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

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

Lawrence County, established in 1821 from portions of Greenup and Floyd Counties, is located in eastern Kentucky, bordered by the state of West Virginia and six Kentucky counties. The county is named for James Lawrence, who was born in New Jersey and was a U.S. naval officer: He commanded the USS Chesapeake during the War of 1812.

The county seat of Lawrence County was named Louisa in 1822. The exact origin of the name is not known. The 1830 county population was 618 [heads of households], according to the U.S. Federal Census, and it increased to 7,453 in 1860, excluding the slaves. Below are the number of slave owners, slaves, free Blacks, and free Mulattoes for 1850-1870.

1850 Slave Schedule
  • 41 slave owners
  • 105 Black slaves
  • 32 Mulatto slaves
  • 1 free Black [Alim Shaw, born in SC]
  • 1 free Mulatto [George Fugett]
1860 Slave Schedule
  • 38 slave owners
  • 101 Black slaves
  • 45 Mulatto slaves
  • 0 free Blacks
  • 0 free Mulattoes
1870 U.S. Federal Census
  • 100 Blacks
  • 22 Mulattoes
  • About 10 U.S. Colored Soldiers listed Lawrence County, KY, as their birth location.
For more see the Lawrence County entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by J. E. Kleber; History of Lawrence County, Kentucky, by R. Tackett, et al.; and Collin's Historical Sketches of Kentucky, v. 2, by L. Collins and R. H. Collins.

Kentucky County & Region

Read about Lawrence County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Kentucky Place (Town or City)

Read about Louisa, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

References

Cited in this Entry

NKAA Source: The Kentucky encyclopedia
NKAA Source: History of Lawrence County, Kentucky
NKAA Source: Collins' historical sketches of Kentucky : history of Kentucky

Cite This NKAA Entry:

“Lawrence County (KY) Slaves, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed November 26, 2020, https://ukscrc001.net/nkaa/items/show/2417.

Last modified: 2020-06-12 17:40:16