Hill County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Hill County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Hill County
In 1860 the census counted 650 enslaved people in Hill County, 18% of everyone living there. Seven years later 159 freedmen registered to vote there, 17% of the county's voters. Many were born in Tennessee, Virginia and Mississippi, and 144 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 650
- Enslaved in 1860
- 18%
- Of the county in 1860
- 916
- Registered voters
- 159
- Freedmen
- 17%
- Freedmen
- Tennessee
- Largest birthplace
- 10 years
- Median time in Texas
- 23
- Register pages
Where Hill County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 41 | 26% |
| Virginia | 18 | 11% |
| Mississippi | 14 | 9% |
| Kentucky | 13 | 8% |
| Missouri | 12 | 8% |
| Alabama | 10 | 6% |
| Louisiana | 10 | 6% |
| South Carolina | 10 | 6% |
| North Carolina | 9 | 6% |
| Georgia | 7 | 4% |
| Arkansas | 5 | 3% |
| Maryland | 4 | 3% |
| Texas | 4 | 3% |
| Florida | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Hill County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1820s | 1 |
| 1830s | 1 |
| 1840s | 14 |
| 1850s | 80 |
| 1860s | 63 |
Surnames of freedmen in Hill County
Hill County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Hill County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aiken, Sam | Tennessee | 1862 | |
| Akins, Elam | Tennessee | 1856 | |
| Albert, John | Mississippi | 1855 | |
| Allen, Albert | Virginia | 1863 | 3 |
| Anderson, Daniel | Tennessee | 1865 | |
| Atchison, Louis | Tennessee | 1847 | 10 |
| Austin, Smith | Tennessee | 1862 | |
| Barfield, John | Tennessee | 1856 | |
| Barnes, Amos | North Carolina | 1849 | 10 |
| Barnes, Jonas | Tennessee | 1855 | |
| Barrum, Thomas | Tennessee | 1863 | 4 |
| Basyo, Ephram | Tennessee | 1851 | 1 |
| Baules, William | Georgia | 1866 | |
| Bell, Danby | South Carolina | 1857 | |
| Bell, Harrison | South Carolina | 1857 | |
| Blackburn, Sam | Alabama | 1866 | |
| Bonaparte, Lewis Napoleon | Georgia | 1854 | |
| Booth, Adam | Tennessee | 1855 | 8 |
| Bradshaw, James L. | Missouri | 1863 | |
| Brindenthal, Robt | Missouri | 1856 | |
| Brookins, Ackwell | Louisiana | 1861 | |
| Brown, Alfred | Virginia | 1863 | 1 |
| Brown, Joseph | Virginia | 1859 | |
| Buckley, Elick | Mississippi | 1863 | |
| Buckley, H | Virginia | 1862 | |
| Burges, Andy | Georgia | 1866 | |
| Camorin, Adam | South Carolina | 1851 | 8 |
| Carmichael, Peter | Alabama | 1852 | 6 |
| Carter, Charles | Mississippi | 1858 | |
| Carter, George | South Carolina | 1861 | |
| Caury, George | Tennessee | 1860 | |
| Centre, Jeff | Tennessee | 1861 | |
| Clemens, Christopher | North Carolina | 1850 | 16 |
| Cob, Frank | Kentucky | 1865 | |
| Coffee, Aaron | North Carolina | 1857 | 8 |
| Cole, John | Texas | 1861 | |
| Crow, Sam | Texas | 1848 | |
| Crozier, B | Mississippi | 1843 | 19 |
| Dabney, Lewis | Tennessee | 1864 | |
| Daves, William | Maryland | 1861 | |
| Dawsey, William | Kentucky | 1861 | 1 |
| Days, Saml | South Carolina | 1864 | |
| Dechard, Prince | Tennessee | 1854 | |
| Downard, Franklin | Mississippi | 1853 | |
| Duff, Robt | Virginia | 1855 | |
| Elliott, Jacob | Alabama | 1854 | |
| Elliott, Thomas | Alabama | 1854 | |
| Fanin, John | Kentucky | 1857 | |
| Fields, Charles | Missouri | 1863 | |
| Files, Cicero | Alabama | 1855 | 5 |
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. Hill County's entries fill 23 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Hill County was formed out of Navarro County by 1855.
Questions about the Hill County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Hill County, Texas?
Search the Hill 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 Hill County in 1867?
159 freedmen registered in Hill County between 1867 and 1870, 17% of the county's 916 registered voters.
Where were Hill County's freedmen born?
Tennessee (41), Virginia (18) and Mississippi (14) were the birthplaces reported most often; 4 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Hill County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 650 enslaved people in Hill County, 18% of everyone living there. In 1867, 17% of Hill County's registered voters were freedmen, 159 of 916. 144 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Hill County: Navarro County.
For African American genealogy beyond Hill County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Hill County