Lavaca County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Lavaca County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Lavaca County
In 1860 the census counted 1,707 enslaved people in Lavaca County, 29% of everyone living there. Seven years later 435 freedmen registered to vote there, 29% of the county's voters. 1 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 1,707
- Enslaved in 1860
- 29%
- Of the county in 1860
- 1,487
- Registered voters
- 435
- Freedmen
- 29%
- Freedmen
- 4 years
- Median time in Texas
- 38
- Register pages
Help finish Lavaca County. 434 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhen they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Lavaca County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1860s | 1 |
Surnames of freedmen in Lavaca County
Lavaca County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 1 names in the Lavaca County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shackleford, Jesse | United States | 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. Lavaca County's entries fill 38 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Lavaca County was formed out of Gonzales County by 1850.
Questions about the Lavaca County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Lavaca County, Texas?
Search the Lavaca 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 Lavaca County in 1867?
435 freedmen registered in Lavaca County between 1867 and 1870, 29% of the county's 1,487 registered voters.
Was slavery widespread in Lavaca County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 1,707 enslaved people in Lavaca County, 29% of everyone living there. In 1867, 29% of Lavaca County's registered voters were freedmen, 435 of 1,487. 1 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Lavaca County: Gonzales County.
For African American genealogy beyond Lavaca County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Lavaca County