Dates: 1797? – November 26, 1883
Occupation: abolitionist, activist
Sojourner Truth’s Life as a Slave
Isabella Baumfree, as she was called before she took the name Sojourner Truth, is believed to have been born in 1797. She was born a slave in Ulster County, New York to parents, Betsey and James. Her mother had ten or twelve children, but most were sold away. The Dutch-speaking Johannes Hardenbergh, who operated a gristmill and owned a substantial amount of property, was the owner of Isabella and her parents. Because the Hardenbergh's were a Dutch-speaking family, Isabella spoke only Dutch as a small child.In 1799, Johannes Hardenbergh died and Isabella became the slave of his son, Charles Hardenbergh. Her new master died when she was around nine years old. At that time, the Hardenbergh's freed both her mother and father due to their old age. Isabella and her younger brother, however, were put up for auction. She was sold for $100 to John Neely, a man who owned a store near the village of Kingston. She moved away from her parents and rarely saw them. Nevertheless, before Isabella was sold, her mother had been able to instill in her a strong sense of honesty and a belief in God that remained with her throughout her life.
The Neely's only spoke English, so when Isabella did not understand orders, she was whipped. On one occasion, the whipping was so severe that it left scars. After two years with the Neely's, Isabella was sold to Martinus Schryver, a fisherman who lived in Kingston. In 1810, when she was thirteen, she was sold to John Dumont, also from Ulster County. Dumont had a small farm and only a few slaves. While working on Dumont's farm, Isabella was praised for being hard working. According to Isabella, Dumont was a humane master who only whipped her once when she tormented a cat.
Around 1816, Isabella married Tom, another slave owned by Dumont. He was older then Isabella and had already been married two times before. They had five children together, but never formed a strong attachment to each other.
Sojourner Truth Escapes from Slavery
In 1799, New York adopted a law that gradually abolished slavery. According to the law, on July 4, 1827, all slaves within the state would become free. Despite knowing this, in the fall of 1826, Isabella decided to escape. She believed that this was fair since Dumont had promised to free her and Tom on July 4, 1826, but had reneged. Dumont claimed that due to Isabella severing one of her fingers in an accident, labor was lost so she owed him more work. Isabella felt this was unjust. One fall night in 1826, she walked away from the Dumont farm taking her infant daughter with her. She walked several miles to the house of Levi Roe, a Quaker. Roe told her to go to the home of Isaac and Maria Van Wagenen who lived in Wahkendall. They offered to let her work for them as a free person, and she agreed. Dumont found her and wanted to take her back, but the Van Wagenen's offered to buy her and her daughter, and Dumont accepted. While under the law, the Van Wagenen's owned Isabella and her daughter, they did not consider them their slaves.
Sojourner Truth Converts to Christianity
Once free, Isabella converted to Christianity after a sudden revelation by God. At this time, she lived in Kingston and began attending a Methodist church. Shortly thereafter, in 1829, she left her daughters in Ulster County and took her son with her to New York City, where she worked as a house servant. There she joined a utopian community in 1832. Matthias, a man who claimed to be a prophet of the Lord, led the group. In 1834, the community dissolved after a murderous scandal emerged.On June 1, 1843, she left New York City to become a traveling evangelist. Inspired by God, she changed her name to Sojourner Truth. According to her narrative, since God had called upon her to travel, the name Sojourner seemed appropriate. However, since Isabella spoke about her name change on numerous occasions, there are several accounts of why she chose the name Truth. According to an account given by Harriet Beecher Stowe, she chose it as a repudiation of her slave name. Another reason given was that she wanted to put behind her the unhappy life she had in New York City. Whatever the reason, after she changed her name, her life as a public figure soon began. While traveling, she evangelized in Long Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. In 1844, she joined the utopian Northampton Association of Massachusetts. Two years later, she left the Association and soon began a life of public speaking.
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