From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)

Casey County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870

Casey County was created from Lincoln County in 1806, named for William Casey, the great-grandfather of Samuel Clemens [Mark Twain]. William Casey, from Virginia, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Casey County is surrounded by seven Kentucky counties; Liberty is the county seat.

Prior to the development of Casey County, the land had been given to war veterans as payment for their military services. President Abraham Lincoln's grandfather was one of the settlers in the area around 1780.

There were 514 persons [heads of households] counted in the 1810 Census, and the population had increased to 5,800 by 1860, excluding enslaved people. Below are the numbers for the slave holders, enslaved, and free Blacks and Mulattoes for 1850-1870.

1850 Slave Schedule
  • 121 slave owners
  • 598 Black slaves
  • 37 Mulatto slaves
  • 24 free Blacks
  • 35 free Mulattoes
1860 Slave Schedule
  • 110 slave owners
  • 582 Black slaves
  • 84 Mulatto slaves
  • 24 free Blacks
  • 33 free Mulattoes
1870 U.S. Federal Census
  • 507 Blacks
  • 34 Mulattoes
  • About 31 U.S. Colored Troops listed Casey County, Kentucky as their birth location.
For more see The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by J. E. Kleber; Searching for Jim, by T. Dempsey; Casey County, Kentucky, 1806-1977, by G. C. Thomas; Free African Americans in Casey County During the Era of the Underground Railroad, by D. Y. Wilkinson; and search the kykinfolk page for census records on the enslaved and military records on U.S. Colored Troops pertaining to Casey County.

Kentucky County & Region

Read about Casey County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Kentucky Place (Town or City)

Read about Liberty, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Item Relations

Cited in this Entry

NKAA Source: The Kentucky encyclopedia
NKAA Source: Searching for Jim : slavery in Sam Clemens's world
NKAA Source: Casey County, Kentucky, 1806-1977 : a folk history, including communities and cemeteries
NKAA Source: Free African Americans in Casey County during the era of the Underground Railroad
NKAA Entry: Wilkinson, Doris Yvonne

Related Entries Citing this Entry

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Cite This NKAA Entry:

“Casey County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed September 29, 2023, https://ukscrc001.net/nkaa/items/show/2306.

Last modified: 2023-08-21 15:57:40