The Angel of the Delta,
The Bread Lady of New Orleans, The Celebrated Margaret, Margaret of
Tully, Margaret
of New Orleans, Mother Margaret-these are all titles for a remarkable
woman, who was considered by countless
thousands of all creeds to have been a
living saint. A woman of unsurpassed
charity, she was a champion of the
underprivileged and the destitute. She had been a washerwoman
and a peddler, yet when she died she received a
state funeral.
Margaret Gaffney was
born in 1813, the fifth child of William and Margaret Gaffney.
Her siblings, starting with the
eldest, were Annie (probable), Mary (Mamie), Thomas,
Kevin (probable) and Kathleen, who was reputedly named
after her father's grandmother. William and Margaret were from Tully South,
in the parish of Carrigallen. William
was a small farmer and possibly a tailor; however, Nellie Smith,
Clooncorick, Carrigallen (originally
O'Rourke from
Tully), stated in 1937, that the Gaffneys owned a shop, but
there is no other evidence to corroborate this. His wife's
maiden name was O'Rourke and she was a direct descendant of the
O'Rourkes of Breiffne.
(Left) St Vincent's Infant Asylum 1507 Magazine Street.
(Right ) St Charles Hotel.
There has been some confusion as to whether the Gaffneys lived
in Tully, Carrigallen, or Tully,
Killeshandra. The
parochial records in Carrigallen have some entries relating to
both the Gaffney and the O'Rourke families. One entry,
dated October 3rd 1843, refers to the baptism of Mary Gaffney,
whose father was Thomas, Margaret's older brother.
Further evidence comes from the Anglo-Celt, dated September 17th
1937, where Peter Carney, Augharan, then living
in Tully, Carrigallen, replying to a feature on Margaret in the
same paper on August 28th stated that he was her
nearest living relative in Ireland. He also adds: Margaret Gaffney
was born in the townland of Tully in the parish of
Carrigallen. In the early
19th century, Killeshandra was an important market and posting
centre. Margaret would
have remembered Killeshandra and its associations. This fact,
recalled in later years in conversation with her friends,
could have given rise to the impression that she was born in Co
Cavan.
The year 1818 was one of high
emigration due to a succession of wet summers followed by extreme
winters. A
meteorological report, appended to the 1851 census, states that
in 1816: The
quantity of rain which fell in this year...
nearly 31 inches...142 wet days...principally in summer and autumn
months...Rain so severe that scarcely any corn
was left standing; great thunder storms; eight weeks of rain in
succession; corn remained uncut...The year 1816 was
traditionally recalled as 'the year without a summer'...In 1817,
conditions were equally unfavourable-it became
known as 'the year of the malty flour'. Corn reaped in November
in the snow...with fever adding to the general
distress.
William, his wife Margaret,
and three of their six children-Margaret (then five), her
older brother Kevin, and her
baby sister Kathleen, were among those who emigrated to the States. The three eldest
children were to remain
temporarily with their uncle, Matthew O'Rourke (Tully),
until such time as they could be sent for. The final parting
was so distressing that friends had to draw the children staying
in Ireland aside. It is reported that before they left
they knelt to receive the curate's blessing.
All sources would suggest
that it took almost six months to reach America because of severe
storms that drastically
affected the ship's progress. In fact the passengers despaired
of ever reaching dry land again. As month rolled into
month provisions became so scarce that one passenger recalled
that each person was allowed just one cracker a day.
Almost all luggage was destroyed including the Gaffney's trunk,
whose lid William then used to rock his children.
Eventually they reached Chesapeake
Bay and then New Brunswick, where they took on food and finally
Baltimore.
They were there only a short time when the baby died.
