James (born circa 1760) and Betsy (born circa 1770), two slaves who may have come from Africa, but at the time of Isabella's (Sojourner Truths) birth belonged to Johannis Hardenbergh, of the family associated with the Hardenbergh Patent.. James was tall and had the nickname Bomefree, meaning "tall tree"; Betsy was called Mau Mau, a Dutch term for "mother". The couple had about thirteen children, most of whom were sold away or donated to other members of the Hardenbergh family. James and Betsy were favored by Johannis Hardenberg with a separate cabin, but when Johannis died and his son Charles inherited Hardenberg Hall and the farm, the couple and their remaining children were moved back into the main house, in the damp, unheated cellar, lit only by a small window.

Mau Mau carried out a common tradition for peoples who could neither read nor write; she told her daughter stories of her older sisters and brothers. In particular, she told Isabella how a five year old boy and his three year old sister were grabbed, loaded into the Hardenbergh carriage, and taken away to other owners. Isabella was too young to know these two, but later in life she encountered the boy in New York City, her sister having died just a few years before the encounter. Isabella remembers receiving beatings from the master, but thought they were probably deserved. Such slave beatings were common even for young children.

Elizabeth 3rd wife

up to 4 other children
Michael
Sophia
Nancy
Hannah
Elizibeth
Diana
Peter
Sojourner Truth - AKA Isabella Van Wagenen
youngest child
.....
"Suggested edit: Betsey was NOT born in 1870. Her daughter Isabella was born in 1797. She may have been born in 1770.
Contributor: Nancy Foye-Cox (47714749)"