Overview/Summary
After the Civil War and the emancipation of slaves, African Americans began obtaining property oftentimes in the area in which they had worked and lived. Some property was given to them to them by their former owners and other property was sold to them by owners, rented or lease or obtained through tax sales. Enclaves of African American families were developed in the area. Although, to date, no existing homes or structures of this period have been identified as having been farms and/or ranches, it is known that over 70 cattle and/or livestock brands were registered between 1852 and 1930. This would appear to indicate that African Americans were farming as they had sufficient livestock to brand. In addition, a number of African American cemeteries have been located throughout the county. It is assumed that these cemeteries were in the proximity of the African American settlements.
The following information will include selected Brands registered to African Americans, the names of identified African American cemeteries, and brief biographical information on selected individuals. This is a work in progress which will be updated as more information is available.
Much of the information included is due to the extensive research done by renown preservation historian and expert on African American landmarks, Everett L. Fly. Mr. Fly, who grew up in San Antonio and studied architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, was the first African American graduate of the master’s program in landscape architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 2014, he was a recipient of a National Humanities Award in Washington, D.C.
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