Cherokee County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Cherokee County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Cherokee County
In 1860 the census counted 3,246 enslaved people in Cherokee County, 27% of everyone living there. Seven years later 695 freedmen registered to vote there, 30% of the county's voters. Most were born in Tennessee, Alabama and Virginia.
- 3,246
- Enslaved in 1860
- 27%
- Of the county in 1860
- 2,333
- Registered voters
- 695
- Freedmen
- 30%
- Freedmen
- Tennessee
- Largest birthplace
- 1 years
- Median time in Texas
- 59
- Register pages
Help finish Cherokee County. 83 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Cherokee County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 119 | 20% |
| Alabama | 112 | 18% |
| Virginia | 81 | 13% |
| Georgia | 69 | 11% |
| Mississippi | 51 | 8% |
| North Carolina | 51 | 8% |
| South Carolina | 30 | 5% |
| Texas | 26 | 4% |
| Kentucky | 23 | 4% |
| Louisiana | 17 | 3% |
| Maryland | 14 | 2% |
| Arkansas | 9 | 1% |
| Missouri | 3 | under 1% |
| Florida | 2 | under 1% |
| Africa | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Cherokee County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1860s | 612 |
Surnames of freedmen in Cherokee County
Cherokee County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Cherokee 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. Cherokee County's entries fill 59 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Cherokee County was formed out of Nacogdoches County by 1850.
Questions about the Cherokee County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Cherokee County, Texas?
Search the Cherokee 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 Cherokee County in 1867?
695 freedmen registered in Cherokee County between 1867 and 1870, 30% of the county's 2,333 registered voters.
Where were Cherokee County's freedmen born?
Tennessee (119), Alabama (112) and Virginia (81) were the birthplaces reported most often; 26 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Cherokee County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 3,246 enslaved people in Cherokee County, 27% of everyone living there. In 1867, 30% of Cherokee County's registered voters were freedmen, 695 of 2,333.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Cherokee County: Nacogdoches County.
For African American genealogy beyond Cherokee County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Cherokee County