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

Crittenden County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870

Crittenden County, located in southwest Kentucky, is named for Kentucky Governor John Jordon Crittenden, who resigned before his term as governor was completed. The county was established April 1, 1842. It is bordered by the Ohio River and five Kentucky counties.

The county seat is Marion, named for Francis Marion, a Revolutionary War veteran from South Carolina. In the 1850 U.S. Federal Census, 5,604 person were counted in the county, increasing to 7,817 by 1860, excluding the slaved.

Below are the figures for the slave holders, enslaved, free Blacks, and free Mulattoes for 1850-1870.

1850 Slave Schedule
  • 190 slave owners
  • 720 Black slaves
  • 116 Mulatto slaves
  • 14 free Blacks
  • 15 free Mulattoes
1860 Slave Schedule
  • 226 slave owners
  • 702 Black slaves
  • 234 Mulatto slaves
  • 9 free Blacks [most with last name Yeaky]
  • 11 free Mulattoes [most with the last name of Going or Thralkeld]
1870 U.S. Federal Census
  • 619 Blacks
  • 161 Mulattoes
  • About 70 U.S. Colored Troops listed Crittenden County, KY as their birth location.
For more see the entry for Crittenden County in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by J. E. Kleber; Crittenden County, Kentucky: volume 1, by T. Tucker; and Crittenden County, Kentucky History and Biographies, by L. Collins and W. H. Perrin. See the "U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1863-1865" and other military service records in Ancestry for names and additonal information.

Kentucky County & Region

Read about Crittenden County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Kentucky Place (Town or City)

Read about Marion, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Item Relations

Cited in this Entry

NKAA Source: The Kentucky encyclopedia
NKAA Source: Crittenden County, Kentucky : Volume I
NKAA Source: Crittenden County, Kentucky history and biographies
NKAA Source: Ancestry (online)

Related Entries Citing this Entry

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Cite This NKAA Entry:

“Crittenden County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed September 16, 2024, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/2323.

Last modified: 2024-06-20 18:39:11