Denton County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Denton County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Denton County
In 1860 the census counted 251 enslaved people in Denton County, 5% of everyone living there. Seven years later 61 freedmen registered to vote there, 5% of the county's voters. Most were born in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky, and 78 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 251
- Enslaved in 1860
- 5%
- Of the county in 1860
- 1,114
- Registered voters
- 61
- Freedmen
- 5%
- Freedmen
- Tennessee
- Largest birthplace
- 10 years
- Median time in Texas
- 28
- Register pages
Where Denton County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 18 | 23% |
| Mississippi | 15 | 19% |
| Kentucky | 13 | 16% |
| Georgia | 7 | 9% |
| Missouri | 5 | 6% |
| North Carolina | 4 | 5% |
| Virginia | 4 | 5% |
| South Carolina | 3 | 4% |
| Arkansas | 2 | 3% |
| Maryland | 2 | 3% |
| Texas | 2 | 3% |
| Alabama | 1 | 1% |
| Florida | 1 | 1% |
| Illinois | 1 | 1% |
| Indiana | 1 | 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Denton County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1840s | 9 |
| 1850s | 39 |
| 1860s | 32 |
Surnames of freedmen in Denton County
Denton County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Denton County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen, Ambur | North Carolina | 1847 | 12 |
| Allen, Ambur | North Carolina | 1848 | 6 |
| Allen, Charley | Georgia | 1856 | |
| Ammon, Frank | Kentucky | 1855 | 4 |
| Ballard, John | Virginia | 1857 | |
| Beu, Isac | Georgia | 1852 | 14 |
| Boyd, Wesley | Georgia | 1848 | |
| Brown, Eli | Indian Territory | 1857 | |
| Brown, Jeremiah | South Carolina | 1853 | |
| Brown, Severus | Maryland | 1863 | |
| Brown, Unk | Maryland | 1863 | |
| Casey, Jacob | Florida | 1845 | 21 |
| Chisum, Jiles | Texas | 1847 | 8 |
| Cipio, Adolphus | Tennessee | 1854 | 12 |
| Clark, George | Kentucky | 1855 | 2 |
| Clark, Osker | Mississippi | 1858 | 2 |
| Coffee, John | Kentucky | 1860 | |
| Cowdee, Jacob | South Carolina | 1855 | |
| Craft, Haris | Mississippi | 1855 | |
| Craft, John | Alabama | 1854 | 1 |
| Craft, Mencer | Mississippi | 1854 | |
| Craft, Robert | Mississippi | 1854 | |
| Craft, Unk | Tennessee | 1860 | |
| Crawford, George Washington | Kentucky | 1858 | |
| Crawford, Richard | Kentucky | 1857 | |
| Crow, Thomas | Missouri | 1862 | 3 |
| Day, Hail | Tennessee | 1859 | 3 |
| Densen, Daniel | Tennessee | 1854 | |
| Denson, Daniel | Tennessee | 1855 | |
| Dorfs, Nicholas | Virginia | 1844 | 21 |
| Dusk, Joseph | Tennessee | 1854 | |
| Forester, James | Tennessee | 1862 | |
| Gaskins, George W. | North Carolina | 1845 | 17 |
| Givens, Richard | Mississippi | 1862 | 2 |
| Givins, Richard | Mississippi | 1863 | 2 |
| Green, Miles | Mississippi | 1862 | |
| Green, William | Mississippi | 1862 | |
| Hall, Cerius | Tennessee | 1857 | |
| Hansberry, W | Tennessee | 1854 | 1 |
| Herod, John | Tennessee | 1852 | 1 |
| Hodges, Joseph | Kentucky | 1862 | 1 |
| Houston, John O. | Mississippi | 1862 | |
| Hunter, Jackson | Arkansas | 1853 | 12 |
| Hunter, Jackson | Arkansas | 1854 | 12 |
| Jackson, Randall | Tennessee | 1852 | |
| Johnson, Sterling | Mississippi | 1863 | |
| Kina, Nelson | Mississippi | 1862 | |
| Knox, Jerry | Tennessee | 1861 | 2 |
| Mann, Simon | Georgia | 1855 | 2 |
| McCarthy, Lewis | 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. Denton County's entries fill 28 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Denton County was formed out of Fannin County by 1850.
Questions about the Denton County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Denton County, Texas?
Search the Denton 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 Denton County in 1867?
61 freedmen registered in Denton County between 1867 and 1870, 5% of the county's 1,114 registered voters.
Where were Denton County's freedmen born?
Tennessee (18), Mississippi (15) and Kentucky (13) were the birthplaces reported most often; 2 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Denton County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 251 enslaved people in Denton County, 5% of everyone living there. In 1867, 5% of Denton County's registered voters were freedmen, 61 of 1,114. 78 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Denton County: Fannin County.
For African American genealogy beyond Denton County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Denton County