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

Allen County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1920

Allen County, located in south-central Kentucky, was formed in 1815 from parts of Barren and Warren Counties. The county is named for Colonel John Allen; the county seat, Scottsville, is named for Kentucky Governor Charles Scott.

Allen County is one of the Kentucky locations that experienced oil booms, in 1850, 1890, and 1915-1920. Below is the number of slave owners, slaves, free Blacks and free Mulattoes listed in the U.S. Federal Census for Allen County for the period during the oil booms.

1850 Slave Schedule
  • 179 slave owners
  • 795 Black slaves
  • 102 Mulatto slaves
  • 25 free Blacks
  • 18 free Mulattoes
1860 Slave Schedule
  • 314 slave owners
  • 1,246 Black slaves
  • 283 Mulatto slaves
  • 27 free Blacks
  • 10 free Mulattoes
Available online are the Allen County slave births, 1852-1861, provided by Sharon Tabor. The listing also includes the names of a few free-born Blacks.

1870 Federal Census
  • 806 Blacks
  • 199 Mulattoes
  • About 44 U.S. Colored Troops listed Allen County, KY, as their birth location.
1880 U.S. Federal Census
  • 718 Blacks
  • 175 Mulattoes
1900 U.S. Federal Census
  • 1,100 Blacks
  • 3 Mulattoes
1920 U.S. Federal Census
  • 634 Blacks
  • 143 Mulattoes
  • There were about 110 draft registration cards by Blacks and one Colored in Allen County, KY.
For more see A History of Scottsville and Allen County, by H. H. Patton; the "Allen County" entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by J. E. Kleber; and Till Freedom Came: Slaves in Allen County, 1815-1866, by G. Conner. For more on the oil fields in Kentucky, see Brandon C. Nuttall, "Oil and Gas History of Kentucky: 1860-1900" at the University of Kentucky Geological Survey website.

Kentucky County & Region

Read about Allen County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Kentucky Place (Town or City)

Read about Scottsville, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Item Relations

Cited in this Entry

NKAA Source: A history of Scottsville and Allen County
NKAA Source: The Kentucky encyclopedia
NKAA Source: Till freedom came : slaves in Allen County, 1815-1866

Cite This NKAA Entry:

“Allen County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1920,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed June 3, 2023, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/2272.

Last modified: 2023-01-10 21:17:00