Kerr County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Kerr County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Kerr County
In 1860 the census counted 49 enslaved people in Kerr County, 8% of everyone living there. Seven years later 18 freedmen registered to vote there, 10% of the county's voters. Most were born in Tennessee, Kentucky and Louisiana, and 12 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 49
- Enslaved in 1860
- 8%
- Of the county in 1860
- 185
- Registered voters
- 18
- Freedmen
- 10%
- Freedmen
- Tennessee
- Largest birthplace
- 8 years
- Median time in Texas
- 5
- Register pages
Help finish Kerr County. 3 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Kerr County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 4 | 27% |
| Kentucky | 3 | 20% |
| Louisiana | 2 | 13% |
| North Carolina | 2 | 13% |
| Alabama | 1 | 7% |
| Florida | 1 | 7% |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 7% |
| South Carolina | 1 | 7% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Kerr County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1830s | 1 |
| 1840s | 1 |
| 1850s | 5 |
| 1860s | 8 |
Surnames of freedmen in Kerr County
Kerr County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 15 names in the Kerr County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blanks, Robert | Florida | 1867 | |
| Blanks, Theodore | Louisiana | 1860 | |
| Coleman, Jacob | Pennsylvania | 1865 | 1 |
| Edmund, Sylvester | Kentucky | 1853 | 1 |
| Fulton, John | Tennessee | 1852 | |
| Hall, Robert | Louisiana | 1866 | |
| Hines, Mike | North Carolina | 1860 | |
| Lee, George | South Carolina | 1862 | 1 |
| Moore, Wesley | Tennessee | 1857 | 3 |
| Pfiefer, John | North Carolina | 1861 | |
| Phelps, Ephraim | Tennessee | 1846 | 19 |
| Redley, Samuel | Kentucky | 1853 | 14 |
| Roberts, Jeans | Kentucky | 1854 | 4 |
| Shaw, Timothy | Alabama | 1838 | 28 |
| Singleton, Charles | Tennessee | 1860 | 6 |
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. Kerr County's entries fill 5 pages of the handwritten register.
Kerr County was formed out of Bexar County by 1860.
Questions about the Kerr County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Kerr County, Texas?
Search the Kerr 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 Kerr County in 1867?
18 freedmen registered in Kerr County between 1867 and 1870, 10% of the county's 185 registered voters.
Where were Kerr County's freedmen born?
Tennessee (4), Kentucky (3) and Louisiana (2) were the birthplaces reported most often.
Was slavery widespread in Kerr County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 49 enslaved people in Kerr County, 8% of everyone living there. In 1867, 10% of Kerr County's registered voters were freedmen, 18 of 185. 12 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Kerr County: Bexar County.
For African American genealogy beyond Kerr County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Kerr County