Like all small tenant farmers
of his era, William Gaffney was ill-equipped for city life so
his job opportunities were
limited. Nevertheless he succeeded in securing employment as a
carter in the Baltimore docks and was soon in a
position to send money to his brother-in-law, Matthew O'Rourke,
for the upkeep of his three children. In fact he had
almost saved enough to send for them. Then disaster struck. In
1822 a yellow fever epidemic ravaged Baltimore,
claiming among its victims both William and Margaret Gaffney,
who died within days of each other. They are buried
in St Patrick's cemetery in Baltimore and their death is recorded
in the church archives. Their household effects
were burned, as was the custom, to prevent spread of the infection,
with the exception of a prayer-book, which was
found 27
years later and returned to the family.
Margaret, now nine, was homeless
and soon alone as her brother
disappeared and was never heard from again. It's thought he may
have gone out west.
During the long six-month
voyage, a Welsh lady, Mrs Richards, became aquainted with the
Gaffneys. She lost her
husband to yellow fever and, hearing of Margaret's plight, took
her in. There she remained for some years, where
she worked for her keep. In fact she may have been little more
than a servant. She received no formal education.
There is very little on record of her time with Mrs Richards and
Margaret seldom spoke of it. When old enough,
Margaret went into domestic service. which was the norm for Irishwomen
in Baltimore at that time. She worked as
a hungstress. On October 10th 1835, Margaret married Charles Haughery.
The Rev A. Elder officiated at the
ceremony in Baltimore Cathedral and these facts are recorded there.
Charles had been in very
poor health and Margaret persuaded him that a change in climate
might be therapeutic.
They left Baltimore on the ship Hyperion and reached New Orleans
on November 20th. For a time Charles's health
showed a slight improvement but it was short-lived and medical
advice recommended a sea journey. He decided to go
to Ireland, which, sources claim, was his native land. This trip
was delayed by several months pending the birth of
their first child, a girl. They named her Frances. Eventually,
Charles made the voyage, but after some months
Margaret received word that he died shortly after reaching his
destination. This was a cruel blow but worse was to
follow, for within months Frances became seriously ill and died.
This was the second time that Margaret's family was
wiped out, yet she was still only 23. As she herself said: 'My God! Thou
hast broken every tie: Thou hast stripped me
of all-Again I am all alone'
At that time in New Orleans,
the Sisters of Charity, under the guidance of Sr Frances Regis,
managed the Poydras
Orphan Asylum. Margaret was deeply moved by the plight of the
orphan children as recounted to her by Sr Regis
and she offered her assistance. At this time Margaret was working
in the laundry of the St Charles Hotel, a position
she left in order to help with the orphans. Her first job was
the collection of food from any available source.
The Sisters of Charity
withdrew from Poydras Street at the end of 1836 and moved to a
new location in New Levee
Street, to what was considered a haunted house. It was vacant
for many years and in a very poor state of repair.
According to records, this was the first Catholic orphan asylum
in New Orleans. It was Margaret's intention just to
help the sisters get established. However it was here that she
found her true calling. She showed great energy and
business acumen and was made manager of the institution. She confounded
everybody by proving this location
habitable, none more so than the landlord who promptly put the
building up for sale. So, within two years, they were
again seeking a home.
Margaret knew of a house
on a deserted plantation not far away and managed to persuade
the owner to give it rent
free (along with his best wishes). She had now succeeded
in fulfilling her ambition to get the children out of the city
and into the countryside. Not only were they taught to read and
write, but also to sew; and they were given general
preparation for entering the outside world.
To provide milk for the orphans,
Margaret purchased a few cows. The
surplus was sold and, finding this quite profitable, she increased
her stock and began selling cream and butter. Within
two years there were40 cows and huge profits were being made.
Margaret's popularity became widespread. She was
known amongst all classes as a businesswoman but also from selling
her produce through the community from her
hand-cart. It
was Margaret's great ambition to provide a permanent home for
the orphans and in 1840 work on the
St Theresa's Asylum on Camp Street commenced. The site was donated
by Mr F. Saulet. The project was funded
largely by herself, but with help from a few others who gave donations
as a result of her persuasion. Nevertheless
it took 10 years to clear the debt and Margaret still supported
the orphan asylum at the plantation at this time.
