kentucky | 11 | 9% |
| Alabama | 8 | 7% |
| Mississippi | 8 | 7% |
| Florida | 6 | 5% |
| South Carolina | 6 | 5% |
| Texas | 5 | 4% |
| Missouri | 4 | 3% |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 3% |
| Tennessee | 4 | 3% |
| Georgia | 3 | 3% |
| North Carolina | 3 | 3% |
| Arkansas | 2 | 2% |
| Maryland | 2 | 2% |
| Massachusetts | 2 | 2% |
| Ohio | 2 | 2% |
| Connecticut | 1 | under 1% |
| Delaware | 1 | under 1% |
| District of Columbia | 1 | under 1% |
| Indiana | 1 | under 1% |
| New York | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Cameron County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1840s | 11 |
| 1850s | 17 |
| 1860s | 92 |
Surnames of freedmen in Cameron County
Cameron County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Cameron County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams, Toby | Mississippi | 1866 | |
| Adkins, Abram | South Carolina | 1862 | 3 |
| Allen, Edward | Virginia | 1865 | |
| Banke, Charles | Pennsylvania | 1865 | |
| Banks, Peter | Virginia | 1865 | |
| Baston, WIlliam | Maryland | 1865 | |
| Beige, Stiles | Georgia | 1857 | 9 |
| Billingsley, Morris | South Carolina | 1857 | |
| Billingsley, Peter | Louisiana | 1865 | |
| Blackford, George | Missouri | 1866 | |
| Bowleg, Aleck | Florida | 1866 | |
| Bowleg, Friday | Florida | 1866 | |
| Bowleg, Thomas | Florida | 1865 | |
| Brown, James | Mississippi | 1866 | |
| Brown, John | Virginia | 1864 | |
| Brown, Joseph | Virginia | 1865 | 2 |
| Brown, Manuel | Virginia | 1865 | |
| Brown, Sim | Louisiana | 1865 | |
| Brown, Sun | Louisiana | 1865 | |
| Bruno, Jose | Alabama | 1865 | |
| Castillo, Ramone | Louisiana | 1865 | |
| Celia, James | Virginia | 1868 | |
| Chesnutch, James Henry | New York | 1865 | |
| Cicero, Lewis | Texas | 1847 | 5 |
| Clark, Thomas | Florida | 1851 | 14 |
| Coleman, Charles | Kentucky | 1857 | 9 |
| Conway, Nay M | Louisiana | 1866 | |
| Coulon, Maurice | Louisiana | 1868 | |
| Creamo, James | Virginia | 1867 | |
| Crocket, David | Mississippi | 1849 | 16 |
| Cupid, John | Arkansas | 1865 | |
| Curry, George | Texas | 1849 | 14 |
| Curse, James | Pennsylvania | 1865 | |
| Davis, James | Virginia | 1853 | 13 |
| Day, Benjamin F. | Indiana | 1868 | |
| De Bue, Isaac | Virginia | 1864 | |
| Dominique, Toby | Louisiana | 1866 | |
| Dorsey, John | Kentucky | 1864 | |
| Ely, George | Alabama | 1864 | 1 |
| Evans, Bill | Tennessee | 1865 | |
| Fields, Samuel | Virginia | 1865 | |
| Foote, John | North Carolina | 1865 | |
| Fultz, Patrick | Virginia | 1855 | 11 |
| Gadson, George | Louisiana | 1865 | |
| Gibson, Charles | Louisiana | 1864 | |
| Gidon, Elisha | Connecticut | 1852 | 13 |
| Givens, Lewis | Kentucky | 1855 | 11 |
| Goff, John | North Carolina | 1847 | 19 |
| Goran, William | Virginia | 1865 | |
| Grace, Samuel | South Carolina | 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. Cameron County's entries fill 20 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Cameron County was formed out of San Patricio County by 1850.
Questions about the Cameron County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Cameron County, Texas?
Search the Cameron 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 Cameron County in 1867?
99 freedmen registered in Cameron County between 1867 and 1870, 13% of the county's 777 registered voters.
Where were Cameron County's freedmen born?
Virginia (25), Louisiana (19) and Kentucky (11) were the birthplaces reported most often; 5 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Cameron County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 7 enslaved people in Cameron County, under 1% of everyone living there. In 1867, 13% of Cameron County's registered voters were freedmen, 99 of 777. 46 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Cameron County: San Patricio County, Hidalgo County.
For African American genealogy beyond Cameron County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Cameron County