Wood County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
Wood County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in Wood County
In 1860 the census counted 1,005 enslaved people in Wood County, 20% of everyone living there. Seven years later 259 freedmen registered to vote there, 24% of the county's voters. Most were born in Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama, and 253 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 1,005
- Enslaved in 1860
- 20%
- Of the county in 1860
- 1,061
- Registered voters
- 259
- Freedmen
- 24%
- Freedmen
- Georgia
- Largest birthplace
- 10 years
- Median time in Texas
- 27
- Register pages
Where Wood County's freedmen were born
| Birthplace | Registrants | % |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 70 | 27% |
| Mississippi | 34 | 13% |
| Alabama | 33 | 13% |
| Tennessee | 30 | 11% |
| North Carolina | 24 | 9% |
| Virginia | 19 | 7% |
| South Carolina | 14 | 5% |
| Arkansas | 8 | 3% |
| Maryland | 7 | 3% |
| Texas | 7 | 3% |
| Kentucky | 6 | 2% |
| Louisiana | 5 | 2% |
| Missouri | 4 | 2% |
| Florida | 1 | under 1% |
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in Wood County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1830s | 3 |
| 1840s | 34 |
| 1850s | 124 |
| 1860s | 101 |
Surnames of freedmen in Wood County
Wood County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 50 names in the Wood County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams, Sampson | Arkansas | 1862 | 5 |
| Alexander, Austin | North Carolina | 1863 | |
| Alexander, Wyatt | Mississippi | 1864 | 2 |
| Allen, Franklin | Tennessee | 1854 | 5 |
| Anderson, Harry | Georgia | 1857 | |
| Anderson, Lee | Georgia | 1863 | 4 |
| Anderson, Nedam | Mississippi | 1864 | 3 |
| Andrews, Frederick | Alabama | 1851 | 15 |
| Andrews, Simon | Georgia | 1851 | 15 |
| Anthoney, John | Georgia | 1859 | 6 |
| Bailey, Granville S. | Virginia | 1864 | 2 |
| Bailey, Green S. | Mississippi | 1864 | 1 |
| Bailey, Willis | Tennessee | 1851 | |
| Baine, George | Kentucky | 1857 | |
| Beall, Ferdenand | Maryland | 1863 | 3 |
| Bell, James | Georgia | 1855 | |
| Bennett, Josiah | Maryland | 1852 | 1 |
| Benton, Robert | Georgia | 1857 | |
| Bingham, Peter | Tennessee | 1845 | 10 |
| Blackman, Allen | Alabama | 1857 | |
| Blalock, Allen | Georgia | 1850 | |
| Boman, William | Louisiana | 1864 | |
| Booker, Morris | Arkansas | 1864 | 1 |
| Boston, Cornelius | Maryland | 1851 | |
| Boyce, Ben | North Carolina | 1864 | 1 |
| Boyce, Robert | Maryland | 1865 | |
| Branch, Thomas | Virginia | 1838 | 29 |
| Brazier, Moses | Mississippi | 1863 | 1 |
| Breakfield, Sampson | Mississippi | 1853 | 13 |
| Brown, Sawney | Missouri | 1864 | |
| Browning, Base | Georgia | 1852 | 15 |
| Bufford, George | Tennessee | 1852 | |
| Bumley, William | Georgia | 1862 | 4 |
| Burford, Ben | Georgia | 1857 | |
| Burley, Jacob | Georgia | 1857 | |
| Burley, Moses | Georgia | 1859 | 8 |
| Burley, Ruben | Georgia | 1857 | |
| Burley, William | Georgia | 1860 | |
| Burnley, Jeffery | Alabama | 1851 | 16 |
| Burton, Joshua | North Carolina | 1861 | 3 |
| Calicut, Benjamin | Arkansas | 1845 | 21 |
| Campbell, George | Arkansas | 1860 | |
| Canida, Elijah | Kentucky | 1862 | |
| Canida, Mark | Georgia | 1856 | 1 |
| Carson, Henry | Georgia | 1857 | |
| Carter, Henry | Georgia | 1854 | |
| Champion, Owen | Tennessee | 1864 | 2 |
| Chapman, Ira | Mississippi | 1865 | |
| Chapman, Wyatt | Mississippi | 1863 | |
| Chisam, Fed | Mississippi | 1853 | 8 |
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. Wood County's entries fill 27 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
Wood County was formed out of Nacogdoches County by 1850.
Questions about the Wood County records
How do I find African American ancestors in Wood County, Texas?
Search the Wood 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 Wood County in 1867?
259 freedmen registered in Wood County between 1867 and 1870, 24% of the county's 1,061 registered voters.
Where were Wood County's freedmen born?
Georgia (70), Mississippi (34) and Alabama (33) were the birthplaces reported most often; 7 were born in Texas.
Was slavery widespread in Wood County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 1,005 enslaved people in Wood County, 20% of everyone living there. In 1867, 24% of Wood County's registered voters were freedmen, 259 of 1,061. 253 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with Wood County: Nacogdoches County.
For African American genealogy beyond Wood County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch Wood County