Comanche County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Comanche County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Comanche County
In 1860 the census counted 61 enslaved people in Comanche County, 9% of everyone living there. Seven years later 7 freedmen registered to vote there, 4% of the county's voters. Many were born in Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas, and 8 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 61
- Enslaved in 1860
- 9%
- Of the county in 1860
- 167
- Registered voters
- 7
- Freedmen
- 4%
- Freedmen
- Tennessee
- Largest birthplace
- 5 years
- Median time in Texas
- 5
- Register pages
Where Comanche County's freedmen were born
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Comanche County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1840s | 1 |
| 1850s | 1 |
| 1860s | 6 |
Surnames of freedmen in Comanche County
Comanche County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 8 names in the Comanche County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black, Alfred | South Carolina | 1863 | |
| Jones, Moses | Tennessee | 1864 | |
| Jones, Moses | Tennessee | 1864 | |
| Mercer, Horace | Georgia | 1840 | 14 |
| Sherrod, Daniel | Alabama | 1864 | |
| Solomon, John | Missouri | 1857 | |
| Stone, Reece | Arkansas | 1862 | |
| Willis, John | Louisiana | 1863 |
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. Comanche County's entries fill 5 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Comanche County was formed out of Bosque County by 1860.
Questions about the Comanche County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Comanche County, Texas?
Search the Comanche 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 Comanche County in 1867?
7 freedmen registered in Comanche County between 1867 and 1870, 4% of the county's 167 registered voters.
Where were Comanche County's freedmen born?
Tennessee (2), Alabama (1) and Arkansas (1) were the birthplaces reported most often.
Was slavery widespread in Comanche County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 61 enslaved people in Comanche County, 9% of everyone living there. In 1867, 4% of Comanche County's registered voters were freedmen, 7 of 167. 8 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Comanche County: Bosque County.
For African American genealogy beyond Comanche County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Comanche County