Historic Residents of Sing Sing

Ossining has had many historic residents . . . Watch the videos of Captain Brady and Sojourner Truth below:

Captain Lewis Brady, 1773-1881

FROM CAPTURED LEGACY: Lewis Brady was born into slavery in 1773 in Maryland. His father was a slave of George Washington, and his mother was owned by one of Washington’s neighbors. He spent his childhood on Washington’s Mt. Vernon plantation.

Brady served as a body servant to Colonel Zabriski from 1812 until his death, after which Brady was left to Zabriski’s niece. After some years, her husband planned to sell him, which prompted Brady to run away to New York to freedom. In an 1880 interview, Brady said,

That night . . . I lit out and I never went back again, either.

After a long and arduous journey on foot, via a route on the Underground Railroad, Brady (age 47) arrived in Tarrytown where he met his bride. In 1836, he purchased a house in Ossining for $150 ($4,201.19 by today’s standards) and lived there with his wife and children. The house still stands today in the Historic Sparta District. In the 1850 census, he listed his birthplace as New York rather than Maryland to protect himself as a runaway slave.

Industrious and frugal, Brady saved his money to purchase a small sloop (boat) and entered the clam and oyster business. Respected in the local community, he earned the nickname “Captain Brady” for his work as a local fisherman. He also took in white boarders until they were able to find accommodations of their own.

Lewis Brady passed away at the age of 108, making him the oldest person buried in historic Sparta Cemetery.

Sojourner Truth, 1797-1883

FROM CAPTURED LEGACY: Born into slavery in 1797 as Isabella Baumfree in Ulster County, New York, she would grow to become one of the most influential voices for justice in American history. After enduring years of enslavement, Isabella found refuge with a Quaker couple, Isaac and Maria Van Wagenen, who sheltered her until New York’s emancipation law granted her freedom in 1826. She adopted their surname, becoming Isabella Van Wagenen.

Soon after, she faced the unimaginable—her young son, Peter, was illegally sold into slavery in Alabama. Determined to fight, she took his new enslaver to court. Against all odds, Isabella won, successfully becoming the first Black woman to sue a white man in the United States.

She moved to New York City, where she worked for a preacher named Elijah Pierson. When Pierson fell under the influence of the radical religious sect known as the Kingdom of Matthias, her life took an unexpected turn. In 1834, the group moved to Sing Sing (now Ossining) and established their commune, Zion Hill, at an estate (Heart Place) owned by Benjamin and Anne Folger (today Beachwood).

When Pierson mysteriously died after eating several plates of blackberries, suspicion turned toward Isabella and the cult leader, Prophet Matthias. Though the court found no evidence of murder, the Folgers publicly accused Isabella of poisoning Pierson. Refusing to accept the smear on her name, she fought back—filing a libel suit against the Folgers—and won, marking the second time she took a white person to court and prevailed.

Shortly after her time in Sing Sing, Isabella had a spiritual encounter. She changed her name to Sojourner Truth and dedicated her life to traveling, speaking the word of God, and fighting for abolition, women’s rights, and human dignity.

Though many know of her fierce advocacy and legendary speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” few know that her journey to becoming Sojourner Truth passed through Ossining.