Woodford County (KY) Slaves, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870
Start Year : 1850
End Year : 1870
Woodford County was the ninth and last Kentucky county that was organized by the Virginia Legislature. The county was created from Fayette County in 1788, and is surrounded by six counties. It was named for William Woodford, an American Revolutionary War general who died after being captured by the British. The seat of Woodford County is Versailles, established in 1792, and named for Versailles, France. The total county population for the year 1800 was 6,624: 4,502 whites, 2,107 slaves, and 15 free coloreds, according to the Second Census of Kentucky. There were 13 African American slave owners in Woodford County in 1830. The 1860 county population was 5,391, according to the U.S. Federal Census, and excluding the slaves. Below are the number of slave owners, slaves, free Blacks, and free Mulattoes for 1850-1870.

1850 Slave Schedule

• 808 slave owners
• 5,767 Black slaves
• 607 Mulatto slaves
• 143 free Blacks
• 22 free Mulattoes

1860 Slave Schedule

• 704 slave owners
• 4,681 Black slaves
• 1,150 Mulatto slaves
• 81 free Blacks
• 33 free Mulattoes

1870 U.S. Federal Census

• 3,337 Blacks
• 450 Mulattoes
• About 436 U.S. Colored Troops listed Woodford County, KY, as their birth location.

For more see the Woodford County entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia edited by J. E. Kleber; Woodford County, Ky. Colored Marriages by D. A. Wilson; Proclamation Orders by Governor E. P. Morrow; All I See Is What I Know by Z. Webb (video); Funeral Home Records, Mack Brown Funeral Home; and History of Woodford County, Kentucky by W. E. Railey.
Subjects: Slave Owners, Slaves, Free Blacks, Free Mulattoes in Kentucky, 1850-1870 [by county N-Z]
Geographic Region: Woodford County, Kentucky