{"id":493,"date":"2022-09-17T19:35:10","date_gmt":"2022-09-17T19:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/?p=493"},"modified":"2023-06-08T22:57:50","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T22:57:50","slug":"freeman-surname-in-black-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Freeman As An African American Last Name"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The 2010 U.S. Census recorded 47,937 black Americans with Freeman as their last name. That represented 28% of the total of 169,149 entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article compares census numbers before and after the Civil War. We also look at historic African American people named Freeman in the last three centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We end with a review of early records of black military service in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/#Freeman_Before_The_Civil_War\" title=\"Freeman Before The Civil War\">Freeman Before The Civil War<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/#1850_Federal_Census\" title=\"1850 Federal Census\">1850 Federal Census<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/#After_The_Civil_War\" title=\"After The Civil War\">After The Civil War<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/#Freeman_In_The_1900_And_1940_Census\" title=\"Freeman In The 1900 And 1940 Census\">Freeman In The 1900 And 1940 Census<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/#Historic_Black_Figures_With_The_Freeman_Surname\" title=\"Historic Black Figures With The Freeman Surname\">Historic Black Figures With The Freeman Surname<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/#Elizabeth_Freeman\" title=\"Elizabeth Freeman\">Elizabeth Freeman<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/#Robert_Tanner_Freeman\" title=\"Robert Tanner Freeman\">Robert Tanner Freeman<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/#Thomas_Freeman\" title=\"Thomas Freeman\">Thomas Freeman<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/#Freeman_In_Black_Military_Records\" title=\"Freeman In Black Military Records\">Freeman In Black Military Records<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/#Black_Civil_War_Sailors\" title=\"Black Civil War Sailors\">Black Civil War Sailors<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/#Buffalo_Soldiers\" title=\"Buffalo Soldiers\">Buffalo Soldiers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/#Tuskegee_Airmen\" title=\"Tuskegee Airmen\">Tuskegee Airmen<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Freeman_Before_The_Civil_War\"><\/span>Freeman Before The Civil War<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1850 census was the first to record all free members of households together. Before this, people who were not white were not named in the federal census.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1850, there was a box to enter color on the census. There were three categories: white, black, and mulatto. The third term is the language of the time, and I will use mixed in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are researching your black Freeman ancestors in census archives, be sure to check the two non-white categories. Do not assume that the people recording the information were always correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1850_Federal_Census\"><\/span>1850 Federal Census<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><b>There were 1,463 people named Freeman who were recorded as black in the 1850 census. 595 were recorded as mixed.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because they are in the main federal census, we know that they were free citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was a total of 16,149 free citizens named Freeman that year. There would be one more census in 1860 before the Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"After_The_Civil_War\"><\/span>After The Civil War<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/civil-war-in-letters.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-715\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/civil-war-in-letters.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/civil-war-in-letters-300x250.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The 1870 census was the first survey after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. All African Americans were included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those who were omitted in 1850 and 1860 because they were enslaved were now recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>5,892 people named Freeman were recorded in the 1870 census as black and 1,008 as mixed.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was a total of 28,274 people with the name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Freeman_In_The_1900_And_1940_Census\"><\/span>Freeman In The 1900 And 1940 Census<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The mixed category was dropped in 1900, so we just need to look at the black numbers this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>The 1900 census recorded 12,111 people with the last name Freeman as black within a total of 48,816 that year.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This changed again in 1940 and we can simply focus on one black category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>The 1940 census recorded 18,000 people named Freeman as black within a total of 84,908.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Historic_Black_Figures_With_The_Freeman_Surname\"><\/span>Historic Black Figures With The Freeman Surname<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Freeman-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Freeman-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Freeman-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Freeman-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Freeman.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Here are some notable African American people in history with Freeman as their last name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Elizabeth_Freeman\"><\/span>Elizabeth Freeman<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: 1742<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From: Claverack, New York<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Died: 1829<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Elizabeth \u201cBett\u201d Freeman was born into slavery in New York and was sent to Massachusetts as a girl under the ownership of John and Hannah Ashley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She was a strong-minded young woman. One day, she overheard talk from her white owners about how the new Massachusetts Constitution included the phrase that \u201call men are born free and equal\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She went to a progressive young lawyer named Theodore Sedgwick (a future senator and Speaker of the House) . He agreed to represent Bett and another slave named Brom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The case of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/constitutioncenter.org\/blog\/elizabeth-freeman-her-case-for-freedom-and-the-massachusetts-constitution\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brom and Bett v Ashley<\/a>\u201d argued Bett\u2019s observation that the Massachusetts Constitution must prohibit slavery. The Count Court agreed and set Bett and Brom free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That was the start of the abolition of slavery in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bett chose the surname of Freeman. She worked for Sedgwick as a governess to his children for many years. She was also known as Mumbett.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Elizabeth-Freeman.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Elizabeth-Freeman.jpg 400w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Elizabeth-Freeman-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Robert_Tanner_Freeman\"><\/span>Robert Tanner Freeman<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: 1846<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From: Washington D.C.