Fort Bend County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Fort Bend County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Fort Bend County
In 1860 the census counted 4,127 enslaved people in Fort Bend County, 67% of everyone living there. Seven years later 1,360 freedmen registered to vote there, 81% of the county's voters. Most were born in Texas, Alabama and Virginia, and 820 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 4,127
- Enslaved in 1860
- 67%
- Of the county in 1860
- 1,672
- Registered voters
- 1,360
- Freedmen
- 81%
- Freedmen
- Texas
- Largest birthplace
- 7 years
- Median time in Texas
- 42
- Register pages
Help finish Fort Bend County. 26 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Fort Bend County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 41 | 24% |
| Alabama | 27 | 16% |
| Virginia | 25 | 15% |
| Mississippi | 16 | 10% |
| Louisiana | 13 | 8% |
| North Carolina | 12 | 7% |
| South Carolina | 9 | 5% |
| Tennessee | 8 | 5% |
| Georgia | 7 | 4% |
| Kentucky | 4 | 2% |
| Florida | 2 | 1% |
| Maryland | 2 | 1% |
| Missouri | 2 | 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Fort Bend County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1810s | 4 |
| 1820s | 18 |
| 1830s | 62 |
| 1840s | 235 |
| 1850s | 331 |
| 1860s | 684 |
Surnames of freedmen in Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Fort Bend County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that 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. Fort Bend County's entries fill 42 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Fort Bend County was formed out of Austin County by 1840.
Questions about the Fort Bend County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Fort Bend County, Texas?
Search the Fort Bend 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 Fort Bend County in 1867?
1,360 freedmen registered in Fort Bend County between 1867 and 1870, 81% of the county's 1,672 registered voters.
Where were Fort Bend County's freedmen born?
Texas (41), Alabama (27) and Virginia (25) were the birthplaces reported most often; 41 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Fort Bend County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 4,127 enslaved people in Fort Bend County, 67% of everyone living there. In 1867, 81% of Fort Bend County's registered voters were freedmen, 1,360 of 1,672. 820 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Fort Bend County: Austin County.
For African American genealogy beyond Fort Bend County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Fort Bend County