Goliad County, Texas · 1867 voter registration

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

Slavery in Goliad County

In 1860 the census counted 843 enslaved people in Goliad County, 25% of everyone living there. Seven years later 161 freedmen registered to vote there, 28% of the county's voters. 152 reported reaching Texas before 1865.

Map of Texas counties in 1870 with Goliad County highlighted
Goliad County on the 1870 county map
843
Enslaved in 1860
25%
Of the county in 1860
582
Registered voters
161
Freedmen
28%
Freedmen
16 years
Median time in Texas
15
Register pages

When they arrived in Texas

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

Reported arrival decades for Goliad County registrants
DecadeRegistrants
1820s
2
1830s
6
1840s
62
1850s
66
1860s
25

Surnames of freedmen in Goliad County

Goliad County genealogy: search the register by name

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

Goliad County registrants, by surname
NameBirthplaceArrivedGap
Adams, SamuelUnited States18642
Andrews, JacobUnited States1855
Banfield, HenryUnited States184620
Banfield, JohnUnited States184224
Banfield, RobertUnited States184225
Banfield, SamuelUnited States184324
Banfield, ThomasUnited States184224
Benning, HenryUnited States1853
Benning, SamuelUnited States1860
Bensley, FrankUnited States1855
Best, AlfredUnited States1847
Best, DanielUnited States1855
Best, DanielUnited States1844
Best, MilamUnited States1852
Beverly, RossUnited States1851
Beverly, ThomasUnited States1852
Billips, EmmonUnited States1852
Billips, IsomUnited States1852
Billips, JackUnited States1852
Billips, WashintonUnited States1851
Billips, WilliamUnited States1852
Bolden, NicholasUnited States1859
Bradshaw, AmbrosUnited States1855
Brower, JosephUnited States1855
Buckner, CharlesUnited States1846
Burris, RobertUnited States1854
Campbell, MadisonUnited States1850
Clark, RichardUnited States1835
Cloman, RodenUnited States1851
Coleman, JohnUnited States1851
Collins, GeorgeUnited States1852
Colman, AdamUnited States1851
Cuningham, WilliamUnited States1855
Daniels, GeorgeUnited States1852
Davis, JosephUnited States1861
Dawson, OliverUnited States1852
Edwards, WilliamUnited States1849
Fant, JosephUnited States1855
Flood, LinusUnited States1855
Franklin, Frank JrUnited States1847
Franklin, Frank Sr.United States1850
Franklin, MosesUnited States1850
Fry, John DUnited States1861
Gay, GeorgeUnited States1862
Gentry, ThomasUnited States1856
Gilbert, CharlesUnited States1844
Goins, RobertUnited States182940
Gorman, CharlesUnited States1847
Greenwood, HanibalUnited States1843
Grissum, Charles H.United States1852

Search Goliad 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. Goliad County's entries fill 15 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.

Questions about the Goliad County records

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

Search the Goliad 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 Goliad County in 1867?

161 freedmen registered in Goliad County between 1867 and 1870, 28% of the county's 582 registered voters.

Was slavery widespread in Goliad County, Texas?

In 1860 the census counted 843 enslaved people in Goliad County, 25% of everyone living there. In 1867, 28% of Goliad County's registered voters were freedmen, 161 of 582. 152 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.

Keep looking

Counties that share a boundary history with Goliad County: Bee County, Karnes County.

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

All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Goliad County