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

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

Greenup County, located on the northeastern border of Kentucky, was formed in 1803 from a portion of Mason County. It is bordered by the Ohio River and three Kentucky counties. Both the county and the county seat are named Greenup, named for Kentucky Governor Christopher Greenup from Virginia, who was also a veteran of the Revolutionary War. The county seat was incorporated as Greenupsburg in 1818; the name was changed to Greenup in 1872. The county population was 316 [heads of households] in the 1810 U.S. Federal Census, and it grew to 8,325 by 1860, excluding the enslaved. Below are the numbers for the slave holders, slaves, free Blacks, and free Mulattoes for 1850-1870.

1850 Slave Schedule
  • 135 slave owners
  • 443 Black slaves
  • 163 Mulatto slaves
  • 44 free Blacks
  • 0 free Mulattoes
1860 Slave Schedule
  • 89 slave owners
  • 248 Black slaves
  • 114 Mulatto slaves
  • 34 free Blacks
  • 13 free Mulattoes
1870 U.S. Federal Census
  • 317 Blacks
  • 144 Mulattoes
  • About 2 U.S. Colored soldiers listed Greenup County, KY, as their birth location.
For more see the Greenup County entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by J. E. Kleber; History of Greenup County, Kentucky, by N. M. Biggs and N. L. Mackoy; and Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, December 1834, Chapter 736, p. 185, concerning the county levy on all enslaved  in Greenup County, KY [available online at Google Books].

Kentucky County & Region

Read about Greenup County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Kentucky Place (Town or City)

Read about Greenupsburg, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Read about Greenup, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Item Relations

Cited in this Entry

NKAA Source: The Kentucky encyclopedia
NKAA Source: History of Greenup County, Kentucky

Related Entries Citing this Entry

NKAA Entry: Allen, James A.

Cite This NKAA Entry:

“Greenup County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed September 30, 2023, https://ukscrc001.net/nkaa/items/show/2357.

Last modified: 2023-07-26 18:05:23