Collin County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Collin County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Collin County
In 1860 the census counted 1,047 enslaved people in Collin County, 11% of everyone living there. Seven years later 270 freedmen registered to vote there, 15% of the county's voters. Most were born in Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri, and 231 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 1,047
- Enslaved in 1860
- 11%
- Of the county in 1860
- 1,833
- Registered voters
- 270
- Freedmen
- 15%
- Freedmen
- Kentucky
- Largest birthplace
- 10 years
- Median time in Texas
- 46
- Register pages
Help finish Collin County. 29 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Collin County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 56 | 24% |
| Tennessee | 44 | 19% |
| Missouri | 30 | 13% |
| Virginia | 26 | 11% |
| North Carolina | 15 | 6% |
| Mississippi | 12 | 5% |
| Alabama | 11 | 5% |
| South Carolina | 11 | 5% |
| Georgia | 9 | 4% |
| Louisiana | 6 | 3% |
| Texas | 6 | 3% |
| Arkansas | 4 | 2% |
| Indiana | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Collin County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1840s | 32 |
| 1850s | 114 |
| 1860s | 95 |
Surnames of freedmen in Collin County
Collin County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Collin 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. Collin County's entries fill 46 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Collin County was formed out of Fannin County by 1850.
Questions about the Collin County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Collin County, Texas?
Search the Collin 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 Collin County in 1867?
270 freedmen registered in Collin County between 1867 and 1870, 15% of the county's 1,833 registered voters.
Where were Collin County's freedmen born?
Kentucky (56), Tennessee (44) and Missouri (30) were the birthplaces reported most often; 6 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Collin County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 1,047 enslaved people in Collin County, 11% of everyone living there. In 1867, 15% of Collin County's registered voters were freedmen, 270 of 1,833. 231 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Collin County: Fannin County.
For African American genealogy beyond Collin County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Collin County