The 2010 U.S. Census recorded 906 black Americans with Bibb as their last name. That represented 24% of the total of 3,796 entries.
This article tracks their numbers in the census since the Civil War. We also look at historic African American people named Bibb.
We end with a review of early records of black military service in the United States.
After The Civil War
The 1870 census was the first survey after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1850 and 1860, only free African Americans were recorded in the census. The many enslaved were omitted.
From 1870 onward, all black Americans were included.
890 people named Bibb were recorded in the 1870 census as black and 152 as mixed.
There was a total of 1,964 people with the name.
Bibb In The 1900 And 1940 Census
The mixed category was dropped from the census in 1900, so we just need to look at the black numbers this time.
The 1900 census recorded 986 people with the last name Bibb as black within a total of 2,357 that year.
By the way, the mixed category returned in the 1910 and 1920 censuses. It was dropped again in 1930, but replaced with extra categories for colored and non-white in a way that seems confusing now.
This changed again in 1940 and we can simply focus on one black category.
The 1940 census recorded 612 people named Bibb as black within a total of 2,535.
Historic Black Figures With The Bibb Surname
Here are some notable African Americans in history with Bibb as their last name.
Henry Bibb
- Born: 1815
- From: Shelby County, Mississippi
- Died: 1854
Henry Bibb was born into slavery. He escaped and was re-captured multiple times until he was able to settle in Detroit in 1842.
Bibb became an operator on the Underground Railroad and assisted many fugitives to escape. To avoid the dangers of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, he moved with his family to Canada where he founded the first black newspaper.
Bibb published his autobiography in 1849: “Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, An American Slave“.
Other Slave Narratives
The account of Bibb’s life is considered to be part of the genre of slave narratives. Here are some more:
- Walter Hawkins who became a Bishop in Canada.
- George Henry who became a seafaring captain.
- Frederick Douglass, the great abolitionist
Eloise Bibb
- Born: 1876
- From: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Died: 1928
Eloise Bibb published her first book of poems in 1895. She studied at Howard University where she graduated in 1907. She married Noah Davis Thompson, a newspaper editor, in 1911.
Eloise wrote for the Los Angeles Tribune amongst other newspapers. She also wrote plays, including a life of Marcus Garvey.
Other Early Black Poets
Here are some other notable African American poets who were born in the nineteenth century:
Bibb In Black Military Records
Military records are a rich resource of for family history research. Here are examples of the Bibb surname from different military services:
- Buffalo soldiers
- Black civil war sailors
- Tuskegee airmen
Buffalo Soldiers
Five regiments for black soldiers were formed during the Civil War. They were known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
Their records are part of the national archive of military monthly returns. The information includes the year and place of birth, where they enlisted, their occupation, and their height.
One of the earliest military entries for Bibb was in December 1914. Virgil B Bibb was a Private in the U.S. Tenth Cavalry. He was stationed in December 1914 at .
Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were military personnel who served at the Tuskegee Army Airfield or related programs.
Nearly one thousand black pilots graduated from the Tuskegee Institute. They flew single-engine fighter planes or twin-engine bombers. 352 fought in combat.
William Bibb graduated from the Tuskegee Institute in November 1945. He qualified as a bomber pilot. William was from Ottumwa, Iowa.