Randolph Settlement / Jackson Cemetery (African)

In 1833, John Randolph from Roanoke, Virginia, died leaving three wills that requested that all of his slaves be set free and that land be purchased for them. Although contested for thirteen years by his family, the slaves were freed and the executor of the wills, Randolph’s cousin Judge William Leigh purchased about 2,000 acres of farm land in Mercer County, Ohio. Traveling by wagon train, the freed slaves, 383 in all, reached their destination in 1846, but were forced to turn back by earlier established white settlers. They turned around and ended up north of Piqua where they purchased land and developed the Village of Rossville. Later some moved on to other places in Miami County and well as Shelby County. In Rossville, they established an African Baptist Church in 1869, cemetery in 1866, and public black school in 1872.

[Side B]: Members from the following families are buried in Jackson Cemetery: Anderson, Armstrong, Bally, Basil, Blackburn, Bray, Brown, Butler, Cain, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crowder, Dalany, Fowlis, Giles, Gillard, Gillem, Governor, Hill, Huggard, Hughs, Hunt, Johnson, Jones, Kendall, Langdon, Lee, Mitchell, Musco, Nickens, Parsley, Parson, Randolph, Reese, Rial, Roberts, Rocco, Shipp, Smith, Taylor, Tibbs, Truss, Vicks, White, Williams, and Wilson. The following Civil War veterans are interred here: Peer M. Bray, John Cain, Henry Clay, Johnson Crowder, William Kendall, H. Parsley, John Taylor, Sidney Vicks, and Phillip White.