Dallas County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Dallas County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Dallas County
In 1860 the census counted 1,074 enslaved people in Dallas County, 12% of everyone living there. Seven years later 399 freedmen registered to vote there, 23% of the county's voters. Most were born in Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia, and 356 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 1,074
- Enslaved in 1860
- 12%
- Of the county in 1860
- 1,742
- Registered voters
- 399
- Freedmen
- 23%
- Freedmen
- Tennessee
- Largest birthplace
- 10 years
- Median time in Texas
- 44
- Register pages
Help finish Dallas County. 25 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Dallas County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 83 | 22% |
| Kentucky | 81 | 22% |
| Virginia | 57 | 15% |
| Missouri | 40 | 11% |
| Alabama | 22 | 6% |
| North Carolina | 22 | 6% |
| Georgia | 16 | 4% |
| Mississippi | 13 | 3% |
| South Carolina | 11 | 3% |
| Texas | 10 | 3% |
| Arkansas | 9 | 2% |
| Maryland | 5 | 1% |
| Louisiana | 3 | under 1% |
| District of Columbia | 1 | under 1% |
| Illinois | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Dallas County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1830s | 4 |
| 1840s | 61 |
| 1850s | 147 |
| 1860s | 162 |
Surnames of freedmen in Dallas County
Dallas County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Dallas County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abernathy, A. | Tennessee | 1862 | |
| Adams, Johnson | Kentucky | 1862 | 2 |
| Adams, Rain | Kentucky | 1860 | 5 |
| Aebon, Cagey | Virginia | 1848 | 9 |
| Alexander, Jno. F. | Tennessee | 1855 | 7 |
| Alexander, Silas | North Carolina | 1867 | |
| Allen, Robb. | Georgia | 1860 | 3 |
| Anderson, H. | Arkansas | 1864 | |
| Anderson, Jerry | Kentucky | 1863 | |
| Arbnckle, Allan | Alabama | 1862 | 2 |
| Armiss, Jno | Alabama | 1865 | 1 |
| Armstrong, Giles | North Carolina | 1846 | |
| Armstrong, Joe | North Carolina | 1845 | |
| Austin, Peter | North Carolina | 1863 | |
| Barnes, Henry | Kentucky | 1861 | |
| Barton, Boone | Kentucky | 1851 | |
| Bell, Silas | Missouri | 1854 | |
| Bell, Urm. | Missouri | 1854 | |
| Bintin (?), Jas. | Virginia | 1856 | |
| Bishop, Robert | Virginia | 1858 | |
| Blackman, Amos | Alabama | 1857 | |
| Blond, Perry | Maryland | 1865 | |
| Bolden, Sam | Virginia | 1863 | |
| Bonner, Anderson | Alabama | 1852 | |
| Booth, Ferdinand | Virginia | 1863 | |
| Boshell, Wm. A. | South Carolina | 1863 | |
| Boston, Berry | Missouri | 1852 | 14 |
| Boswell, Harry | North Carolina | 1861 | |
| Boswell, Jordan | North Carolina | 1861 | 2 |
| Boswell, Saml | North Carolina | 1861 | |
| Boswell, Scott | North Carolina | 1861 | |
| Brandenbanch, Amos | Virginia | 1861 | 5 |
| Brasley (?), Peter | Georgia | 1855 | |
| Bridger, Ned | Alabama | 1862 | |
| Brockman, Jas. | Kentucky | 1854 | 11 |
| Bronn, Frank | Tennessee | 1861 | 5 |
| Brotherlin, Jean | North Carolina | 1847 | |
| Brown, Peter | South Carolina | 1859 | |
| Buckley, Wm. | Virginia | 1867 | |
| Bumer, Lewis | Alabama | 1852 | |
| Bush, Ed. | Kentucky | 1857 | |
| Bush, Edmund | Kentucky | 1850 | |
| Bush, Jack | Kentucky | 1857 | |
| Bush, Scott | Kentucky | 1855 | |
| Busling, Gen'l Scott | Georgia | 1861 | 5 |
| Cadberry, Wyatt M. | Virginia | 1837 | 13 |
| Calloway, Osborne | Tennessee | 1847 | 18 |
| Calo, Calvin | Kentucky | 1856 | 10 |
| Cameron, Jack | Missouri | 1844 | |
| Campbell, Marshall | Missouri | 1861 |
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. Dallas County's entries fill 44 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Dallas County was formed out of Nacogdoches County by 1850.
Questions about the Dallas County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Dallas County, Texas?
Search the Dallas 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 Dallas County in 1867?
399 freedmen registered in Dallas County between 1867 and 1870, 23% of the county's 1,742 registered voters.
Where were Dallas County's freedmen born?
Tennessee (83), Kentucky (81) and Virginia (57) were the birthplaces reported most often; 10 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Dallas County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 1,074 enslaved people in Dallas County, 12% of everyone living there. In 1867, 23% of Dallas County's registered voters were freedmen, 399 of 1,742. 356 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Dallas County: Nacogdoches County.
For African American genealogy beyond Dallas County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Dallas County