From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)
McLean County (KY) Enslaved, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1860-1880
McLean County, located in western Kentucky, was formed in 1854 from portions of Daviess, Muhlenberg, and Ohio Counties and bordered by other six counties. It was named for Alney McLean, a veteran of the War of 1812 who was born in North Carolina and served as a Kentucky Representative and in the U.S. Congress.The county seat, Calhoun, was sometimes spelled Calhoon. The town was initially called Rhoadsville, after Henry Rhoads, who helped plot the town in 1785. The name was later changed to Fort Vienna in 1787, then named Calhoun in 1849 in honor of Congressman John Calhoun.
The county population was 5,255 in 1860, according to the U.S. Federal Census; it increased to 9,304 by 1880, excluding the enslaved. Below are the number of slave holders, enslaved, free Blacks, and free Mulattoes for 1860-1880.
1860 Slave Schedule
- 289 slave owners
- 733 Black slaves
- 178 Mulatto slaves
- 1 free Black [John H. Gloster]
- 1 free Colored [Nancy Moodie]
- 20 free Mulattoes
- 692 Blacks
- 193 Mulattoes
- About 14 U.S. Colored Troops listed McLean County, KY as their birth location.
- 705 Blacks
- 1 Mulatto [Lou Pruitt]