Floyd County, Kentucky
Since its establishment in 1800, Floyd County had a Black population present. The earliest United States Census for the area was conducted in 1810 & there were no Free People of Color counted in that 1st enumeration, but 103 enslaved people were recorded. Those early slave holding surnames included Adams, Damron, Justice, Meade, Morgan, Osborne, Polly, Preston and Spurlock among others.​
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The next 55 years would see an increase of enslaved laborers as well as Free Families of Color in the County. 1850 would see the largest Black percentage of the overall population at 3.7% (211 individuals).
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1820:
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1830:
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1840:
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1850:
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1860:
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The 1860 Census included the names of enslaved individuals, which is a rare occurrence in record keeping at that time. One of Three Census takers for the area, Thomas R. Worsham, former school teacher & soon-to-be confederate officer, included the names of enslaved individuals in their slaveholder's household. Because of this, nearly 50% of the 147 enslaved people in the county were listed by name. You can access those records here:
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The introduction of a coal-based economy to the County would help to usher in workers from all over the United States, Black families included. Those numbers would peak in 1940, but the percentage of overall population would never exceed 2.0%. as detailed below:
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1920: 428 (1.6%)
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1930: 857 (2.0%)
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1940: 981 (1.9%)
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1950: 626 (1.2%)
Tram
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Integration In Floyd Works in Reverse, The Courier Journal, 1955
Wayland & The Lynching of Fred Shannon
On May 24th, 2025 The Eastern Kentucky Community Remembrance Project gathered for a Day of Service and the dedication of a marker recognizing Fred Shannon — a man who was abducted and murdered extra-judicially in the streets of Wayland, Kentucky in 1924.The marker was installed outside of the historic jail in which Mr. Shannon was held before the murder.
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The Wayland, Kentucky community had a vibrant Black community before & after the tragedy of 1924. A part of the work of The Eastern Kentucky Community Remembrance Project, is the compilation of biographical information for & continued clean-up of Spencer Martin Cemetery, an African American burial ground. View that work here.
Wheelwright
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