Hopkins County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Hopkins County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Hopkins County
In 1860 the census counted 990 enslaved people in Hopkins County, 13% of everyone living there. Seven years later 282 freedmen registered to vote there, 16% of the county's voters. Many were born in Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama, and 260 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 990
- Enslaved in 1860
- 13%
- Of the county in 1860
- 1,797
- Registered voters
- 282
- Freedmen
- 16%
- Freedmen
- Georgia
- Largest birthplace
- 8 years
- Median time in Texas
- 40
- Register pages
Help finish Hopkins County. 3 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Hopkins County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 50 | 18% |
| North Carolina | 34 | 12% |
| Alabama | 33 | 12% |
| Tennessee | 32 | 12% |
| Virginia | 31 | 11% |
| Kentucky | 22 | 8% |
| Mississippi | 14 | 5% |
| South Carolina | 14 | 5% |
| Maryland | 11 | 4% |
| Missouri | 9 | 3% |
| Arkansas | 8 | 3% |
| Louisiana | 7 | 3% |
| Texas | 6 | 2% |
| Florida | 2 | under 1% |
| Delaware | 1 | under 1% |
| Illinois | 1 | under 1% |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Hopkins County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1840s | 30 |
| 1850s | 122 |
| 1860s | 119 |
Surnames of freedmen in Hopkins County
Hopkins County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Hopkins County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albert, Prince | Tennessee | 1863 | |
| Alexander, Christopher | Georgia | 1853 | |
| Alexander, George | Tennessee | 1864 | 2 |
| Alexander, Wilson | Tennessee | 1852 | 7 |
| Armstrong, Stephen | Louisiana | 1867 | 1 |
| Ashley, Ellis | Kentucky | 1852 | |
| Baker, Coon | Georgia | 1861 | |
| Baker, Daniel | Kentucky | 1862 | |
| Baker, Shepherd | Tennessee | 1864 | |
| Balwin, Giles | Kentucky | 1863 | 1 |
| Barrum, Simon | Alabama | 1849 | 15 |
| Beesley, Thomas | North Carolina | 1860 | |
| Beeson, John | Kentucky | 1853 | 14 |
| Bell, Robert | Kentucky | 1859 | 7 |
| Bembrick, Emanuel | North Carolina | 1863 | |
| Benden, Warren | South Carolina | 1864 | |
| Berry, Wm | Georgia | 1857 | 8 |
| Bowman, Wilson | Texas | 1847 | 18 |
| Box, Doren | North Carolina | 1866 | |
| Bradon, Jack | Tennessee | 1864 | |
| Bridges, Conray | Virginia | 1854 | 2 |
| Brooks, Benjamin | South Carolina | 1852 | 15 |
| Brooks, George | Georgia | 1852 | 14 |
| Brooks, Harris | Maryland | 1860 | |
| Brooks, Lemuel | Maryland | 1860 | |
| Brown, George | Mississippi | 1851 | 15 |
| Brown, Peter | Louisiana | 1862 | |
| Brown, William | South Carolina | 1862 | |
| Buford, Charles | Maryland | 1852 | |
| Bugg, Jessie | Virginia | 1861 | 1 |
| Bumpas, Norman | North Carolina | 1858 | 8 |
| Burd, Thomas | Alabama | 1863 | 4 |
| Burmingham, Robert | Virginia | 1851 | 8 |
| Burns, Lewis | Missouri | 1847 | 19 |
| Burrell, John | South Carolina | 1862 | |
| Byers, Joseph | Arkansas | 1863 | |
| Carroll, Henry | Virginia | 1862 | |
| Chancy, Jack | Alabama | 1847 | 14 |
| Chapin, Samuel | Tennessee | 1847 | 10 |
| Chapman, Davy | North Carolina | 1863 | 2 |
| Childers, Peter | Alabama | 1863 | |
| Clayton, Henson | South Carolina | 1853 | 13 |
| Coleman, Simon | Georgia | 1857 | |
| Collars, Mitchell | Georgia | 1859 | |
| Colman, Armsted | Virginia | 1864 | |
| Conley, George W. | Alabama | 1863 | 2 |
| Connally, Alexander | Georgia | 1852 | |
| Conner, Workman | North Carolina | 1863 | |
| Cook, William | Georgia | 1862 | |
| Cooper, Milles | Virginia | 1863 |
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. Hopkins County's entries fill 40 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Hopkins County was formed out of Lamar County by 1850.
Questions about the Hopkins County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Hopkins County, Texas?
Search the Hopkins 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 Hopkins County in 1867?
282 freedmen registered in Hopkins County between 1867 and 1870, 16% of the county's 1,797 registered voters.
Where were Hopkins County's freedmen born?
Georgia (50), North Carolina (34) and Alabama (33) were the birthplaces reported most often; 6 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Hopkins County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 990 enslaved people in Hopkins County, 13% of everyone living there. In 1867, 16% of Hopkins County's registered voters were freedmen, 282 of 1,797. 260 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Hopkins County: Lamar County.
For African American genealogy beyond Hopkins County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Hopkins County