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AFRICAN AMERICAN RESEARCH
 Grayson County was one of the earlier settled counties in North
Texas. Its early population was made up of stock raisers, farmers and freighters
who brought supplies in to the early settlers. Up along the Red River there were
plantations. There were several of these of various sizes. These homes were not
the often-pictured fine plantation homes but usually were two story cabins,
later plank wood. The most ostentatious was "Glen Eden", which was located near
where Preston Point is today. Pottsboro was named for the Potts family who had
an early plantation in the same area. Many African-American families have the
surname of Potts in their family tree. Fannin County also had many plantations
and the early African-American families of Grayson County often can trace their
roots to these families.
By the 1870's Denison, Sherman, Van Alstyne, Whitesboro and Whitewright all had areas of town set aside for "negro' neighborhoods". These show up sometimes in the town plats. The Plat Book is online. Often this included a business street or two containing African-American owned businesses, banks and even hospitals. These would grow and prosper until the horrible conditions of the 1920s and 1930s, when riots and KKK activity were at their height. These business districts broke up and the economy of them was ruined. The golden age of railroading and commerce with factories, though, had been built up fast after the 1880s, and the railroads were in full use. This pulled more population into Grayson County and all of the railroad towns expanded greatly. Many African-American citizens moved away from the farm at this time, seeking an easier life. Besides the doctors, lawyers, dentists and bankers who held high positions in the African-American communities, the position of railroad conductor was held in high esteem. There were lots of railroad jobs of all kinds, making the cities a popular place to move for the able bodied. Whole neighborhoods of upper middle class rose up for the first time where formerly only a few African-American families were considered middle class. These were the undertakers, grocers, oculist, dry goods, feed stores, clothing stores and restaurant owners. This area was growing and was a vital port into the state of Texas. While doing your family research, if you find your ancestor disappearing from the area for a time, check the Indian Territory where many young adults went to share crop for a while and make money. Also for those who settled in Indian Territory for good, their older generations may disappear and appear in Indian Territory in their homes after they retire. Check the online city and county directories to track people from year to year. Please contribute your family story to this website. African American Masons ~ Sherman, 1874 Biography Index Buffalo Soldiers Celebrations Cemeteries & Mortuaries Churches Deaths Distribution of Slaves in 1860 Legacy Park Martin Luther King, Jr. Park Mosaic Templars of America News Polar Star Lodge #33 ~ Masons Reading List Schools Slave research Slave Schedules Voters Registration List, 1867  African American Alumni Association Denison, Texas  African American Genealogy African American Heritage at the National Archives AfriGeneas Facebook: AfriGeneas Freedman's Bureau Handbook of African American Texas History of Juneteenth Map of Africa, 1885 National African American Alumni Association Denison, Texas North American Slave Narratives Northeast Records Slavery Index Sherman Riot of 1930 Texas, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865 - 1870 U.S. African American Griots: Telling Our Story Through History & Genealogical Data Ethnic Research Questions? Broken Links?  Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message.  |