Cynthia Hesdra

Who was Cynthia Hesdra?

Cynthia Hesdra was born on March 6, 1808 in Tappan, New York to John and Jane Moore. Although Cynthia Hesdra spent a portion of her life as a slave, at the time of her death in 1879, she was quite wealthy. She operated businesses in Nyack, New York and in the city of New York. She also owned several properties in Nyack, New York City, and Bergen County, New Jersey. Her heirs, including her husband Edward, fought over the ex-slave's fortune, in a series of precedent setting court cases.

Cynthia Hesdra's father was well known in Rockland County. He too was one of the wealthiest men of his town. He owned and operated several businesses, including a mill in Sparkill, New York. The mill wheels he designed were said to have produced blankets for soldiers fighting in the American Civil War and used widely throughout Rockland County.

Very little is known about Cynthia Hesdra's mother, Jane. She may have been a slave which might explain how Cynthia Hesdra became enslaved. Cynthia eventually met and married a man by the name of Edward D. Hesdra. Edward Hesdra, a Hebrew mulatto, was the son of a white Virginia planter and a free black woman from Haiti. After their marriage, the couple purchased Cynthia's freedom. The two settled on Amity Street in New York City.