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County Information
Formed April 1, 1819 from Miami County.
Named for Isaac Shelby, a former governor of Kentucky
County Seat and Largest city: Sidney
For many years it contained Minster, New Bremen, and other communities which were included included in Auglaize
County when it was created from Shelby and Allen counties.
In 1846, a group of 383 free blacks from Virginia, called the "Randolph Slaves", settled in the county,
most at Rumley. They had been freed by the 1833 will of the Virginia planter John Randolph of Roanoke. He provided
money for their transportation and resettlement on land in a free state. Their gaining freedom was delayed by court
challenges to Randolph's will, but the families were freed and traveled in 1846. Randolph had provided that those
over the age of 40 were given 10 acres each for resettlement.
In 1900 survivors and descendants formed the Randolph Ex-Slaves Association (later they changed the name to the
Randolph Slave Association) and held their first reunion at Midway Park near Piqua. Sixty-two of the original settlers
attended who had been born in Virginia into slavery. After being manumitted, they had come to Ohio as small children
with their families. They were called the "Old Dominions" after the nickname of Virginia; the "Buckeyes"
were those descendants born in Ohio. Over the years, the reunions were also held at Troy and the Shelby County
Fairgrounds, with 100-300 attending (source: wikipedia)
City
Sidney
Villages
Anna * Botkins * Fort Loramie * Jackson Center * Kettlersville * Lockington * Port Jefferson * Russia
Census-Designated Place
Newport
Unincorporated Communities
Houston * Kirkwood * Maplewood * McCartyville * Montra *
Mount Jefferson * Pemberton * St. Patrick * Swanders * Tawawa
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