Thanks for joining us for episode 3 in our Holy Donors season on Margaret Haughery! We ended the previous episode with questions about the future of Margaret’s dairy, and we now learn about the tremendous changes heading Margaret’s way.

Margaret’s dairy had been very successful, yet in this episode, our hosts share about how Margaret sold the dairy in order to take on a new business venture, a bakery. Margaret’s interest in the bakery began when she offered low-interest loans to its owner. Unfortunately, the baker was unable to make his business profitable, and Margaret decided to buy him out and run the bakery herself.

The bakery allowed Margaret to run a second successful business while also feeding the orphans, elderly, and poor of New Orleans with her baked goods. At this point, Margaret also moved out of the orphanage and into an apartment above the bakery, marking the first time she’d lived on her own in nearly 25 years!

Our hosts also include a discussion on slavery in New Orleans at the time. Margaret and the sisters employed slaves, and the national tension over slavery is growing. The Civil War is imminent, and the war will have a profound effect on the people of New Orleans. Join us next time to learn if and how Margaret and her orphans survive the Civil War!

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Recommended reading:

"Margaret, Friend of Orphans" by Mary Lou Widmer

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