| Economic expediency compelled him to accept
slavery as a fact of life while he lived, although he continually spoke against its evils.
John Randolph never married. He battled the effects of tuberculosis all his life, and the
use of opium as a pain killer resulted in his addiction to the substance. At the time of
his death in 1833, three wills were found, and each granted freedom to all 400 of his
slaves. His opium addiction, along with his contrarian views on issues, including slavery,
caused many to question his sanity. The ownership of slaves meant economic power, and
Randolph's next of kin immediately filed a will contest action, alleging he was
incompetent. Thirteen years of legal battles followed. However, it was ultimately
determined that Randolph's will of 1821 was valid. In that document, his intent was made
clear: "I give and bequeath to all my slaves their freedom, heartily regretting
that I have been the owner of one." John Randolph had gone to some lengths to see
that his plan would be carried out. He set aside $30,000 for the purchase of land in Ohio
and supplies for their journey to freedom. He secured the promise of an old friend and
judge, William Leigh, to settle the newly freed slaves in Ohio.
Although it was perhaps unknown to Randolph and Judge Leigh, Ohio in the 1840's was
anything but a hospitable place for people of color. Just a year after Ohio had become a
state in 1803, the General Assembly passed a law entitled "An Act To Regulate Black
and Mulatto Persons."
The law decreed that "No Negro or Mulatto should be allowed to settle in the
state unless he could furnish a certificate from some court...of his actual freedom...The
Blacks already living in the state must register before the following June with the county
clerk..." No black person could register without paying a registration fee of
twelve and a half cents. Whites were forbidden to employ a Negro unless he had a
certificate of freedom.
The newly freed Randolph slaves, now numbering 383, left Virginia on June 10, 1846 -
thirteen years after being given their freedom. They ranged in age from an infant less
than one year old to Granny Hannah, who had passed the century mark.
With them they carried a certificate of the Clerk of Court of Charlotte County,
Virginia, which listed the first names and a description of all the freed slaves. The
document confirmed that Shadrach, (No. 514),
born in 1796, was among those freed. He was destined to become an interesting part of
Sidney history. Also listed was Carter (No. 421). He would take the last name of Lee after
arriving in Shelby County, and his descendants would include Sidney's first black mayor.
This was no ordinary group of southern blacks. Randolph had to seen to it they were
educated. Typical was Clem Clay, who would become an engineer after settling in Ohio. Most
had developed trade skills. Some had horses, but the majority walked the 500 miles to what
they were sure would be the Promised Land.
Judge Leigh had carefully made his plans. According to
research later compiled by Rossville, Ohio historian Helen Gilmore and late local author
Leonard Hill, Leigh purchased about 3,200 acres of fertile Mercer County ground for in
excess of $6,000. It is probable that Judge Leigh had heard of Carthagena, a Mercer County
colony of free Blacks established by Augustus Wattles, a white Quaker, in the 1830's.
Leigh purchased some land near Carthagena,
and much land in the vicinity of Celina.
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