Willson · Texas · 1867 voter registration

Willson in the 1867 Texas voter registration: 12 freedmen

12 freedmen named Willson registered to vote in Texas between 1867 and 1870. Most registered in Cherokee County (4), Shelby County (2) and Bexar County (1). The birthplaces they reported most often were Alabama, Virginia and Mississippi. The earliest of them reached Texas about 1841.

Map of Texas counties in 1870 with the counties where the Willsons registered highlighted
Counties where freedmen named Willson registered, on the 1870 county map
12
Freedmen
8
Counties
Alabama
Largest birthplace
1841
Earliest arrival
1860s
Fullest decade

Where the Willsons registered

Texas counties where the Willsons registered
CountyFreedmen%
Cherokee County433%
Shelby County217%
Bexar County18%
Brazos County18%
Burleson County18%
Dallas County18%
Falls County18%
Walker County18%

Where the Willsons were born

Birthplaces the Willsons reported
BirthplaceFreedmen%
Alabama444%
Virginia333%
Mississippi111%
Missouri111%

When the Willsons reached Texas

Reported arrival decades for the Willsons
DecadeFreedmen
1840s
1
1850s
1
1860s
9

Variations of Willson

Every Willson in the register

The Willsons in the register, 1 to 12 of 12
NameCountyBirthplaceReached Texas
Bird WillsonBexar CountyMissouri1858
Carton WillsonCherokee CountyVirginia1866
Charles WillsonWalker CountyAlabama
David WillsonShelby CountyVirginia1864
Ennis WillsonBrazos County1864
Henry WillsonShelby CountyAlabama1861
Howard WillsonCherokee CountyAlabama1866
M. WillsonBurleson County1841
Noah WillsonCherokee CountyVirginia1866
Robbert WillsonCherokee CountyAlabama1866
Upton WillsonDallas CountyMississippi1862
William WillsonFalls County

Willson genealogy in Texas

How do I find an ancestor named Willson in Texas?

Start with the county: this is African American genealogy from the register itself. Cherokee County holds 4 of the 12, Shelby 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 Wilson and Wills as well.

Where did the Willsons in Texas come from?

They reported Alabama (4), Virginia (3) 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 Willson?

Cherokee County (4), Shelby County (2), Bexar County (1). In all, 12 registered across 8 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 Willson appears in the register in more than one form. About Enslaved Texas.

Texas genealogy: keep looking

All surnamesAll countiesBrowse by birthplaceSearch Willson by first name