The 2010 U.S. Census recorded 18,627 black Americans with Hail as their last name. That represented 22% of the total of 86,240 entries.
This article tracks their numbers in the census since the Civil War. We also look at historic African American people named Hail.
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.
109 people named Hail were recorded in the 1870 census as black and 32 as mixed.
There was a total of 1,090 people with the name.
Hail 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 173 people with the last name Hail as black within a total of 1,340 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 161 people named Hail as black within a total of 1,642.
Hail In Black Military Records
Military records are a rich resource of information for family history research. Some of the earliest for African Americans date back to the Civil War.
President Lincoln authorized the use of “colored troops” in combat in the Union Army in 1863, although some black units had fought before then.
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 Hail was in February 1882. Marshall Hail was a Sergeant in the U.S. Tenth Cavalry. He was stationed in February 1882 at Fort Concho, Texas.
Another entry was in June 1893. Henry T. Hail was a Private in the U.S. Tenth Cavalry.
If you are researching military ancestors, there is a free index of these records on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
You have to create an account on either website, but you do not need to pay for the Buffalo Soldiers archive.
Hail In The Freedmen’s Bureau Records
The Freedmen’s Bureau was established after the Civil War to help newly freed African Americans. You can read more in our article on researching the Freedmen archives.
There are over Court, Employment records for Hail in the archives. Here are some of the first names:
- Abraham
- Mack
- Samuel
- Thomas
