Bound in Béxar County: Slavery in San Antonio

Stephen Applewhite came to Texas around 1853-1854 after his parents and two other brothers. He participated in a commission to manage and pay a slave patrol to catch freedom seekers on their way through Béxar County. Today, a small street in San Antonio still bears his family name.  

Applewhite st · san antonio, tx 78204. (2025). Applewhite St · San Antonio, TX 78204. Retrieved August 24, 2025, from https://tinyurl.com/yuavmtwe 

The following images come from the 1860 U.S Slave Schedules. Stephen Applewhite is listed as enslaving 19 African Americans from the age of 1 years old to 50 years of age. In the Slave Schedules, the names of enslaved people were not listed, solidifying the argument that though the Federal Government was counting them, they did not accord the status of people, but rather chattel property. Applewhite enslaved 4 men, 4 woman, 4 boys, and 6 girls. Holding 19 people captive as property was quite a large number for the area. The majority of enslavers in Béxar County are listed as having 1-2. Applewhite's name is highlighted in the portion of the census document in which he appears. 

U.S Census - Federal Slave Schedules. (1860). Retrieved August 21, 2025, from https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7668/images/txm653_1309-0165?queryId=40e865f2-3b3e-4a23-b848-ae33b69a51ea&usePUB=true&_phsrc=LeN26&_phstart=successSource&pId=2273411

1860 U.S Federal Census - Slave Schedules . (1860). Retrieved August 21, 2025, from https://www.ancestry.com/account/create?rtype=1&dbid=7668&flowId=dbid7668&returnurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.com%2Fsearch%2Fcollections%2F7668%2F%3Fcount%3D50%26f-88100002%3DStephen%2BF.%2B%26f-88100003%3DApplewhite%26f-88100003_x%3D1%26residence%3D_bexar-texas-usa_302%26residence_x%3D_1-0

The following image is from the Texas Runaway Slave Project. It is an image of a legal proceeding being announced in the Texas Gazette, dated September 16th, 1854, recording that a new slave patrol was being commissioned by another county, Guadalupe, to organize and help catch enslaved freedom seekers trying to flee to Mexico through their region. Anyone caught helping freedom seekers would also face prosecution. Stephen Applewhite is listed as the eighth person "appointed an executive committee" to open subscriptions in the principal parts of the county to carry out the object of the meeting. It is authorized to offer $200 reward for the apprehension and delivery of any absconding slave belonging to a citizen of the county, where the slave is evidently making an effort to reach Mexico. The sum of $500 is made a standing reward for furnishing information leading to the apprehension and conviction of any free person guilty of enticing, stealing, or carrying off a slave from the county." 

Proceedings of Bexar County in regard to Runaway Slaves. (1854, September). Texas State Gazette; East Texas Digital Archives. https://digital.sfasu.edu/digital/collection/RSP/id/8515

The first time Stephen Applewhite shows up in the Bexar County tax records was in 1854. He was listed as enslaving 13 African Americans valued at $8,500. 

Bexar County Tax Records—1854 . (1854). Bexar County ; Texas County Tax Rolls, 1837-1910. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939F-WFHF-X?lang=en&i=1

By 1859, Stephen Applewhite was listed as enslaving 17 African Americans valued at $10,000 dollars.

Bexar County Tax Records—1859 . (1859). Bexar County ; Texas County Tax Rolls, 1837-1910. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939F-WF4D-B?wc=M638-XNL%3A161392201%2C161393202%26cc%3D1827575&lang=en&i=2&cc=1827575