Green County (KY) Slaves, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870

Green County, located in south-central Kentucky, is bordered by five counties and was formed in 1792 from portions of Lincoln and Nelson Counties. The county was named for Nathanael Greene, a major general of the American Revolutionary War. The county center was named Glover's Station in 1780, and once the county name became Green, the county seat was named Greensburg. The 1800 Green County population was 6,096, according to the Second Census of Kentucky: 5,257 whites, 836 slaves, and 3 free coloreds. In 1830 there was one free African American slave owner in Green County. The county population increased to 6,353 by 1860, according to the U.S. Federal Census, and excluding the slaves. Below are the numbers for the slave owners, slaves, free Blacks, and free Mulattoes for 1850-1870.

1850 Slave Schedule

• 430 slave owners
• 2,504 Black slaves
• 105 Mulatto slaves
• 96 free Blacks
• 2 free Mulattoes [Rilda Cox and Mark Mathews]

1860 Slave Schedule

• 361 slave owners
• 2,052 Black slaves
• 317 Mulatto slaves
• 94 free Blacks
• 18 free Mulattoes

1870 U.S. Federal Census

• 1,551 Blacks
• 382 Mulattoes
• About 95 U.S. Colored Troops listed Green County, KY, as their birth location.

For more see the Green County entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia edited by J. E. Kleber; A History of Green County, Kentucky, 1793-1993 by K. P. Evans; and Green County Black Records by M. Bishop.

References

Cited in this Entry

NKAA Entry:

African American Slave Owners in Kentucky

NKAA Source:

"Second census" of Kentucky, 1800; a privately compiled and published enumeration of tax payers appearing in the 79 manuscript volumes extant of tax lists of the 42 counties of Kentucky in existence in 1800

NKAA Source:

The Kentucky encyclopedia

NKAA Source:

A History of Green County, Kentucky, 1793-1993

NKAA Source:

Green County Black records : Green County, Kentucky