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Died: 1873<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Robert\u2019s father was able to purchase his family\u2019s freedom from slavery through carpentry work. When Robert was a teenager, he worked for a dentist in Washington. Robert applied to two dental colleges but was rejected due to his race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Harvard School of Dental Medicine accepted his application. When he graduated in 1869, he was the first black American to get a dental degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Robert opened a practice in Washington D.C. Unfortunately, the young dentist died four years later from an illness.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But his legacy wasn&#8217;t just as a pioneer in dentistry. His grandson was <a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/weaver-surname-in-black-history\/#Robert_Clifton_Weaver\">Robert Clifton Weaver<\/a>, who was the first African American to hold a cabinet position in the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Robert-Tanner-Freeman.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3009\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Robert-Tanner-Freeman.jpg 400w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Robert-Tanner-Freeman-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Thomas_Freeman\"><\/span>Thomas Freeman<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: 1919<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From: Richmond Virginiia<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Died: 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Thomas Freeman died in 2020 at the grand age of one hundred. He is indelibly associated with Texas State University which he joined in 1949 to teach philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was supposed to be a one-year assignment but the college was so impressed with how he taught debating skills that he hired him as the permanent coach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His star students included <a href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/jordan-surname-in-black-history\/#Barbara_Jordan\">Barbara Jordan<\/a>, the congresswoman who made one of the great political speeches during Nixon\u2019s impeachment. Freeman gave the eulogy at her funeral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Freeman was a guest lecturer at Morehouse College where he taught an eighteen-year old Martin Luther King. Dr King approached Freeman many years later to thank him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can read his <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tsu.edu\/news\/news-images\/the-passing-of-texas-southern-university-icon-dr.-thomas-f.-freeman.html#.Y7sTpnbP3ct\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">obituary on the TSU website here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Freeman_In_Black_Military_Records\"><\/span>Freeman In Black Military Records<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Military records are a rich resource of for family history research. Here are examples of the Freeman surname from three different military services:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Black civil war sailors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buffalo soldiers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tuskegee airmen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Black_Civil_War_Sailors\"><\/span>Black Civil War Sailors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Parks Service has a free archive of African American sailors during the Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The information includes their age, height, rank, occupation, and where and when they enlisted. It also includes every ship that they served on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can search the database on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/civilwar\/search-sailors.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Parks website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wardell Freeman<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the earliest entries for Freeman was for Wardell Freeman from New York. He enlisted in June 1861 at Philadelpia when he was aged 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The record shows that Wardell was assigned on June 1864 to the ship James S. Chambers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His occupation before enlisting was as a Barber\/Wigmaker. His naval rank was Landsman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i>&#8220;Landsman&#8221; was the lowest rank at the time and was given to recruits with little sea experience.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Peter Freeman<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the later entries was for a sailor who enlisted at New Bedford in October 1863. Peter was aged 32 and was from New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was assigned to the ship Niagara on September 1865.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His occupation before enlisting was as a Cook\/Machinist. His naval rank was Ordinary Seaman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i>An ordinary seaman in the Navy is an apprentice who serves on the deck.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Buffalo_Soldiers\"><\/span>Buffalo Soldiers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/black-regiment-etching.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-692\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/black-regiment-etching.jpg 500w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/black-regiment-etching-250x300.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Five regiments for black soldiers were formed during the Civil War. They were known as the Buffalo Soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the earliest military entries for Freeman was in August 1867. Azariah Freeman was a Corporal in the Tenth Cavalry. He was stationed in August 1867 at Fort Harker, Kansas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the later entries was in June 1915. Warner Freeman was a Corporal in the Tenth Cavalry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are researching military ancestors, there is a free index of these records on <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/search\/collections\/1934\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ancestry.com<\/a> and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.familysearch.org\" target=\"_blank\">FamilySearch.org.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You have to create an account on either website, but you do not need to pay for the Buffalo Soldiers archive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tuskegee_Airmen\"><\/span>Tuskegee Airmen<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Tuskegee-Airmen-Squadron.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-676\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Tuskegee-Airmen-Squadron.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Tuskegee-Airmen-Squadron-300x250.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Tuskegee Airmen were military personnel who served at the Tuskegee Army Airfield or related programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nearly one thousand black pilots graduated from the Tuskegee Institute. The photograph above (from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/resource\/cph.3b34943\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Library of Congress<\/a>) shows a class in session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They flew single-engine fighter planes or twin-engine bombers. 352 fought in combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eldridge Freeman graduated from the Tuskegee Institute in April 1945. He qualified as a bomber pilot. Eldridge was from Chicago, Illinois.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2010 U.S. Census recorded 47,937 black Americans with Freeman as their last name. That represented 28% of the total of 169,149 entries. This article compares census numbers before and after the Civil War. We also look at historic African American people named Freeman in the last three centuries. We end with a review of &#8230; <a title=\"Freeman As An African American Last Name\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/freeman-surname-in-black-history\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Freeman As An African American Last Name\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3025,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493\/revisions\/3025"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}