Butler County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870
Butler County is located in the western part of Kentucky, bordered by six Kentucky counties. It was formed in 1810 from portions of Logan and Ohio Counties and named for Richard Butler, a Revolutionary War veteran from Pennsylvania. The county seat is Morgantown.
There were 322 persons [heads of households] counted in the 1810 U.S. Federal Census for Butler County; the population had increased to 7,117 by the year 1860, excluding the enslaved. Below are the numbers for the slave holders, enslaved, and free Blacks and Mulattoes from 1850-1870.
1850 Slave Schedule
- 177 slave owners
- 574 Black slaves
- 107 Mulatto slaves
- 14 free Blacks
- 4 free Mulattoes
1860 Slave Schedule
- 213 slave owners
- 560 Black slaves
- 212 Mulatto slaves
- 25 free Blacks
- 0 free Mulattoes
1870 U.S. Federal Census
- 622 Blacks
- 16 Mulattoes
- About 18 U.S. Colored Troops listed Butler County, KY as their birth location.
For more see the Butler County entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by J. E. Kleber; Butler County, Kentucky, by L. Russ; and African-American life in Butler County, Kentucky, by R. G. Givens. See the "U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865" and other military service records in Ancestry for names and additonal information.