Shelby County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Shelby County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Shelby County
In 1860 the census counted 1,476 enslaved people in Shelby County, 28% of everyone living there. Seven years later 374 freedmen registered to vote there, 36% of the county's voters. Most were born in Georgia, Alabama and Texas, and 365 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 1,476
- Enslaved in 1860
- 28%
- Of the county in 1860
- 1,027
- Registered voters
- 374
- Freedmen
- 36%
- Freedmen
- Georgia
- Largest birthplace
- 17 years
- Median time in Texas
- 26
- Register pages
Help finish Shelby County. 1 freedman registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Shelby County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 67 | 18% |
| Alabama | 60 | 16% |
| Texas | 59 | 16% |
| Tennessee | 40 | 11% |
| South Carolina | 35 | 9% |
| Virginia | 32 | 9% |
| North Carolina | 24 | 6% |
| Mississippi | 17 | 5% |
| Arkansas | 11 | 3% |
| Louisiana | 8 | 2% |
| Florida | 5 | 1% |
| Kentucky | 5 | 1% |
| Missouri | 4 | 1% |
| Maryland | 3 | under 1% |
| Delaware | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Shelby County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1830s | 33 |
| 1840s | 145 |
| 1850s | 146 |
| 1860s | 49 |
Surnames of freedmen in Shelby County
Shelby County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Shelby County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Achins, Matt | North Carolina | 1863 | |
| Achols, James | Texas | 1846 | |
| Alexander, Adam | Alabama | 1864 | |
| Alexander, Bob | Virginia | 1852 | |
| Alexander, John | Tennessee | 1841 | 11 |
| Allen, David | Georgia | 1859 | |
| Arnold, Redman | Georgia | 1856 | |
| Ballard, Benjamin | South Carolina | 1837 | 15 |
| Bardon, Joshuay | Arkansas | 1852 | |
| Beauchamp, Charles | Tennessee | 1854 | |
| Beeker, Isaac | Georgia | 1842 | 23 |
| Bell, Henry | Georgia | 1858 | 2 |
| Bell, Isaac | Georgia | 1857 | |
| Bell, Jo | Georgia | 1855 | |
| Bell, Jordan | Georgia | 1856 | 10 |
| Bell, Louis | Georgia | 1857 | |
| Bell, Simon | Georgia | 1857 | |
| Bennett, Charles | Virginia | 1838 | |
| Biggar, Acy | Texas | 1845 | |
| Biggar, Ben | Arkansas | 1837 | |
| Bigger, Isham | Texas | 1844 | |
| Biggs, Lewis | Tennessee | 1854 | |
| Bigham, August | Tennessee | 1849 | |
| Blankenship, Bell | Alabama | 1859 | |
| Bleak, Washington | Louisiana | 1846 | 12 |
| Blunt, Ben | Georgia | 1842 | |
| Blunt, George | Kentucky | 1845 | 6 |
| Boone, Mathew | Florida | 1865 | |
| Booth, Andrew | Georgia | 1845 | 20 |
| Booth, Atwood | Georgia | 1845 | 1 |
| Booth, Isaac | Alabama | 1841 | |
| Booth, Labram | Georgia | 1845 | 20 |
| Booth, Moses | Georgia | 1844 | |
| Booth, Sam | Georgia | 1844 | |
| Booth, Seburn | Georgia | 1839 | |
| Boothe, Jack | Texas | 1842 | 9 |
| Bourland, Moses | Virginia | 1858 | |
| Bowlin, Henry | Georgia | 1858 | |
| Brinston, John | Texas | 1845 | |
| Brinston, Mack | Maryland | 1840 | |
| Brittain, Charlie | Texas | 1846 | |
| Brittain, W.D. | Arkansas | 1845 | |
| Brocket, Mathias | North Carolina | 1840 | |
| Brooks, Charles | North Carolina | 1837 | |
| Brooks, West | Alabama | 1856 | 6 |
| Brown, Owens | Virginia | 1852 | |
| Brown, Simson | Virginia | 1866 | |
| Bryan, Daniel | Alabama | 1853 | 10 |
| Bryan, James | South Carolina | 1858 | 8 |
| Bryan, James | Virginia | 1856 | 3 |
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. Shelby County's entries fill 26 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Questions about the Shelby County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Shelby County, Texas?
Search the Shelby 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 Shelby County in 1867?
374 freedmen registered in Shelby County between 1867 and 1870, 36% of the county's 1,027 registered voters.
Where were Shelby County's freedmen born?
Georgia (67), Alabama (60) and Texas (59) were the birthplaces reported most often; 59 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Shelby County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 1,476 enslaved people in Shelby County, 28% of everyone living there. In 1867, 36% of Shelby County's registered voters were freedmen, 374 of 1,027. 365 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Shelby County: Harrison County, Panola County, Upshur County.
For African American genealogy beyond Shelby County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Shelby County