Allen County (KY) Slaves, Free Blacks, and Free Mullattoes, 1850-1920
Start Year : 1850
End Year : 1920
Allen County is located in south-central Kentucky, and was formed in 1815 from parts of Barren and Warren Counties. The county is named for Colonel John Allen, and the county seat, Scottsville, is named for Kentucky Governor Charles Scott. Allen County is one of the Kentucky locations to experience oil booms: 1850, 1890, and 1915-1920. Below is the number of slaves and free African Americans in the U.S. Federal Census for Allen County for the period during the oil booms.

1850 Slave Schedule

• 179 slave owners
• 795 Black slaves
• 102 Mulatto slaves
• 25 free Blacks
• 18 free Mulattoes

1860 Slave Schedule

• 314 slave owners
• 1,246 Black slaves
• 283 Mulatto slaves
• 27 free Blacks
• 10 free Mulattoes

Available online are the Allen County slave births, 1852-1861, provided by Sharon Tabor. The listing includes the names of a few free born Blacks also. More names of free Blacks in Allen County can be found online at the Kentucky African American Griots website, in addition to other historical information about African Americans in Allen County.

1870 U.S. Federal Census

• 806 Blacks
• 199 Mulattoes
• 44 U.S. Colored Troops said they were born in Allen County, KY

1880 U.S. Federal Census

• 718 Blacks
• 175 Mulattoes

1900 U.S. Federal Census

• 1,100 Blacks
• 3 Mulattoes

1920 U.S. Federal Census

• 634 Blacks
• 143 Mulattoes

For more see A History of Scottsville and Allen County by H. H. Patton; see the "Allen County" entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia edited by J. E. Kleber. For more on the oil fields in Kentucky see "Oil and Gas History of Kentucky: 1860-1900" at the University of Kentucky Geological Survey website by Brandon C. Nuttall.
Subjects: Slave Owners, Slaves, Free Blacks, Free Mulattoes in Kentucky, 1850-1870 [by county]
Geographic Region: Allen County, Kentucky