Around the mid-1800's,
yellow fever was again rampant. The epidemic of 1853 rendered
thousands of children
homeless. Margaret visited the homes of the sick-Protestants,
Catholics and Jews, Negroes and Whites alike. Such
were the numbers of orphans she encountered that she embarked
on a new project in the form of (as she called it)
a baby house. All her profits were channelled into this new endeavour,
which soon took form in the shape of the
imposing St Vincent de Paul Infant Asylum at Race and Magazine,
which opened in 1862. It took 16 years to clear
the debt, a burden shouldered mainly by herself.
As a result of money loaned
by her to a baker, Margaret discovered she had become the main
shareholder in the
business. The business became bankrupt, and Margaret realised
that the only way she could recover her money was
to take control of the bakery and operate it.
The bakery, then known simply
as Margaret's Bakery, became an
overnight success, and it is from this that she made the greater
part of her fortune. As well as providing for the
home market, her produce was exported. All the asylums in New
Orleans were supplied with bread from it and at
such a low price as to be virtually free.
Improvements to the bakery
were always a priority-in fact it became the first
steam bakery in the south and it was said to be "a marvel",
providing employment for many. It was situated in New
Levée Street, and was so successful that even the destruction
so widespread in the South as a result of the civil war
had no effect on it.
The winoes and beggars
of the city used to converge on Levée Street, knowing they
wouldn't be turned away by
Margaret. She would always give them a loaf of bread-but would
cut it in half so that they could not sell it to buy
alcohol. The
civil war had a profound effect on New Orleans and greatly increased
the number of orphans and
people in need. In 1862 Margaret negotiated with General Butler
of the Union Army, then occupying New Orleans,
for permission to cross the lines with aid and to get flour to
her bakery. This she succeeded in doing. Her bakery
flourished, as did her charitable work. Other homes opened in
the 50's and 60's included the Louise Home for
working girls at 1404 Clio Street and the St Elizabeth House of
Industry at 1314 Napoleon Street.
It is estimated that the amount
Margaret gave to charity in one form or another was in the region
of $600,000.
Despite the vast sums at her disposal, she spent little on herself,
and was reputed never to own more than two
dresses-a plain one for everyday use, while on special occasions
she wore a plain silk dress and mantle. At all times
she wore a Quaker bonnet, which became something of a trademark. At the age
of 69 Margaret contracted an
incurable disease, the exact nature of which is not recorded.
She lingered many months under the care of her friends,
the Sisters of Charity. People of all classes and denominations
visited her in this her last illness. Pope Pius IX sent his
blessing and a crucifix, which was presented to her by Fr D Hubert
SJ. She died on Tuesday, February 9th 1882. Her
body was taken to St Vincent's Asylum, where it was embalmed and
laid out in state. The New Orleans newspapers
were edged in black to mark her passing.
The funeral took place
on the following Saturday morning. At 9.30am, the cortege assembled
at the asylum. Among
those present were 13 priests and pall bearers, including the
governor, the former governor, the mayor and some of
the city's wealthiest men. Orphans from all the city's asylums
were present, along with the Mississippi fire brigade
(of which she was an honorary member) and nuns of numerous
orders, as well as close friends and admirers. The
streets, sidewalks, balconies and windows were thronged with mourners.
These included three generals, clergymen of
all denominations and city representatives. The cortege passed
the New Orleans stock-exchange at noon: members
suspended proceedings, left the room and came down to the sidewalk.
St Patrick's Church was so thronged that the
pall-bearers had great difficulty getting the remains through
the centre aisle. Requiem Mass was celebrated by Most
Rev Monsignor Allen with Archbishop Perché reading the
prayers after Mass. Her friend Fr Hubert gave the sermon.
She was buried in St Louis Cemetery beside her great friend Sr
Regis. Margaret's will was filed for probate on the
following Monday. She left all her wealth to charities with the
exception of the bakery, which she bequeathed to her
foster son, Bernard Klotz. Margaret signed her will with an 'X',
a poignant reminder of her humble beginnings.
