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Harrison County, Kentucky Black Heritage

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Black Heritage in Harrison County, Kentucky

Slaves accompanied early white explorers into the Kentucky area in the 1750s and 1760s, and they were among permanent residents in 1775 when Virginia began actively encouraging settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.[1] In 1776 Virginia officially created Kentucky as a county; just sixteen years later, Kentucky became a state in 1792. The area now known as Harrison County was part of Bourbon County, Kentucky at that time, but was established as Harrison County by the end of 1793. A timeline of important events and other general research information on Harrison County can be found on the Harrison County, Kentucky page.

Across the state, Kentucky slaves were primarily employed in agriculture, though they were also used in mining and manufacturing to some extent. Even today Harrison County is mainly rural, agricultural land, but in addition to farming, early 19th century county residents employed slave labor in road building, mill work, wool factories and various tradecrafts.

Agriculturally, Harrison County consisted primarily of relatively small family farms with very few large holdings. In 1810 for example, of 258 slave holders listed in the census (in a population of over 7700), 168 (about 65%) had 1-3 slaves. Only 25 (about 1%) had more than 10, and only 6 of these were over 20 with the highest being 31.

The population of free people of color in Harrison County grew from 19 in 1800 to 149 in 1860. The population of enslaved people increased from 406 (1800) to 3292 (1860). In 1870, approximately 2500 people were listed in the census as black or mulatto (see Harrison County statistics below).

Important Dates in Law and Policy

While there is little specific information to be found on the county level regarding governmental policy, statewide dates should be helpful for black heritage research. A list of laws pertaining to legal issues of ownership, which may assist in the search for documents have been compiled on the Slavery Laws in Kentucky page. Issues and data specific to Harrison County will be added here as they are found.

Research Notes on Kentucky Slave Laws

  • Harrison County itself does not appear to have ever had a large slave market. More than likely any sales for property issues (probate, taxes, etc.) would have taken place at the courthouse. Large slave markets existed in Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky (the primary market before importation of slaves for sale was banned in 1833) and Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky (the primary market after the ban on importation of slaves for sale was repealed in 1849).[2] The extent of these operations, their impact on Harrison County, and whether there are any surviving records is still under investigation.

Available Records in Harrison County

Harrison County Statistics

Work in Progress

Census Year Total Population Number of Slave-holding Households / Slave Owners Slave Population Free People of Color
18004350406 (9%)19 (< 1%)
18107752258 (3%)1105 (14%)9 (< 1%)
182012,2782127 (17%)90 (< 1%)
183013,2342788 (21%)104 (< 1%)
184012,472541 (4%)3122 (25%)86 (< 1%)
185013,067665 (5%)3341 (26%)147 (1%)
186013,779620 (4%)3292 (24%)149 (1%)
  • Some of the numbers in the table above are included in the enumerators' tally sheets on the census images; some are personal counts; some are found in multiple sources with slight variations. In any hand-count system (be it 1820 or 2020), errors are likely: these figures should be taken as approximations.
  • 'Harrison County (KY) Slaves, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1850-1870," Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, University of Kentucky (UK Libraries); accessed and archived 11 Jul 2022: https://web.archive.org/web/20220711103015/https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/2364


Pre-Civil War Emancipations

Work in Progress

Civil War Soldiers

New Page!

African American Communities in Harrison County

Cemeteries

Currently three African American Cemeteries have been located in Harrison County.[3] Research and development of information on these cemeteries and profiling of their interments is on-going.

Churches

  • St. James AME Church (Cynthiana, Kentucky)[4]
  • St. John and Mt. Nebo?

Traditional Neighborhoods

  • Baltzell (neighborhood in Cynthiana, Kentucky)?


Notables and Noteworthy Citizens

Upcoming Research and To-Do List

  • Current project: Reorganization and research of emancipations list
  • Need expanded military section/research.
    • About 97 U.S. Colored Troops listed Harrison County, KY, as their birth location in the 1870 census, per NKAA. Profile work on these individuals can be found at USCT Soldiers of Harrison County, Kentucky
    • Other Civil War veterans, specifically starting with the 117th US Colored Infantry
  • Continuing research into slave owners and general statistics
    • Defining "plantations" for the area based on relative acreage & number of slaves
  • Expanding research into free people of color in the census and free black slave owners
  • Lynchings (1?) [Have currently found multiple sources listing possible lynchings in HCKY: none agree. At this time it appears there may have been three in total: two European Americans and one African American. Needs further research.]
  • Possible AA one-name studies (Brown, Coleman, Johnson/Johnston, Robertson/Robinson, Smith, Williams)
  • Possible AA one-place studies: Baltzell? AA schools?
  • Notables
  • Slave Narratives from Harrison Countians?

Need Help?

If you are researching Black Heritage families in the Harrison County, Kentucky area, don't hesitate to reach out to the Harrison County, Kentucky Place Study for assistance. We will be glad to help you in any way we can.

You can also visit WikiTree's US Black Heritage Project page for contact links, research aids, and more information on WikiTree's comprehensive approach to assisting in genealogical research for Black Heritage families. Some specific pages that may be of help:

Sources

  1. ↑ Kleber, John E., editor-in-chief; and Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, James C. Klotter, associate editors. The Kentucky Encyclopedia, University Press of Kentucky (Lexington, KY) 1992; pp. 494, 826-9.
  2. ↑ "Slave Trade Between Kentucky and Southern States," Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed July 25, 2022, https://web.archive.org/web/20220725121953/https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/1690.
  3. ↑ Lee, Anne H., "Cemeteries of Harrison County, Kentucky," Harrison County, KYGenWeb, https://web.archive.org/web/20220725081138/http://usgenwebsites.org/KYHarrison/Cemeteries.htm accessed 25 Jul 2022.
  4. ↑ “St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church (Cynthiana, KY),” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed July 25, 2022, https://web.archive.org/web/20220725140308/https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/2067

Further Reading:



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Categories: Harrison County, Kentucky, Slavery