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

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

Green County, located in south-central Kentucky and  bordered by five Kentucky counties, was formed in 1792 from portions of Lincoln and Nelson Counties. Green County was named for Nathanael Greene, a major general of the American Revolutionary War. The county center was named Glover's Station in 1780; once the county name became Green, the county seat was named Greensburg.

The 1800 Green County population was 6,096, according to the Second Census of Kentucky: 5,257 whites, 836 enslaved, and three free coloreds. In 1830 there was one free African American slave holder in the county. The county population increased to 6,353 by 1860, according to the U.S. Federal Census, excluding the enslaved. Below are the numbers for the slave holders, enslaved, free Blacks, and free Mulattoes for 1850-1870.

1850 Slave Schedule
  • 430 slave owners
  • 2,504 Black slaves
  • 105 Mulatto slaves
  • 96 free Blacks
  • 2 free Mulattoes [Rilda Cox and Mark Mathews]
1860 Slave Schedule
  • 361 slave owners
  • 2,052 Black slaves
  • 317 Mulatto slaves
  • 94 free Blacks
  • 18 free Mulattoes
1870 U.S. Federal Census
  • 1,551 Blacks
  • 382 Mulattoes
  • About 112 U.S. Colored Troops listed Green County, KY as their birth location.
For more see the Green County entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by J. E. Kleber; A History of Green County, Kentucky, 1793-1993, by K. P. Evans; and Green County Black Records, by M. Bishop. 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 Green County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Kentucky Place (Town or City)

Read about Glover's Station, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Read about Greensburg, 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: A History of Green County, Kentucky, 1793-1993
NKAA Source: Green County Black records : Green County, Kentucky
NKAA Source: Ancestry (online)

Related Entries Citing this Entry

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Cite This NKAA Entry:

“Green 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/2356.

Last modified: 2024-06-20 23:34:29