Wills · Texas · 1867 voter registration

Wills in the 1867 Texas voter registration: 9 freedmen

9 freedmen named Wills registered to vote in Texas between 1867 and 1870. Most registered in Harrison County (2), Walker County (2) and DeWitt County (1). The birthplaces they reported most often were Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. The earliest of them reached Texas about 1851.

Map of Texas counties in 1870 with the counties where the Willses registered highlighted
Counties where freedmen named Wills registered, on the 1870 county map
9
Freedmen
7
Counties
Georgia
Largest birthplace
1851
Earliest arrival
1850s
Fullest decade

Where the Willses registered

Texas counties where the Willses registered
CountyFreedmen%
Harrison County222%
Walker County222%
DeWitt County111%
Galveston County111%
Goliad County111%
Madison County111%
McLennan County111%

Where the Willses were born

Birthplaces the Willses reported
BirthplaceFreedmen%
Georgia240%
Louisiana120%
Mississippi120%
Virginia120%

When the Willses reached Texas

Reported arrival decades for the Willses
DecadeFreedmen
1850s
5
1860s
4

Variations of Wills

Every Wills in the register

The Willses in the register, 1 to 9 of 9
NameCountyBirthplaceReached Texas
Caleb WillsHarrison CountyGeorgia1851
Edmon WillsWalker CountyLouisiana1864
Elijah WillsHarrison CountyGeorgia1852
Godfrey WillsWalker CountyVirginia1864
Isaac WillsMcLennan County1866
Jacob WillsMadison CountyMississippi1852
Jesse WillsGoliad County1854
Joseph WillsDeWitt County1853
Louis WillsGalveston County1864

Wills genealogy in Texas

How do I find an ancestor named Wills in Texas?

Start with the county: this is African American genealogy from the register itself. Harrison County holds 2 of the 9, Walker County 2. 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 look under Willson as well.

Where did the Willses in Texas come from?

They reported Georgia (2), Louisiana (1) and Mississippi (1) 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 Wills?

Harrison County (2), Walker County (2), DeWitt County (1). In all, 9 registered across 7 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 Wills appears in the register in more than one form. About Enslaved Texas.

Texas genealogy: keep looking

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