Wharton County, Texas · 1867 voter registration

Wharton County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration

Slavery in Wharton County

In 1860 the census counted 2,734 enslaved people in Wharton County, 81% of everyone living there. Seven years later 830 freedmen registered to vote there, 84% of the county's voters. 1 reported reaching Texas before 1865.

Map of Texas counties in 1870 with Wharton County highlighted
Wharton County on the 1870 county map
2,734
Enslaved in 1860
81%
Of the county in 1860
992
Registered voters
830
Freedmen
84%
Freedmen
1 years
Median time in Texas
25
Register pages

When they arrived in Texas

Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Wharton County.

Reported arrival decades for Wharton County registrants
DecadeRegistrants
1860s
836

Surnames of freedmen in Wharton County

Wharton County genealogy: search the register by name

The first 50 names in the Wharton County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.

Wharton County registrants, by surname
NameBirthplaceArrivedGap
Abraham, JamesUnited States18661
Abram, SamUnited States18661
Adams, ClintonUnited States18661
Adams, NelsonUnited States18661
Addison, JohnUnited States18661
Alexander, AlexUnited States18661
Alexander, GustusUnited States18671
Alexander, JamesUnited States18661
Alexander, NedUnited States18661
Alexander, ThadiesUnited States18661
Allan, CarryUnited States18661
Allen, JohnUnited States18661
Allen, WashingtonUnited States18671
Allens, RoddenUnited States18661
Alson, GeorgeUnited States18661
Anderson, CalvinUnited States18661
Anderson, CharlesUnited States18661
Anderson, EdwardUnited States18661
Anderson, FrankUnited States18661
Anderson, JoeUnited States18661
Anderson, JohnUnited States18661
Anderson, JohnUnited States18661
Anderson, PeterUnited States18661
Anderson, RobertUnited States18661
Anderson, SylvesterUnited States18661
Anderson, WilliamUnited States18661
Anderson, WIllisUnited States18661
Andrew, JamesUnited States18661
Andrews, Alfred G.United States18661
Andrews, Joseph G.United States18661
Antony, JonesUnited States18661
Armisted, SamuelUnited States18671
Armstrong, AllenUnited States18661
Armstrong, CharlesUnited States18661
Armstrong, CullenUnited States18661
Armstrong, FrankUnited States18661
Armstrong, MartinUnited States18661
Armstrong, NeroUnited States18661
Armstrong, RodenUnited States18661
Armstrong, SimonUnited States18661
Armstrong, WilliamUnited States18661
Arrant, SimonUnited States18661
Arrington, LouisUnited States18661
Ashton, WarnerUnited States18661
Augustus, GabrielUnited States18661
Austin, JackUnited States18661
Austin, WellsUnited States18661
Bailey, CharlesUnited States18661
Baily, JohnUnited States18661
Balden, JohnUnited States18661

Search Wharton County freedmen records by 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. Wharton County's entries fill 25 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.

Wharton County was formed out of Matagorda County by 1850.

Questions about the Wharton County records

How do I find African American ancestors in Wharton County, Texas?

Search the Wharton 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 Wharton County in 1867?

830 freedmen registered in Wharton County between 1867 and 1870, 84% of the county's 992 registered voters.

Was slavery widespread in Wharton County, Texas?

In 1860 the census counted 2,734 enslaved people in Wharton County, 81% of everyone living there. In 1867, 84% of Wharton County's registered voters were freedmen, 830 of 992, the highest share in Texas. 1 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.

Keep looking

Counties that share a boundary history with Wharton County: Matagorda County.

For African American genealogy beyond Wharton County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.

All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Wharton County