Comal County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Comal County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Comal County
In 1860 the census counted 193 enslaved people in Comal County, 5% of everyone living there. Seven years later 76 freedmen registered to vote there, 9% of the county's voters. Many were born in North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, and 81 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 193
- Enslaved in 1860
- 5%
- Of the county in 1860
- 849
- Registered voters
- 76
- Freedmen
- 9%
- Freedmen
- North Carolina
- Largest birthplace
- 13 years
- Median time in Texas
- 22
- Register pages
Where Comal County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 14 | 17% |
| Virginia | 12 | 15% |
| Tennessee | 10 | 12% |
| Kentucky | 9 | 11% |
| Texas | 8 | 10% |
| Mississippi | 6 | 7% |
| Georgia | 5 | 6% |
| Alabama | 4 | 5% |
| South Carolina | 4 | 5% |
| Arkansas | 3 | 4% |
| Louisiana | 3 | 4% |
| Florida | 1 | 1% |
| Maryland | 1 | 1% |
| Missouri | 1 | 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Comal County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1810s | 2 |
| 1820s | 0 |
| 1830s | 3 |
| 1840s | 17 |
| 1850s | 36 |
| 1860s | 26 |
Surnames of freedmen in Comal County
Comal County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Comal County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banks, James | United States | 1864 | |
| Birks, John | Georgia | 1846 | |
| Blanks, Solomon | Florida | 1859 | 8 |
| Boley, Benjamin | Virginia | 1852 | 14 |
| Bradley, Charles | Tennessee | 1855 | 10 |
| Branch, Sam | North Carolina | 1852 | |
| Brandley, Rees | Tennessee | 1853 | |
| Brown, Irvin | Tennessee | 1841 | 9 |
| Brown, Philip | Tennessee | 1850 | 16 |
| Burke, James | 1864 | ||
| Burr, Bedford | Kentucky | 1863 | |
| Calver, James | Texas | 1846 | |
| Carsen, James | Texas | 1845 | 10 |
| Carseu, Alfred | Texas | 1841 | 14 |
| Carter, Stephen | Kentucky | 1861 | 4 |
| Cooper, Bob | Louisiana | 1862 | |
| Crass, Edward | Tennessee | 1862 | 3 |
| Cuer, John | Virginia | 1864 | 1 |
| Curry, Henry | Kentucky | 1867 | |
| Davis, Alex | Mississippi | 1845 | |
| Fox, Abraham | North Carolina | 1863 | |
| Fox, Lewis | North Carolina | 1864 | 2 |
| Franklin, Antoney | Virginia | 1862 | 4 |
| Graves, Sandford | Kentucky | 1819 | 35 |
| Hall, Harry | Mississippi | 1863 | 3 |
| Harden, James | Kentucky | 1854 | 11 |
| Harris, Hardwell | Tennessee | 1851 | 14 |
| Harrison, Jordan | Texas | 1844 | |
| Higgins, Joseph | Kentucky | 1862 | |
| Hornserper, Sep | Virginia | 1852 | |
| James, Arthur | North Carolina | 1834 | |
| Johnson, John | Mississippi | 1861 | 4 |
| Jones, Allen | North Carolina | 1854 | |
| Jones, Charles | North Carolina | 1854 | |
| Jones, Harry | North Carolina | 1852 | 14 |
| King, Shadrich | North Carolina | 1863 | |
| Laften, Jordan | South Carolina | 1854 | |
| Lewis, Sam | North Carolina | 1854 | |
| Lewis, Turner | North Carolina | 1857 | 8 |
| McClever, Benjamin | Alabama | 1864 | |
| McDuffee, John Summers Ames | South Carolina | 1853 | 12 |
| Mculkey, William | Virginia | 1845 | 21 |
| Merrir, William | South Carolina | 1847 | |
| Miller, Charles | Arkansas | 1859 | 7 |
| Morika, Milton | Alabama | 1844 | 17 |
| Murray, Georgeway | Maryland | 1859 | 4 |
| Nelson, Joe | North Carolina | 1852 | 12 |
| Norton, Richard | North Carolina | 1854 | |
| Parker, Julius | Louisiana | 1852 | |
| Peter, Harry | Alabama | 1852 | 14 |
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. Comal County's entries fill 22 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Comal County was formed out of Bexar County by 1850.
Questions about the Comal County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Comal County, Texas?
Search the Comal 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 Comal County in 1867?
76 freedmen registered in Comal County between 1867 and 1870, 9% of the county's 849 registered voters.
Where were Comal County's freedmen born?
North Carolina (14), Virginia (12) and Tennessee (10) were the birthplaces reported most often; 8 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Comal County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 193 enslaved people in Comal County, 5% of everyone living there. In 1867, 9% of Comal County's registered voters were freedmen, 76 of 849. 81 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Comal County: Bexar County, Kendall County.
For African American genealogy beyond Comal County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Comal County