(Left) The Statue errected to Margaret Gaffney in New
Orleans.
(Right) One of the few photographic memories of Margaret.
Almost immediately a committee
was appointed to oversee the erection of a statue in Margaret's
honour. A site was
purchased between Camp Prytania and Clio Streets. Alexander Doyle,
a young sculptor, was commissioned. The
statue was fashioned from old photographs, first in clay. This
was sent to Italy where it was reproduced in Carrara
marble. The statue was returned to New York from Italy after a
time, but the commissioners of the monument
declined to accept it, owing to imperfections in the marble. The
sculptor at once procured another block and assured
the commission that a perfect statue, according to model, would
be shipped so as to reach New Orleans by May 1884.
The monument was formally unveiled on Wednesday July 10th 1884,
fittingly enough by children from every
orphanage in the city. Ex-Governor Francis T Nicholls delivered
a speech. Also present were the lady commissioners,
the executive committee, Mayor J V Guillotte, members of the city
council and many others. It cost $6,000 which
was donated in nickels and dimes-'No large sums would be accepted'.
The statue bears one word only: MARGARET.
It was the first monument to be erected in the US in honour of
a woman. As one leading New Orleans newspaper
editorial put it: 'She was the most deservedly eminent, the most
justly famous, of all the women of New Orleans, of
our generation or of any other, in the whole history of the city'.
Three of Margaret's brothers
and sisters remained with their uncle, Matthew O'Rourke, in Tully,
Carrigallen: Mary,
Thomas and (probably) Annie. Two men named Matthew O'Rourke
died in Tully, in 1856 and 1859 (Carrigallen
parish records) -they were cousins and one or other is the
aforementioned uncle. Margaret's older brother, Thomas,
was married about 1840 to Catherine Healy of Ardlougher. In accordance
with the local custom, the ceremony took
place in the bride's home. An entry in the parish records, dated
October 3rd 1843, refers to the baptism of their
daughter Mary. The first two-storey house in Tully was built by
him and was for a time his residence.
During the 1840's, Thomas
and his family emigrated to America and settled in Baltimore.
On arrival, Thomas
enquired of the whereabouts of Margaret. Through the Sisters of
Charity, he learned that she was in New Orleans.
He began corresponding with her, and copies of letters exist.
In one dated January 7th 1852 Margaret writes. I
enclose a cheque for a sum of money. I will share it with you
and yours as a New Year's present. I wish you, my
dear brother, a very happy New Year, your wife and dear children
the same.
Another letter dated
April 13th 1852 states:
My Dear Brother,
I received your kind
letter, or rather that of my dear sister Mary, and a few words
which you kindly wrote at the
end of hers. I was truly pleased with the manner in which she
expressed herself-so much Christian resignation from
the beginning to the close of her letter...I will write to her
as soon as you give me her direction.
Peter Carney in his letter
(Anglo-Celt) states that Margaret also had another sister,
Mary, who lived and died in
Tully and is well remembered by the writer.
Local tradition has it that
Mary's only source of income was from the s
ale of apples at the local Arva fair. To this day there is a field
known as the Orchard Field. It is adjacent to where
she is known to have lived. Mary is buried in Errew graveyard. In the winter
of 1857 Thomas visited his sister in
New Orleans-it was the only time they met. He died in 1877. Edward F Murphy
in Angel of the Delta quotes
Archbishop Perché in his eulogy to Margaret: 'I have already
been asked whether Margaret Haughery, who lived
and laboured so long and well amongst us, was a saint. It is not
for me to make a pronouncement. But, if you put
this same question to yourselves, dear brethren, you may find
an answer similar to that which a little boy once made
when a sister in our Sunday school enquired that somebody define
a Saint. 'I think' said the child, remembering the
human figures in stained glass windows that a saint is one who
lets the light shine through'.
This article by Raymond
Hackett and Michael Reilly is from "Carrigallen Parish-A
History."
"Carrigallen Parish-A
History."1996, Design inc.
© Ronan Ward Design
2003. All Rights Reserved.