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VOTER REGISTRATION LIST - 1867 Grayson County
This
list contains the names of men who registered to vote in Grayson Co.,
Texas during the Reconstruction era. The Reconstruction Acts of 1867
(four statutes)
required former Confederate states to ratify the 14th Amendment, draft
new state
constitutions, and register voters, both black and white, to vote in
state constitutional conventions. Each of the states that had
seceded from the Union had to complete the requirements before being
re-admitted to the Union. Texas was readmitted to the Union
in
1870 after ratifying the 14th and 15th Amendments.
The second act dated March 23, 1867 concerned the registration of qualified voters who had taken the Oath of Allegiance to the United States. In order to vote, men had to swear an oath of allegiance to the United States; some were disqualified for their participation in Confederate government posts. The men had to be age 21 and over in order to register to vote in Texas between 1867 and 1869. This would be the first time many of these men would be given the vote, and the records are of particular importance to African American research because they include the names of former slaves who now had the right to vote. The list of registered voters includes: Name Residence Length of Residence in Texas Length of Residence in Grayson Co Length of Residence in their voting precinct in Grayson Co Nativity Naturalization Status Race Signature or "X" his mark The first person to register to vote in Grayson County, Texas did so on July 13, 1867. A total of 1,621 men registered to vote with the last being on November 26, 1869. A key element of the Acts included the creation of five military districts in the South. The certification statement below, shows that Texas (along with Louisiana) constituted the 5th Military District, which had its headquarters at Austin, Texas. Headquarters Fifth Military District Office Secretary for Civil Affairs Austin Texas 16 April 1870 I certify that the foregoing is a correct transcript from the List of Registered Voters Grayson Co , Tx on file in this office Chas Eeliorse Captain USA A D C Secretary for Civil Affairs Names were transcribed as written in the original. Check the various spellings of surnames.  Vital Records Elaine Nall Bay ©2015 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |
