DeWitt County, Texas · 1867 voter registration

DeWitt County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration

Slavery in DeWitt County

In 1860 the census counted 1,643 enslaved people in DeWitt County, 32% of everyone living there. Seven years later 364 freedmen registered to vote there, 35% of the county's voters. Most were born in Texas, Mississippi and Virginia, and 357 reported reaching Texas before 1865.

Map of Texas counties in 1870 with DeWitt County highlighted
DeWitt County on the 1870 county map
1,643
Enslaved in 1860
32%
Of the county in 1860
1,037
Registered voters
364
Freedmen
35%
Freedmen
Texas
Largest birthplace
15 years
Median time in Texas
26
Register pages

Where DeWitt County's freedmen were born

Reported birthplaces of DeWitt County registrants
BirthplaceRegistrants%
Texas1028%
Mississippi617%
Virginia617%
Kentucky38%
North Carolina38%
Tennessee38%
Alabama13%
Arkansas13%
Louisiana13%
Maryland13%
Missouri13%

When they arrived in Texas

Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in DeWitt County.

Reported arrival decades for DeWitt County registrants
DecadeRegistrants
1820s
1
1830s
17
1840s
90
1850s
195
1860s
61

Surnames of freedmen in DeWitt County

DeWitt County genealogy: search the register by name

The first 50 names in the DeWitt County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.

DeWitt County registrants, by surname
NameBirthplaceArrivedGap
Ables, CaryUnited States1863
Alexander, FrankUnited States1851
Alexander, HalUnited States18519
Alexander, ThomasUnited States1863
Anderson, HenryUnited States1851
Anderson, JohnUnited States18529
Anderson, SamUnited States18505
Armstrong, EdmondUnited States1850
Armstrong, MosesUnited States1850
Austin, JackUnited States1861
Bailey, WalterUnited States18531
Baker, GeorgeMississippi1847
Baker, MilesUnited States185411
Balis, JeffUnited States18558
Ballard, GeorgeUnited States183926
Bane, ElzaUnited States1863
Banks, AndrewUnited States185214
Banks, JacksonUnited States1839
Banks, SamuelUnited States1854
Banks, Thos JUnited States184616
Barnes, HenryUnited States18564
Bates, JosephUnited States1864
Battle, RovertUnited States1852
Bennum, NedUnited States18536
Berney, CeaserUnited States1856
Billingsley, BenjaminUnited States1864
Bishop, JohnUnited States1846
Blackwell, JimUnited States18612
Blackwell, PrinceUnited States1863
Boals, John H.United States1852
Board, JakeMissouri1867
Bordon, DickUnited States184710
Briscoe, GeorgeUnited States1842
Brown, AllenUnited States1846
Brown, BobUnited States1852
Brown, CeaserUnited States18424
Brown, DavidUnited States18591
Brown, FrankUnited States1861
Brown, HenryUnited States1863
Brown, JamesUnited States18621
Brown, SamTexas1846
Bryan, AbramUnited States184113
Bryan, PeterUnited States184016
Bryant, JordonUnited States1853
Bryant, SolomonTexas1848
Cage, JosephUnited States18478
Calhoun, J.RTennessee1849
Calloway, PleasantTennessee1847
Calvin, PeterUnited States1863
Campbell, JackTexas1848

Search DeWitt County freedmen records by 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. DeWitt County's entries fill 26 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.

DeWitt County was formed out of Gonzales County by 1850.

Questions about the DeWitt County records

How do I find African American ancestors in DeWitt County, Texas?

Search the DeWitt 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 DeWitt County in 1867?

364 freedmen registered in DeWitt County between 1867 and 1870, 35% of the county's 1,037 registered voters.

Where were DeWitt County's freedmen born?

Texas (10), Mississippi (6) and Virginia (6) were the birthplaces reported most often; 10 were born in Texas.

Was slavery widespread in DeWitt County, Texas?

In 1860 the census counted 1,643 enslaved people in DeWitt County, 32% of everyone living there. In 1867, 35% of DeWitt County's registered voters were freedmen, 364 of 1,037. 357 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.

Keep looking

Counties that share a boundary history with DeWitt County: Gonzales County.

For African American genealogy beyond DeWitt County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.

All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch DeWitt County