Houston County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Houston County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Houston County
In 1860 the census counted 2,819 enslaved people in Houston County, 35% of everyone living there. Seven years later 963 freedmen registered to vote there, 50% of the county's voters. Many were born in Alabama, Virginia and South Carolina, and 185 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 2,819
- Enslaved in 1860
- 35%
- Of the county in 1860
- 1,924
- Registered voters
- 963
- Freedmen
- 50%
- Freedmen
- Alabama
- Largest birthplace
- 11 years
- Median time in Texas
- 47
- Register pages
Help finish Houston County. 745 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Houston County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 42 | 21% |
| Virginia | 33 | 16% |
| South Carolina | 23 | 11% |
| Georgia | 22 | 11% |
| Mississippi | 19 | 9% |
| North Carolina | 13 | 6% |
| Texas | 12 | 6% |
| Tennessee | 11 | 5% |
| Kentucky | 9 | 4% |
| Louisiana | 7 | 3% |
| Arkansas | 4 | 2% |
| Maryland | 4 | 2% |
| District of Columbia | 1 | under 1% |
| Florida | 1 | under 1% |
| Missouri | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Houston County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1830s | 7 |
| 1840s | 26 |
| 1850s | 97 |
| 1860s | 68 |
Surnames of freedmen in Houston County
Houston County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Houston County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams, Spencer | Kentucky | 1866 | |
| Alexander, Smith | |||
| Alford, Charles | South Carolina | 1849 | 16 |
| Ames, Bervin | Virginia | 1863 | |
| Anderson, Benjamin | South Carolina | 1858 | |
| Anderson, George | Alabama | 1841 | |
| Anderson, Mark | Tennessee | 1855 | |
| Ard, Charlie | Georgia | 1852 | |
| Ard, Issac | South Carolina | 1852 | |
| Ard, Thomas | Georgia | 1851 | |
| Arledge, Wilson | South Carolina | 1856 | |
| Ashmore, Arthur | South Carolina | 1860 | |
| Berrey, James | Arkansas | 1864 | |
| Berton, Van | South Carolina | 1864 | 3 |
| Blackehire, George | |||
| Blasengame, Brode | Arkansas | 1857 | 9 |
| Bly, Good | Georgia | 1853 | |
| Bonypart, George N. | Mississippi | 1853 | |
| Boston, Amos | Georgia | 1837 | |
| Bozemore, John | Alabama | 1851 | |
| Bradley, Jerry | |||
| Bragg, John | Alabama | 1859 | |
| Brice, Henry | Texas | 1842 | 12 |
| Brice, Willie | South Carolina | 1859 | |
| Broker, Wonder | South Carolina | 1856 | 11 |
| Brown, Allen | Virginia | 1855 | 8 |
| Brown, Calvin | Alabama | 1866 | |
| Brown, George | Maryland | 1863 | 4 |
| Brown, John | Washington DC | 1859 | |
| Brown, Loyde | Maryland | 1862 | 2 |
| Brown, Oscar | Virginia | 1860 | |
| Brown, Pettis | Mississippi | 1850 | |
| Brown, Simon | Alabama | 1866 | |
| Brown, Stephen | South Carolina | 1860 | |
| Buckner, Bob | North Carolina | 1851 | |
| Buggs, Phil | Tennessee | 1863 | 3 |
| Burden, Thomas | Texas | 1848 | |
| Calloway, Martin | Louisiana | 1853 | |
| Camber, Ephraim | South Carolina | 1857 | 9 |
| Campbell, Henry | Virginia | 1854 | |
| Chanceller, James | Virginia | 1855 | |
| Cole, Griffin | Alabama | 1859 | |
| Coleman, Patrick | Virginia | 1863 | |
| Crag, Horrace | Alabama | 1852 | |
| Cummins, Humphrey | Arkansas | 1853 | |
| Daniel, William | Georgia | 1852 | 9 |
| Dardin, Green | North Carolina | 1849 | 16 |
| Davis, Jourdin | Alabama | 1865 | |
| Doch, Gilbert | North Carolina | 1860 | 4 |
| Doddon, John | Alabama | 1866 |
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. Houston County's entries fill 47 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Houston County was formed out of Nacogdoches County by 1840.
Questions about the Houston County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Houston County, Texas?
Search the Houston 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 Houston County in 1867?
963 freedmen registered in Houston County between 1867 and 1870, 50% of the county's 1,924 registered voters.
Where were Houston County's freedmen born?
Alabama (42), Virginia (33) and South Carolina (23) were the birthplaces reported most often; 12 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Houston County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 2,819 enslaved people in Houston County, 35% of everyone living there. In 1867, 50% of Houston County's registered voters were freedmen, 963 of 1,924. 185 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Houston County: Nacogdoches County, Anderson County, Trinity County.
For African American genealogy beyond Houston County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Houston County