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

Oldham County is located along the Ohio River and is bordered by four Kentucky counties. It was formed in 1823 from portions of Henry, Jefferson and Shelby Counties, and named for William Oldham who fought in the American Revolutionary War. The original county seat was West Port, and in 1827 was moved to the new town of LaGrange [also spelled La Grange], which was named for the French estate of the Marquis de Lafayette. In 1828, the Kentucky General Assembly moved the county seat back to West Port, and ten years later, the county seat was moved permanently to La Grange. The 1830 county population was 1,127 [heads of households], according to the U.S. Federal Census, and the population increased to 4,852 by 1860, excluding the slaves. Below are the number of slave owners, slaves, free Blacks, and free Mulattoes for 1850-1870.

1850 Slave Schedule

• 468 slave owners
• 2,118 Black slaves
• 306 Mulatto slaves
• 36 free Blacks
• 14 free Mulattoes

1860 Slave Schedule

• 369 slave owners
• 2,031 Black slaves
• 319 Mulattoes
• 35 free Blacks
• 2 free Mulattoes [James Newman and Liter Poetch]

1870 U.S. Federal Census

• 2,224 Blacks
• 569 Mulattoes
• About 44 U.S. Colored Troops listed Oldham County, KY, as their birth location.

For more see the Oldham County entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia edited by J. E. Kleber; A Survey of African-American Cemeteries, Oldham County, Kentucky, 2004 by the Oldham County Historical Society; and History & Families Oldham County, Ky by the Turner Publishing Company.

References

Cited in this Entry

NKAA Source:

The Kentucky encyclopedia

NKAA Source:

A Survey of African-American cemeteries, Oldham County, Kentucky, 2004

NKAA Source:

History & families Oldham County, Kentucky : the first century, 1824-1924