MArgret Books Gallery

Margaret Haughery books
and related reading
Includes both Fiction & Non-Fiction books

Lady Jane by Cecilia Viets Jamison, a novel about an orphaned child in New Orleans,
originally published 1891. Margaret is a character in this book.

Angel of the Delta, a novel by Edward F. Murphy.
Down on the Crescent Bend of the Missippi Delta stands a public monument. On its pedestal one word is carved: MARGARET

This is the story of Margaret Gaffney- a heartwarming biographical novel of unshakable courage, quiet humor, and tender compassion for sufferers.
Margaret went to Baltimore from Ireland at a young age. Orphaned soon after, she was adopted by family friends and grew up to be a lovable,
radiantly beautiful girl who attracted the attention of the two Haughery brothers.

Tragedy stalked Margaret and the brother who finally won her after the two moved to New Orleans; yet the heartache of her husband's poor health only
spurred Margaret to fight back, forget herself, and plunge into the noble work that was her truest moment.
By her own efforts she was able to keep one orphanage going and later start and support till another.

She endeared herself to everyone on the Delta by the fearless way she stood up to "Beast" Butler, brutal Union general who occupied
New Orleans during the Civil War. Her life was dramatic and inspiring, and in his vivid style Father Murphy makes this wonderful woman live anew.

The Immortal Margaret Haughery by Raymond J. Martinez
"A woman of courage, she defied General Butler, who threatened to hang her,
during the Federal occupation of New Orleans in the Civil War."

Seated in a rocking chair, the Bread Woman received an endless stream of visitors.
Margaret Haughery,
Bread Woman of New Orleans by Flora Strousse
Illustration by Lili Rethi from Margaret Haughery.

Photo of first Margaret Statue Restoration in 1988 from Margaret: Friend of Orphans by Mary Lou Widmer.

Photo of the Camp Street upramp to the Mississippi River Bridge under demolition in 1994
from Margaret: Friend of Orphans by Mary Lou Widmer.

Photograph of Margaret taken later in life. From Margaret: Friend of Orphans by Mary Lou Widmer
The work of philanthropist Margaret Gaffney Haughery (1813-1882) is legendary; through her orphanage, she cared for the abandoned, orphaned, and homeless youth of the city for nearly 50 years.
Mrs. William Francis Scheyd recently donated a dramatic photographic portrait of this important New Orleanian. Although the photographer who made this image is yet unknown,
the albumen photograph is in an ornate period frame, with the paper label of the framer, Laurent Uter, No. 38 Royal Street, still attached. Uter is listed at this address between 1875-1881.
A statue of Margaret Haughery, the first in the United States to honor a woman, is located on a triangular plot of ground at the intersection of Camp and Prytania streets.
Those familiar with the Margaret statue will note that the shawl seen in the photograph is the same as that depicted on her statue.

Margaret Haughery, Breadwoman of New Orleans
"The first statue erected in the United States to honor a woman's work is of Margaret Haughery in New Orleans.
The statue stands in a small triangular park at the intersection of Prytania and Camp Streets depicting a heavy set woman in a seated
position with her right arm embracing a child. The inscription is simply "Margaret."

The simplicity of the statue, erected in 1884 in the Irish Channel area, belies the enormous impact made by this astute business-woman and philanthropist.
When she died in 1882 thousands of city residents marched in her funeral procession, almost all of them recipients at one time
or another of her generosity as the "Breadwoman of New Orleans."
From Women and New Orleans A History by Mary Gehman and Nancy Ries

Margaret Haughery books and related reading Includes both Fiction & Non-Fiction books

Margaret Haughery books
and related reading
Includes both Fiction & Non-Fiction books