Leon County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Leon County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Leon County
In 1860 the census counted 2,620 enslaved people in Leon County, 39% of everyone living there. Seven years later 675 freedmen registered to vote there, 45% of the county's voters. Many were born in Alabama, Mississippi and Virginia, and 625 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 2,620
- Enslaved in 1860
- 39%
- Of the county in 1860
- 1,492
- Registered voters
- 675
- Freedmen
- 45%
- Freedmen
- Alabama
- Largest birthplace
- 12 years
- Median time in Texas
- 38
- Register pages
Where Leon County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 141 | 21% |
| Mississippi | 92 | 13% |
| Virginia | 84 | 12% |
| North Carolina | 80 | 12% |
| Texas | 65 | 10% |
| Tennessee | 55 | 8% |
| South Carolina | 40 | 6% |
| Louisiana | 36 | 5% |
| Georgia | 35 | 5% |
| Maryland | 18 | 3% |
| Kentucky | 15 | 2% |
| Florida | 10 | 1% |
| Arkansas | 6 | under 1% |
| Missouri | 5 | under 1% |
| District of Columbia | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Leon County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1820s | 3 |
| 1830s | 22 |
| 1840s | 155 |
| 1850s | 270 |
| 1860s | 208 |
Surnames of freedmen in Leon County
Leon County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Leon County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| , I | North Carolina | ||
| Adam, Samul | Washington DC | 1868 | |
| Adkinson, Moses | Virginia | 1851 | |
| Alexander, Albert | Virginia | 1858 | |
| Alexander, Mordecia | Not listed | 1852 | 5 |
| Alexander, Sandy | Alabama | 1862 | |
| Allen, Anthony | Tennessee | 1851 | |
| Allen, Ben | Alabama | 1862 | |
| Allen, John | Virginia | 1866 | |
| Allen, Robert | Tennessee | 1862 | 4 |
| Anderson, Andrew | Virginia | 1847 | |
| Anderson, Dick | Virginia | 1863 | 3 |
| Andrew, Sam | Virginia | 1853 | 15 |
| Andrews, Lewis | Texas | 1847 | 12 |
| Andrews, Simon | Texas | 1841 | 16 |
| Anthony, Mark | South Carolina | 1863 | |
| Anthony, Mark | South Carolina | 1864 | |
| Armstrong, Gordon | Alabama | 1841 | 24 |
| Arrenson, William | Virginia | ||
| Austin, Adam | Alabama | 1849 | 6 |
| Austin, John | Texas | 1848 | |
| Austin, King | Florida | 1849 | |
| Austin, Ruben | Alabama | 1848 | 7 |
| Austin, Thomas | Georgia | 1849 | 6 |
| Baker, Jefferson | Virginia | 1857 | |
| Baker, Wonder | Georgia | ||
| Baldin, Jacob | Tennessee | 1863 | 1 |
| Banion, James O. | Texas | ||
| Barks, Jashua | Virginia | 1841 | 10 |
| Barnes, Charles | Virginia | 1855 | |
| Barton, Louis | Alabama | 1851 | |
| Beard, Thomas | South Carolina | 1856 | |
| Bell, William | Georgia | 1857 | |
| Bennett, Charles | South Carolina | 1855 | |
| Benson, Thomas | Alabama | 1862 | |
| Betts, Hardy | Alabama | 1859 | |
| Bird, Miles | Alabama | 1857 | |
| Bizer, Jack | Virginia | 1859 | |
| Bizer, Peter | Mississippi | 1856 | 4 |
| Black, Samuel | Mississippi | 1864 | 2 |
| Blackshear, George | North Carolina | 1846 | 21 |
| Blackshear, York | Alabama | 1848 | |
| Blaten, Isaac | Maryland | 1844 | |
| Blaton, William | Texas | 1847 | |
| Boner, Wilson | Texas | ||
| Boozer, Isaac | South Carolina | 1861 | 2 |
| Boozer, Wade | South Carolina | 1860 | 3 |
| Boseman, Austin | South Carolina | 1854 | 12 |
| Bowers, Ceasar | Texas | 1840 | 13 |
| Bowers, Jerry | Tennessee | 1839 | 18 |
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. Leon 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.
Leon County was formed out of Robertson County by 1850.
Questions about the Leon County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Leon County, Texas?
Search the Leon 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 Leon County in 1867?
675 freedmen registered in Leon County between 1867 and 1870, 45% of the county's 1,492 registered voters.
Where were Leon County's freedmen born?
Alabama (141), Mississippi (92) and Virginia (84) were the birthplaces reported most often; 65 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Leon County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 2,620 enslaved people in Leon County, 39% of everyone living there. In 1867, 45% of Leon County's registered voters were freedmen, 675 of 1,492. 625 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Leon County: Robertson County.
For African American genealogy beyond Leon County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Leon County