The 2010 U.S. Census recorded 16,288 black Americans with Hubbard as their last name. That represented 23% of the total of 70,362 entries.
This article tracks their numbers in the census since the Civil War. We also look at historic African American people named Hubbard.
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.
1,871 people named Hubbard were recorded in the 1870 census as black and 262 as mixed.
There was a total of 16,829 people with the name.
Hubbard 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 4,241 people with the last name Hubbard as black within a total of 25,454 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 5,666 people named Hubbard as black within a total of 37,978.
Historic Black Figures With The Hubbard Surname
Here are some notable African Americans in history with Hubbard as their last name.
Mabel Houze Hubbard
- Born: 1936
- From: Detroit, Michigan
- Died: 2006
Mabel Houze graduated with a degree in English from the University of Michigan in 1958. She taught in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. She married Robert Hubbard in 1964, a city official, and studied law while raising her family.
Mabel Hubbard became a master in Baltimore’s domestic relations court in 1978 and was renowned at handling juvenile cases. Three years later, she was appointed as the first black female judge in Maryland.
Mabel actively promoted other black women in legal circles and hired many as clerks. She spent four years as a district court judge and fourteen years on the circuit court.
Susie Sanders Hubbard
- Born: About 1950
- From: Montgomery, Alabama
Despite the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, schools in Montgomery continued to be segregated. An activist couple, Arlam and Johnnie Carr, won a landmark case that year for their son to attend the Sidney Lanier High School.
Susie Sanders was one of three students who transferred to the school as the first black pupils. Sanders had attended the all-black George Washington Carver High School, and she entered Lanier as a sophomore. The other girl was Shirley Martin.
This made it the first High School in Montgomery to be integrated.
Hubbard In Black Military Records
Military records are a rich resource of information for family history research. Here are examples of the Hubbard 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 Hubbard was in October 1867. George Hubbard was a Recruit in the U.S. Tenth Cavalry. He was stationed in October 1867 at Trenton, New Jersey.
One of the later entries was in September 1915. Eustis L. Hubbard was a 2nd Lieutenant 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.
Black Civil War Sailors
The National Parks Service has a free archive of African American sailors during the Civil War.
The information includes their age, height, rank, occupation, and where and when they enlisted. It also includes every ship that they served on.
You can search the database on the National Parks website.
Henry Hubbard
One of the earliest entries for Hubbard was for Henry Hubbard from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in December 12 1861 at Boston when he was aged 25.
The record shows that Henry was assigned on February 1 1864 to the ship Constellation.
His occupation before enlisting was as a Barber. His naval rank was Ordinary Seaman.
An ordinary seaman in the Navy is an apprentice who serves on the deck.
Samuel Hubbard
One of the later entries was for a sailor who enlisted at Moose/Clarksville TN in February 8 1864. Samuel was aged 18 and was from Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
He was assigned to the ship Moose on March 31 1864.
His occupation before enlisting was as a Farmer. His naval rank was Seaman.
A seaman in the Navy is a sailor who is not an officer.
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.
Lyman Hubbard graduated from the Tuskegee Institute in November 1945. He qualified as a bomber pilot. Lyman was from Springfield, Illinois.