Daniela pierre toussaint biography husband

He was a Black Haitian businessman and philanthropist. Little is known of his early life except that, like his mother and maternal grandmother, he spent his youth as a house slave on a plantation in the Artibonite Valley in central Haiti near the port of Saint Marc.

Daniela pierre toussaint biography husband: Records vary, but Pierre Toussaint

From his reading of these sermons, Toussaint developed his deep devotion to the Catholic faith. However, Toussaint supported her and himself from his earnings as a hairdresser, one of the few occupations open to blacks. Shortly before her death, on July 2, , she and her second husband formally emancipated Toussaint in a ceremony at the French consulate in New York City.

Thereafter, Toussaint established a lucrative business as a hairdresser for upper-class women. He was from a period when most barbers were African Americans. His reputation enabled him to develop a large clientele. In , he purchased the freedom of his sister Rosalie and another refugee from Saint Domingue, Mary Rose Juliette, whom he married in St.

Peter's Church in Although Toussaint's occupation as a hairdresser was financially rewarding, it was physically demanding. He regularly spent sixteen hours each day traveling throughout the city to the homes of his wealthy customers.