The 2010 U.S. Census recorded 35,997 black Americans with Stanton as their last name. That represented 12% of the total of 4,161 entries.
This article tracks their numbers in the census since the Civil War. We also look at historic African American people named Stanton.
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.
544 people named Stanton were recorded in the 1870 census as black and 169 as mixed.
There was a total of 8,996 people with the name.
Stanton 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 1,239 people with the last name Stanton as black within a total of 14,526 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 1,651 people named Stanton as black within a total of 20,642.
Historic Black Figures With The Stanton Surname
Here are some notable African Americans in history with Stanton as their last name.
Lucy Stanton Day
- Born: 1831
- From: Ohio
- Died: 1910
Lucy Stanton’s stepfather was an abolitionist who ran a safe house on the Underground Railroad in Cleveland. Lucy graduated with a degree in literature from Oberlin College in 1849.
She became a school principal and married William Day, a civil rights activist who eventually left her and their child.
After the introduction of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, American slave catches started going over the Canadian border to grab escaped slaves. The Chatham Vigilance Committee was founded in Ontario, one of several groups that sought to protect fugitives.
Lucy was a member of the Chatham Committee. Their activities included storming a train in Chatham to rescue a boy, Sylvanus Demarest, being transported to Michigan by a slave catcher.
Chatham Vigilance Committee
These were other black members of the committee:
Stanton In Black Military Records
Military records are a rich resource of information for family history research. Here are examples of the Stanton 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 Stanton was in October 1867. William Stanton was a Private in the U.S. Tenth Cavalry. He was stationed in October 1867 at For Wallace, Kansas.
One of the later entries was in August 1912. Wilbur Stanton 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.
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.
Thomas Stanton
One of the earliest entries for Stanton was for Thomas Stanton from Baltimore, Maryland. He enlisted in May 12 1858 at Norfolk when he was aged 28.
The record shows that Thomas was assigned on January 1 1900 to the ship .
His occupation before enlisting was as a Caulker. His naval rank was Landsman.
“Landsman” was the lowest rank at the time and was given to recruits with little sea experience.
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.
Charles Stanton graduated from the Tuskegee Institute in January 1943. He qualified as a fighter pilot. Charles was from Portland, Oregon.