They fought for freedom for themselves and others.
Sarah and Peter Fossett were formerly enslaved people who became Cincinnati business owners, abolitionists, and community leaders. Through their businesses, public service, and work on the Underground Railroad, they helped others pursue freedom and opportunity.
Peter Farley Fossett was born enslaved at Monticello in 1815. After Thomas Jefferson’s death, Peter’s father, Joseph Fossett, worked to purchase the freedom of family members who remained enslaved. Peter eventually secured his own freedom and moved to Ohio.
Sarah Mayrant Fossett was born in South Carolina in 1826. She received training in hair care in New Orleans before coming to Cincinnati, where she established a successful business serving wealthy white women.
In Cincinnati, Sarah and Peter built lives as independent business owners and equal partners in marriage. Their work extended beyond their own households into the wider community.
In 1860, Sarah challenged Cincinnati’s segregated streetcar system.
When a white conductor attempted to remove her from a streetcar, she held onto the vehicle for several blocks. She subsequently sued the company and won, helping establish Black Americans’ right to ride Cincinnati streetcars.
Her resistance brought the struggle for equal treatment into an everyday public space. It was one part of a broader commitment to freedom that she and Peter carried into their community work.
Both Sarah and Peter assisted freedom seekers through the Underground Railroad. Sarah also managed the Colored Orphan Asylum for more than twenty-five years.
Peter became a Baptist minister, educator, school board member, and advocate for prison reform. He helped establish First Baptist Church of Cumminsville and served with the Black Brigade of Cincinnati during the Civil War.
Their contributions reached across transportation, education, faith, and care for others. In 2023, an Ohio Historical Marker honoring the Fossetts was dedicated in Cincinnati, recognizing their enduring place in the city’s history.
