Colorado County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Colorado County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Colorado County
In 1860 the census counted 3,559 enslaved people in Colorado County, 45% of everyone living there. Seven years later 1,423 freedmen registered to vote there, 56% of the county's voters. Many were born in Virginia, Tennessee and Mississippi, and 1,361 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 3,559
- Enslaved in 1860
- 45%
- Of the county in 1860
- 2,532
- Registered voters
- 1,423
- Freedmen
- 56%
- Freedmen
- Virginia
- Largest birthplace
- 13 years
- Median time in Texas
- 64
- Register pages
Help finish Colorado County. 23 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Colorado County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 262 | 19% |
| Tennessee | 199 | 14% |
| Mississippi | 180 | 13% |
| North Carolina | 169 | 12% |
| Alabama | 121 | 9% |
| Texas | 113 | 8% |
| South Carolina | 97 | 7% |
| Georgia | 82 | 6% |
| Louisiana | 55 | 4% |
| Kentucky | 51 | 4% |
| Maryland | 27 | 2% |
| Missouri | 10 | under 1% |
| Florida | 8 | under 1% |
| Arkansas | 6 | under 1% |
| District of Columbia | 6 | under 1% |
| Ohio | 3 | under 1% |
| Illinois | 2 | under 1% |
| West Virginia | 2 | under 1% |
| Delaware | 1 | under 1% |
| New York | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Colorado County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1800s | 1 |
| 1810s | 0 |
| 1820s | 4 |
| 1830s | 85 |
| 1840s | 267 |
| 1850s | 747 |
| 1860s | 295 |
Surnames of freedmen in Colorado County
Colorado County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Colorado County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aber, Alfred | Virginia | 1849 | 9 |
| Adams, Charles Henry | Kentucky | 1854 | |
| Adams, David | Florida | 1841 | 6 |
| Adams, Edward H. | Maryland | 1863 | |
| Adams, Henry | Texas | 1847 | |
| Adams, James | Georgia | 1850 | 12 |
| Adams, John | Louisiana | 1832 | 25 |
| Adams, Thomas | Georgia | 1850 | 2 |
| Adare, Charles | South Carolina | 1855 | |
| Adkins, John | Georgia | 1857 | |
| Adkins, John | Texas | 1848 | |
| Albert, Jackson | Virginia | 1862 | |
| Aldridge, Theodore | Georgia | 1842 | 23 |
| Alexander, Aaron | Mississippi | 1863 | |
| Alexander, Burrel | South Carolina | 1858 | |
| Alexander, Dee | Tennessee | 1853 | |
| Alexander, James | Alabama | 1862 | 4 |
| Alexander, James | South Carolina | 1834 | |
| Allen, Chas | Louisiana | 1854 | |
| Allen, Claiborn | Virginia | 1854 | |
| Allen, David | Tennessee | 1864 | 2 |
| Allen, Edward | North Carolina | 1862 | |
| Allen, George W. | Tennessee | 1861 | |
| Allen, Isaac | North Carolina | 1849 | |
| Allen, Joseph | Texas | 1843 | |
| Allen, Tom | Virginia | 1854 | |
| Allen, Walter | Texas | 1846 | |
| Alley, Albert | Texas | 1846 | |
| Alley, Green | Texas | 1839 | |
| Anderson, Abraham | North Carolina | 1832 | |
| Anderson, Berrell | Mississippi | 1857 | 11 |
| Anderson, Charles | Virginia | 1852 | 9 |
| Anderson, Charles | Virginia | 1855 | |
| Anderson, Edward | Virginia | 1851 | 17 |
| Anderson, George | North Carolina | 1860 | |
| Anderson, James | Virginia | 1852 | |
| Anderson, Jerry | Georgia | 1833 | |
| Anderson, Lewis | Tennessee | 1852 | |
| Anderson, Madrid | Virginia | 1857 | |
| Anderson, Matt | Louisiana | 1862 | |
| Anderson, Morris | Mississippi | 1835 | |
| Anderson, Nelson | Louisiana | 1866 | |
| Anderson, Peter | Virginia | 1853 | 9 |
| Anderson, Petter | Mississippi | 1863 | 5 |
| Anderson, Stanford | North Carolina | 1862 | 4 |
| Anderson, Thos | Alabama | 1849 | 18 |
| Andrews, Lee | Kentucky | 1856 | |
| Andy, Abraham | Tennessee | 1859 | |
| Angust, Emil | Louisiana | 1863 | |
| Anthony, Tommy | Louisiana | 1867 |
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. Colorado County's entries fill 64 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 Colorado County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Colorado County, Texas?
Search the Colorado 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 Colorado County in 1867?
1,423 freedmen registered in Colorado County between 1867 and 1870, 56% of the county's 2,532 registered voters.
Where were Colorado County's freedmen born?
Virginia (262), Tennessee (199) and Mississippi (180) were the birthplaces reported most often; 113 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Colorado County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 3,559 enslaved people in Colorado County, 45% of everyone living there. In 1867, 56% of Colorado County's registered voters were freedmen, 1,423 of 2,532. 1,361 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
For African American genealogy beyond Colorado County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Colorado County