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

Watson in the 1867 Texas voter registration: 83 freedmen

83 freedmen named Watson registered to vote in Texas between 1867 and 1870. Many registered in Grayson County (11), Brazoria County (8) and Caldwell County (5). The birthplaces they reported most often were Texas, North Carolina and Tennessee. The earliest of them reached Texas about 1827.

Map of Texas counties in 1870 with the counties where the Watsons registered highlighted
Counties where freedmen named Watson registered, on the 1870 county map
83
Freedmen
30
Counties
Texas
Largest birthplace
1827
Earliest arrival
1860s
Fullest decade

Where the Watsons registered

Texas counties where the Watsons registered
CountyFreedmen%
Grayson County1113%
Brazoria County810%
Caldwell County56%
Freestone County56%
Harrison County56%
Leon County56%
McLennan County56%
Brazos County45%
Davis County45%
Guadalupe County45%
Bastrop County34%
Falls County34%
Fayette County22%
Gonzales County22%
Houston County22%
Bell County11%
Bexar County11%
Bowie County11%
Cameron County11%
Collin County11%
Colorado County11%
Dallas County11%
Hays County11%
Hill County11%
Jefferson County11%
Madison County11%
Matagorda County11%
Tarrant County11%
Walker County11%
Wharton County11%

Where the Watsons were born

Birthplaces the Watsons reported
BirthplaceFreedmen%
Texas1320%
North Carolina812%
Tennessee812%
Virginia711%
Georgia69%
Mississippi69%
Alabama58%
South Carolina58%
Kentucky46%
Louisiana23%
Arkansas12%
Florida12%

When the Watsons reached Texas

Reported arrival decades for the Watsons
DecadeFreedmen
1820s
1
1830s
2
1840s
24
1850s
23
1860s
30

Every Watson in the register

The Watsons in the register, 51 to 83 of 83
NameCountyBirthplaceReached Texas
Joseph WatsonGonzales County1855
Kit WatsonDallas CountyNorth Carolina1855
Lat. WatsonCaldwell CountySouth Carolina1866
Lewis WatsonMcLennan County1866
Lewis WatsonMcLennan County1866
London WatsonBrazoria CountyGeorgia1827
Luke WatsonBrazoria CountyFlorida1860
Mack WatsonFalls County
Mack WatsonHarrison CountyMississippi1846
Micajob WatsonGrayson CountyTexas1846
Morgan WatsonLeon CountyTexas1846
Moses WatsonFreestone CountyTennessee1867
Nathan WatsonCaldwell CountySouth Carolina1866
Noah WatsonMadison CountyTennessee1864
Orrin WatsonBrazoria CountyTexas1844
Perry WatsonGrayson CountyTexas1851
Peter WatsonMcLennan County1867
Richard WatsonBrazos County1859
Richard WatsonBrazos County1848
Robert WatsonMcLennan County1866
Ruben WatsonGrayson CountyKentucky1846
Samuel WatsonJefferson County1847
Samuel WatsonLeon CountyNorth Carolina1849
Simon WatsonHouston CountyAlabama1845
Stephen WatsonDavis CountyTennessee1851
Stokes WatsonBowie CountyAlabama1851
Thomas WatsonFreestone CountyVirginia1852
Washington WatsonLeon CountyMississippi1849
Wiley WatsonHarrison CountyNorth Carolina1846
William WatsonBrazoria CountyLouisiana1863
William WatsonGrayson CountyTexas1856
William WatsonGuadalupe CountyMississippi1866
Zac WatsonGrayson CountyTexas1846

Watson genealogy in Texas

How do I find an ancestor named Watson in Texas?

Start with the county: this is African American genealogy from the register itself. Grayson County holds 11 of the 83, Brazoria County 8. 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 Watsons in Texas come from?

They reported Texas (13), North Carolina (8) and Tennessee (8) as their birthplaces most often. These are the answers the men themselves gave a board of registrars between 1867 and 1870.

Which Texas counties had the most freedmen named Watson?

Grayson County (11), Brazoria County (8), Caldwell County (5). In all, 83 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 Watson appears in the register in more than one form. About Enslaved Texas.

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83 freedmen named Watson in Texas, 1867 to 1870, page 2 of 2 | Enslaved Texas