The Randolph Freed Slaves (1846) – Three hundred Randolph slaves were manumitted (freed) in 1833 by the will of John Randolph of Virginia. After extensive legal battles they came to Ohio in 1847 to settle on land purchased for them in Mercer County but they were driven away by German immigrants in the area. The Randolphs settled primarily in Miami and Shelby Counties. One of the largest of the new Randolph settlements was in Rossville, located just north of the Great Miami River and east of Main Street. Rossville would support a church, school and cemetery. These former slaves would be some of the first African-Americans in the nation to fight in the Civil War as part of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.