Anderson County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870
Anderson County is located in central Kentucky within the Bluegrass Region, bound by seven other counties. Slaves arrived with the first settlers in the 1770s. Lawrenceburg, the county seat, was incorporated as Lawrence in 1820. Anderson County was established in 1827. There were 573 persons [heads of households] counted in the county in the 1830 U.S. Federal Census, excluding the slaves. By 1870, there were 5,500 persons counted in the census. Below are the number of slave owners, slaves, free Blacks, and free Mulattoes in Anderson County between 1850 and 1870.
1850 Slave Schedule
- 307 slave owners
- 1,021 Black slaves
- 259 Mulatto slaves
- 19 free Blacks
- 11 free Mulattoes
1860 Slave Schedule
- 285 slave owners
- 1,211 Black slaves
- 146 Mulatto slaves
- 10 free Blacks
- 4 free Mulattoes
1870 U.S. Federal Census
- 646 Blacks
- 67 Mulattoes
- About 93 U.S. Colored Troops listed Anderson County, KY, as their birth location.
For more see "Anderson County" in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by J. E. Kleber; and History and Families Anderson County, Kentucky, by Turner Publishing Co.