The 2010 U.S. Census recorded 41 black Americans with Hunton as their last name. That represented 4% of the total of 998 entries.
This article tracks their numbers in the census since the Civil War. We also look at historic African American people named Hunton.
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.
32 people named Hunton were recorded in the 1870 census as black and 3 as mixed.
There was a total of 328 people with the name.
Hunton 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 55 people with the last name Hunton as black within a total of 480 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 26 people named Hunton as black within a total of 688.
Historic Black Figures With The Hunton Surname
Here are some notable African Americans in history with Hunton as their last name.
Stanton Hunton
- Born: 1815
- From: Virginia
- Died: 1891
Stanton Hunton was born enslaved in Virginia. After his third attempt to escape, his owner allowed him to purchase his freedom. He first moved to Washington D.C., and then further north into Chatham, Ontario.
He built up a successful business as a brick mason. Hunton used his wealth to support slaves fleeing north with the Underground Railroad.
He was a noted abolitionist and was a friend of John Brown. He helped Brown organize the rebellion at Harper’s Ferry. Mary Ellen Pleasant was another wealthy black backer of John Brown.
He had nine children. His son William A. Hunton Sr would become the General Secretary of the black department of the YMCA. His grandson William A. Hunton Jr was a noted civil rights activist in the 1950s.
Eunice Hunton Carter
- Born: 1899
- From: Atlanta, Georgia
- Died: 1970
Eunice Hunton’s father William was the founder of the black division of the YMCA. Her mother Addie was active in the NAACP in New York.
Eunice was the first woman to get a law degree from Fordham University. She married Lisle Carter, an African American dentist.
Eunice Carter was the first African American ADA in New York when she was appointed in 1935. She was the driving force in bringing down Lucky Luciana, the Mafia mobster.
She did the legwork on forming the case around prostitution racketeering. Her boss, DA Thomas Dewey, made his name by prosecuting the case.
She was a trusted adviser to Dewey in his successful run as Governor of New York, and his unsuccessful runs for President. Carter later took appointments with the United Nations and advocated for women’s rights worldwide.
Hunton In Black Military Records
Military records are a rich resource of information for family history research. Here are examples of the Hunton surname from military service.
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 Hunton was in July 1904. Floyd G. Hunton was a Private in the U.S. Ninth Cavalry. He was stationed in July 1904 at Yosemite National Park.
Hunton 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 80 records for Hunton in the archives. Here are some of the first names:
- Archie
- Eliza
- Eppa
- Logan