Galveston County, Texas · 1867 voter registration

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

Slavery in Galveston County

In 1860 the census counted 1,520 enslaved people in Galveston County, 18% of everyone living there. Seven years later 1,179 freedmen registered to vote there, 39% of the county's voters. Many were born in Virginia, Texas and Kentucky, and 737 reported reaching Texas before 1865.

Map of Texas counties in 1870 with Galveston County highlighted
Galveston County on the 1870 county map
1,520
Enslaved in 1860
18%
Of the county in 1860
3,041
Registered voters
1,179
Freedmen
39%
Freedmen
Virginia
Largest birthplace
7 years
Median time in Texas
71
Register pages

Help finish Galveston County. 4 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.

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Where Galveston County's freedmen were born

Reported birthplaces of Galveston County registrants
BirthplaceRegistrants%
Virginia2119%
Texas1413%
Kentucky1312%
Louisiana1211%
Mississippi98%
Missouri87%
Alabama76%
Tennessee65%
North Carolina54%
Georgia44%
Maryland44%
South Carolina44%
Florida22%
District of Columbia1under 1%
Massachusetts1under 1%
Ohio1under 1%

When they arrived in Texas

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

Reported arrival decades for Galveston County registrants
DecadeRegistrants
1820s
7
1830s
37
1840s
200
1850s
287
1860s
644

Surnames of freedmen in Galveston County

Galveston County genealogy: search the register by name

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

Galveston County registrants, by surname
NameBirthplaceArrivedGap
Aaron, DennisUnited States18643
Actrate, John CTexas184325
Adams, MotenUnited States18597
Alexander, GeorgeUnited States1855
Alexander, HenryUnited States18634
Alexander, JamesUnited States18652
Alexander, ThomasUnited States185214
Alexander, WilliamUnited States1866
Allen, AlexanderUnited States1842
Allen, AuscarfithUnited States1849
Allen, GeorgeUnited States1867
Allen, GussUnited States184125
Allen, JamesMissouri1866
Allen, JohnUnited States1868
Anders, JonnUnited States1868
Anderson, ArthurUnited States1852
Anderson, CharlesUnited States18661
Anderson, CharlesUnited States1854
Anderson, CharlesUnited States1849
Anderson, JebUnited States1859
Anderson, JohnUnited States18661
Anderson, LewisUnited States1867
Anderson, MortmerUnited States1859
Anderson, RichardUnited States1851
Anderson, RichardUnited States1865
Anderson, WmUnited States1868
Andrews, MichaelUnited States1827
Anthony, MarkNorth Carolina185216
Armstard, GeorgeUnited States1842
Ash, GeorgeUnited States18660
Ashe, JosephUnited States1847
Audens, BillAlabama1868
August, GeorgeUnited States1868
Austin, CorneliusUnited States184621
Austin, LoganUnited States1850
Austin, Robert MUnited States1866
Axum, Charles C.United States1866
Bailey, JohnUnited States1865
Baily, C BUnited States1868
Baily, WmUnited States1868
Baker, AlexanderUnited States1858
Baker, IsacUnited States1855
Baker, MiltonUnited States1851
Baker, ThomasUnited States1866
Ballord, William TKentucky18662
Banks, ThomasUnited States18607
Banks, ThomasGeorgia185315
Barnes, AustinUnited States1854
Barrett, John SUnited States1865
Bartee, GeorgeUnited States1854

Search Galveston 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. Galveston County's entries fill 71 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.

Galveston County was formed out of Austin County by 1840.

Questions about the Galveston County records

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

Search the Galveston 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 Galveston County in 1867?

1,179 freedmen registered in Galveston County between 1867 and 1870, 39% of the county's 3,041 registered voters.

Where were Galveston County's freedmen born?

Virginia (21), Texas (14) and Kentucky (13) were the birthplaces reported most often; 14 were born in Texas.

Was slavery widespread in Galveston County, Texas?

In 1860 the census counted 1,520 enslaved people in Galveston County, 18% of everyone living there. In 1867, 39% of Galveston County's registered voters were freedmen, 1,179 of 3,041. 737 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.

Keep looking

Counties that share a boundary history with Galveston County: Austin County.

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

All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Galveston County