Tarrant County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Tarrant County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Tarrant County
In 1860 the census counted 850 enslaved people in Tarrant County, 14% of everyone living there. Seven years later 212 freedmen registered to vote there, 18% of the county's voters. Most were born in Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama, and 199 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 850
- Enslaved in 1860
- 14%
- Of the county in 1860
- 1,166
- Registered voters
- 212
- Freedmen
- 18%
- Freedmen
- Kentucky
- Largest birthplace
- 9 years
- Median time in Texas
- 30
- Register pages
Help finish Tarrant County. 1 freedman registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere Tarrant County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 51 | 24% |
| Tennessee | 38 | 18% |
| Alabama | 28 | 13% |
| Missouri | 24 | 11% |
| Virginia | 18 | 9% |
| North Carolina | 12 | 6% |
| Mississippi | 10 | 5% |
| South Carolina | 7 | 3% |
| Texas | 7 | 3% |
| Arkansas | 4 | 2% |
| Georgia | 4 | 2% |
| Louisiana | 4 | 2% |
| Maryland | 2 | under 1% |
| Iowa | 1 | under 1% |
| New York | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Tarrant County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1830s | 1 |
| 1840s | 13 |
| 1850s | 110 |
| 1860s | 87 |
Surnames of freedmen in Tarrant County
Tarrant County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Tarrant County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
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. Tarrant County's entries fill 30 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Tarrant County was formed out of Robertson County by 1850.
Questions about the Tarrant County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Tarrant County, Texas?
Search the Tarrant 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 Tarrant County in 1867?
212 freedmen registered in Tarrant County between 1867 and 1870, 18% of the county's 1,166 registered voters.
Where were Tarrant County's freedmen born?
Kentucky (51), Tennessee (38) and Alabama (28) were the birthplaces reported most often; 7 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Tarrant County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 850 enslaved people in Tarrant County, 14% of everyone living there. In 1867, 18% of Tarrant County's registered voters were freedmen, 212 of 1,166. 199 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Tarrant County: Robertson County.
For African American genealogy beyond Tarrant County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Tarrant County