Bath County (KY) Slaves, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870
Start Year : 1850
End Year : 1870
Bath County is located in the north-eastern part of Kentucky and is surrounded by five other counties. It was established in 1811 from part of Montgomery County, though white settlers had come to the area as early as 1775. Bath County was named for its medicinal springs. The county seat was Catlett's Flats, and was changed to Owingsville in 1811. In 1820, the population of Bath County was recorded as 1,132 in the U.S. Federal Census, and the population had grown to 9,747 in 1850, excluding the slaves. Below are the number of slave owners, slaves, and free Blacks and Mulattoes from 1850-1870.

1850 Slave Schedule

• 823 slave owners
• 3,216 Black slaves
• 567 Mulatto slaves
• 94 free Blacks
• 34 free Mulattoes

For more on slave births in Bath County during the 1850s, see the Bath County, KY Data Collection page at the Kentucky African American Griots website.

1860 Slave Schedule

• 441 slave owners
• 1,933 Black slaves
• 562 Mulatto Slaves
• 90 free Blacks
• 51 free Mulattoes

1870 U.S. Federal Census

• 1,438 Blacks
• 283 Mulattoes
• about 100 U.S. Colored Troops listed Bath County, KY, as their birth location

For more see the Bath County entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia edited by J. E. Kleber; and A History of Bath County, Kentucky by J. A. Richards.
Subjects: Slave Owners, Slaves, Free Blacks, Free Mulattoes in Kentucky, 1850-1870 [by county]
Geographic Region: Bath County, Kentucky