Nelson · Texas · 1867 voter registration · page 2 of 2

Nelson in the 1867 Texas voter registration: 63 freedmen

63 freedmen named Nelson registered to vote in Texas between 1867 and 1870. Many registered in Brazos County (5), Cherokee County (5) and Colorado County (5). The birthplaces they reported most often were Tennessee, Virginia and Alabama. The earliest of them reached Texas about 1844.

Map of Texas counties in 1870 with the counties where the Nelsons registered highlighted
Counties where freedmen named Nelson registered, on the 1870 county map
63
Freedmen
30
Counties
Tennessee
Largest birthplace
1844
Earliest arrival
1860s
Fullest decade

Where the Nelsons registered

Where the Nelsons were born

Birthplaces the Nelsons reported
BirthplaceFreedmen%
Tennessee1026%
Virginia718%
Alabama38%
Mississippi38%
Kentucky25%
Maryland25%
Missouri25%
North Carolina25%
South Carolina25%
Arkansas13%
Georgia13%
Louisiana13%
Pennsylvania13%
Texas13%

When the Nelsons reached Texas

Reported arrival decades for the Nelsons
DecadeFreedmen
1840s
7
1850s
24
1860s
26

Every Nelson in the register

The Nelsons in the register, 51 to 63 of 63
NameCountyBirthplaceReached Texas
Richard NelsonHunt CountyMississippi1848
Robert NelsonWharton County1866
Sammuel NelsonAustin CountyTexas1844
Samuel NelsonFalls County
Seth NelsonBowie CountyTennessee1849
Stephen NelsonHarrison CountyVirginia1853
Thomas NelsonMcLennan County1867
Thos NelsonAustin CountyMissouri1861
Wesley NelsonCherokee CountyTennessee1866
William NelsonBrazos County1863
William NelsonCameron CountyPennsylvania1865
William NelsonFort Bend County1856
Wilson NelsonGalveston County

Nelson genealogy in Texas

How do I find an ancestor named Nelson in Texas?

Start with the county: this is African American genealogy from the register itself. Brazos County holds 5 of the 63, Cherokee County 5. Open a name to read the original handwritten register page and the names written around it. Names were written in more than one form, so try the sound of the name as well as its letters.

Where did the Nelsons in Texas come from?

They reported Tennessee (10), Virginia (7) and Alabama (3) as their birthplaces most often, and 1 reported Texas. These are the answers the men themselves gave a board of registrars between 1867 and 1870.

Which Texas counties had the most freedmen named Nelson?

Brazos County (5), Cherokee County (5), Colorado County (5). In all, 63 registered across 30 Texas counties between 1867 and 1870.

Sources

Figures come from the 1867 to 1870 Texas voter registration held by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Registrars wrote each name as they heard it, so Nelson appears in the register in more than one form. About Enslaved Texas.

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