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

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

Fleming County, located in northeastern Kentucky, was formed in 1798 from a portion of Mason County. It is bordered by four Kentucky counties along the Licking River.

The county was named for John Fleming, an early settler who secured land in Kentucky via the Virginia Land Act. Flemingsburg, the county seat, was founded in 1796.

The county population was 5,016, according to the 1800 Second Census of Kentucky: 4,752 whites, 254 enslaved, and 10 free coloreds. In 1830 there was one free African American slave owner in Fleming County. The population increased to 10,471 by 1860, according to the U. S. Federal Census, excluding the enslaved. Below are the numbers for the slave owners, enslaved, free Blacks, and free Mulattoes for 1850-1870.

1850 Slave Schedule
  • 530 slave owners
  • 1,812 Black slaves
  • 325 Mulatto slaves
  • 115 free Blacks
  • 44 free Mulattoes
1860 Slave Schedule
  • 609 slave owners
  • 1,412 Black slaves
  • 668 Mulatto slaves
  • 73 free Blacks
  • 40 free Mulattoes
1870 U.S. Federal Census
  • 1,067 Blacks
  • 477 Mulattoes
  • About 131 U.S. Colored Troops listed Fleming County, KY as their birth location.
For more see the Fleming County entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by J. E. Kleber; Blacks Living in Fleming County, Ky.: federal census 1880, and Blacks Living in Fleming County, Kentucky: federal census 1900, both by E. R. H. Grady. 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 Fleming County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Kentucky Place (Town or City)

Read about Flemingsburg, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Item Relations

Cited in this Entry

NKAA Source: "Second census" of Kentucky, 1800; a privately compiled and published enumeration of tax payers appearing in the 79 manuscript volumes extant of tax lists of the 42 counties of Kentucky in existence in 1800
NKAA Entry: African American Owners of Enslaved Persons in Kentucky
NKAA Source: The Kentucky encyclopedia
NKAA Source: Blacks living in Fleming County, Ky. : federal census, 1880
NKAA Source: Blacks living in Fleming County, Kentucky : federal census, 1900
NKAA Source: Ancestry (online)

Related Entries Citing this Entry

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Cite This NKAA Entry:

“Fleming County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed July 27, 2024, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/2337.

Last modified: 2024-06-20 19:09:38