Delille, Henriette (1813–1862)
Delille, Henriette (1813–1862)
African-American religious leader. Born a free Creole of color in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1813; died in 1862; youngest of three children of Jean Baptiste Delille-Sarpy (a white creole) and his mistress Marie Joseph "Pouponne" Dias (a free woman of color).
So fair-skinned as to be mistaken for white on census records, Henriette Delille seems to have been "reared for plaçage, or for being the kept woman of a wealthy man," writes Lester Sullivan in Notable Black American Women; she was given lessons in French literature, dance, and music. But at age 11, Henriette entered a school for young girls run by the French nun, Sister Saint Marthe Fontier , and became deeply involved in charitable works. Delille eventually founded the Roman Catholic Sisters of the Holy Family, a society of free black women.
suggested reading:
Detiege, Sister Audrey Marie. Henriette Delille: Free Woman of Color: Foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Family. New Orleans, LA: Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans, 1976.
Hart, Sister Mary Francis. Violets in the King's Garden: A History of the Sisters of the Holy Family of New Orleans. New Orleans, LA: Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans, 1976.