Karnes County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Karnes County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Karnes County
In 1860 the census counted 327 enslaved people in Karnes County, 15% of everyone living there. Seven years later 46 freedmen registered to vote there, 14% of the county's voters. Most were born in Mississippi, Virginia and Texas, and 42 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 327
- Enslaved in 1860
- 15%
- Of the county in 1860
- 337
- Registered voters
- 46
- Freedmen
- 14%
- Freedmen
- Mississippi
- Largest birthplace
- 12 years
- Median time in Texas
- 9
- Register pages
Help finish Karnes County. 2 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Karnes County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 16 | 36% |
| Virginia | 10 | 23% |
| Texas | 3 | 7% |
| Alabama | 2 | 5% |
| Georgia | 2 | 5% |
| Kentucky | 2 | 5% |
| Louisiana | 2 | 5% |
| North Carolina | 2 | 5% |
| South Carolina | 2 | 5% |
| Arkansas | 1 | 2% |
| Missouri | 1 | 2% |
| Tennessee | 1 | 2% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Karnes County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1840s | 9 |
| 1850s | 21 |
| 1860s | 14 |
Surnames of freedmen in Karnes County
Karnes County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 44 names in the Karnes County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen, George | Kentucky | 1849 | 9 |
| Bell, Washington | Georgia | 1847 | 14 |
| Buker, Ransom | Mississippi | 1853 | |
| Burket, Albert | Mississippi | 1862 | |
| Cartright, Henry | Texas | 1842 | 15 |
| Davis, Alexander | Alabama | 1847 | 11 |
| Davis, Zachary | Mississippi | 1849 | 3 |
| Dickison, Preston | Virginia | 1862 | |
| Eckford, Louis | Texas | 1842 | 17 |
| Felix, Joshua | Mississippi | 1864 | |
| Forster, Mack | Mississippi | 1847 | |
| Freeman, Alfred | Mississippi | 1865 | |
| Gregg, Camada | Arkansas | 1857 | 7 |
| Hagin, Henry | Mississippi | 1866 | |
| Harkless, Charley | Texas | 1855 | |
| Haynes, John P. | Mississippi | 1854 | 12 |
| Hays, Albert | Georgia | 1864 | |
| Jackson, Unphers | Alabama | 1857 | 9 |
| James, William | Virginia | 1858 | |
| Johnson, Aron | Mississippi | 1852 | |
| Jones, John P. | Louisiana | 1861 | |
| Kamper, Stephen | Mississippi | 1856 | |
| Lewis, Henry | Virginia | 1860 | |
| Mayfield, Philip | Virginia | 1851 | |
| McGraw, Abraham | Mississippi | 1856 | 9 |
| Moore, George | Mississippi | 1862 | 3 |
| Moris, Anderson | Tennessee | 1854 | 12 |
| Phillipps, Benjamin | Virginia | 1853 | |
| Phillipps, James | Virginia | 1853 | |
| Podder, Henry | Virginia | 1855 | |
| Porterfield, James | Louisiana | 1855 | 4 |
| Rabb, Jacob | Mississippi | 1848 | 5 |
| Raiborn, David | Virginia | 1857 | |
| Rain, Carter | Virginia | 1862 | |
| Randolph, John P. | Missouri | 1856 | |
| Robinson, Benjamin | Virginia | 1862 | |
| Rosq, Edmund | North Carolina | 1863 | |
| Rousher, Louis | Kentucky | 1855 | 6 |
| Sullivan, George | North Carolina | 1851 | 1 |
| Sullivan, Henry | Mississippi | 1860 | |
| Sullivan, Samuel | Mississippi | 1860 | |
| Tennes, Franklin | Mississippi | 1847 | 18 |
| Vanabacker, Moses | South Carolina | 1859 | |
| Washington, Gabriel | South Carolina | 1855 |
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. Karnes County's entries fill 9 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Karnes County was formed out of Goliad County by 1855.
Questions about the Karnes County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Karnes County, Texas?
Search the Karnes 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 Karnes County in 1867?
46 freedmen registered in Karnes County between 1867 and 1870, 14% of the county's 337 registered voters.
Where were Karnes County's freedmen born?
Mississippi (16), Virginia (10) and Texas (3) were the birthplaces reported most often; 3 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Karnes County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 327 enslaved people in Karnes County, 15% of everyone living there. In 1867, 14% of Karnes County's registered voters were freedmen, 46 of 337. 42 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Karnes County: Goliad County.
For African American genealogy beyond Karnes County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Karnes County