Harrison County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Harrison County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Harrison County
In 1860 the census counted 8,784 enslaved people in Harrison County, 59% of everyone living there, the largest enslaved population of any Texas county. Seven years later 2,773 freedmen registered to vote there, 72% of the county's voters, the largest number in any Texas county. Many were born in Alabama, Georgia and Virginia, and 2,437 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 8,784
- Enslaved in 1860
- 59%
- Of the county in 1860
- 3,838
- Registered voters
- 2,773
- Freedmen
- 72%
- Freedmen
- Alabama
- Largest birthplace
- 16 years
- Median time in Texas
- 92
- Register pages
Help finish Harrison County. 226 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Harrison County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 417 | 16% |
| Georgia | 406 | 16% |
| Virginia | 328 | 13% |
| North Carolina | 309 | 12% |
| Tennessee | 247 | 10% |
| South Carolina | 226 | 9% |
| Mississippi | 204 | 8% |
| Texas | 130 | 5% |
| Kentucky | 90 | 4% |
| Louisiana | 54 | 2% |
| Maryland | 44 | 2% |
| Arkansas | 41 | 2% |
| Missouri | 26 | 1% |
| Florida | 8 | under 1% |
| Africa | 5 | under 1% |
| District of Columbia | 2 | under 1% |
| Illinois | 2 | under 1% |
| Ohio | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Harrison County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1830s | 1 |
| 1840s | 1,029 |
| 1850s | 1,071 |
| 1860s | 434 |
Surnames of freedmen in Harrison County
Harrison County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Harrison County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abercrombie, Harry | North Carolina | 1846 | |
| Abercrombie, Jessee | North Carolina | 1846 | |
| Abercrombie, Merrit | Alabama | 1846 | |
| Able, James | North Carolina | 1852 | |
| Abner, David | Alabama | 1852 | 13 |
| Abram, George | North Carolina | 1863 | |
| Abram, Henry | Alabama | 1852 | 13 |
| Acre, Jacob | North Carolina | 1846 | |
| Adair, Isaac | Tennessee | 1866 | 1 |
| Adams, Albert | Virginia | 1849 | |
| Adams, Henry | South Carolina | 1854 | |
| Adams, Jacob | Alabama | 1859 | 2 |
| Adams, James | Georgia | 1859 | 7 |
| Adams, Robin | Georgia | 1856 | 9 |
| Adams, Squire | Alabama | 1847 | |
| Addison, Richard | South Carolina | 1859 | |
| Adkins, George | Tennessee | 1862 | 4 |
| Adkins, Jeff | Alabama | 1855 | |
| Albin, James | Alabama | 1853 | |
| Alexander, Andrew | Georgia | 1861 | |
| Alexander, Anthony | Tennessee | 1847 | |
| Alexander, Bosin | Georgia | 1860 | |
| Alexander, George | Georgia | 1855 | 6 |
| Alexander, Henry | Mississippi | 1863 | 4 |
| Alexander, James | Tennessee | 1851 | |
| Alexander, Job | North Carolina | 1866 | |
| Alexander, Jordan | North Carolina | 1865 | 1 |
| Alexander, Marlin | Georgia | 1861 | |
| Alexander, Robert | Tennessee | 1857 | 9 |
| Alexander, Thomas | Missouri | 1863 | |
| Alexander, Volley | South Carolina | 1853 | |
| Alford, Bird | South Carolina | 1848 | |
| Allbrooks, Stephen | North Carolina | 1850 | 15 |
| Allen, Edmund | Georgia | 1859 | 7 |
| Allen, Elijah | North Carolina | 1863 | |
| Allen, Harvey | Mississippi | 1848 | |
| Allen, James | Alabama | 1867 | |
| Allen, Joseph | Maryland | 1846 | |
| Allen, Moses | Virginia | 1862 | 5 |
| Allen, Sampson | Tennessee | 1851 | |
| Allen, William | Tennessee | 1853 | 14 |
| Allison, Daniel | Texas | 1846 | 21 |
| Allman, Richard | Alabama | 1848 | 17 |
| Alltop, Stephen | Texas | 1846 | 20 |
| Anderson, Berry | Mississippi | 1847 | |
| Anderson, Charles | Alabama | 1844 | |
| Anderson, Edward | Alabama | 1846 | |
| Anderson, Franklin | Tennessee | 1853 | 14 |
| Anderson, Hart | Tennessee | 1846 | |
| Anderson, Jack | Texas | 1846 |
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. Harrison County's entries fill 92 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Harrison County was formed out of Shelby County by 1840.
Questions about the Harrison County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Harrison County, Texas?
Search the Harrison 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 Harrison County in 1867?
2,773 freedmen registered in Harrison County between 1867 and 1870, 72% of the county's 3,838 registered voters.
Where were Harrison County's freedmen born?
Alabama (417), Georgia (406) and Virginia (328) were the birthplaces reported most often; 130 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Harrison County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 8,784 enslaved people in Harrison County, 59% of everyone living there. In 1867, 72% of Harrison County's registered voters were freedmen, 2,773 of 3,838. 2,437 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Harrison County: Shelby County, Panola County, Upshur County.
For African American genealogy beyond Harrison County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Harrison County