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

Jackson County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1860-1880

Jackson County, located in southeastern Kentucky, was established in 1858 from portions of Clay, Estill, Laurel, Madison, Owsley, and Rockcastle Counties. It was named for former President Andrew Jackson. The county seat is McKee, also established in 1858 and thought to be named for George R. McKee, a county judge and Kentucky House Member. The county population was 3,080 in 1860, excluding the enslaved. Below are the number of slave owners, enslaved, free Blacks, and free Mulattoes for 1860-1880.

1860 Slave Schedule
  • 3 slave owners [Perlina Attick, Duttan S. Jones, and William Spurlin]
  • 6 Black slaves
  • 1 Mulatto slave
  • 1 free Black [Anderson Arthur]
  • 20 free Mulattoes [most with last names Griffin and Cotton]
1870 U.S. Federal Census
  • 13 Blacks [most with last names Blyth, 2 Cornelison, 2 Treble]
  • 13 Mulattoes [all with last names of Griffin or Cotton]
  • About 7 U.S. Colored Troops listed Jackson County, KY as their birth location.
1880 U.S. Federal Census
  • 9 Blacks [all with last names of Jackson or Million]
  • 33 Mulattoes
For more see the Jackson County entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by J. E. Kleber; History of Jackson County, Kentucky (to about 1918), by I. A. Bowles; and A Portrait of Jackson County, Kentucky, 1858-2008, by the Jackson County Development Association. 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 Jackson County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Kentucky Place (Town or City)

Read about McKee, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Item Relations

Cited in this Entry

NKAA Source: The Kentucky encyclopedia
NKAA Source: History of Jackson County, Kentucky (to about 1918)
NKAA Source: A Portrait of Jackson County, Kentucky, 1858-2008
NKAA Source: Ancestry (online)

Related Entries Citing this Entry

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Cite This NKAA Entry:

“Jackson County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1860-1880,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed October 11, 2026, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/2373.

Last modified: 2024-06-20 19:19:09