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Henrietta S. Bowers Duterte (1817-1903) was a prominent businesswoman and a philanthropist known for her charity fundraising. Born into a well-established free Black family in Philadelphia, her brother, Thomas Bowers, was a well-known opera singer popularly referred to as \u201cthe Black Mario.\u201d[note]\u201cAbout Persons and Things.\u201d Plaindealer<\/em> 28 Nov. 1890: 4 African American Newspapers<\/em>. Web.17 March, 2013.[\/note] She married Francis A. Duterte, an undertaker who started his own business in 1852.[note]White, Charles Frederick. Who\u2019s who in Philadelphia: A Collection of Thirty Biographical Sketches of Philadelphia Colored People. Philadelphia<\/em>: A. M. E. Book Concern, 1912: 84.[\/note] The Dutertes were a prominent and well-connected Philadelphia family who exemplified the values of education and hard work that the Black middle class strove to uphold. Such status also included political activism, and Francis Duterte participated in the 1855 National Colored Convention as a delegate.[note]Proceedings of the Colored National Convention, Philadelphia, 1855<\/em>. Salem, New Jersey: National Standard Office, 1856. Print.[\/note]<\/p>\n Although Black women during this period often learned their husbands\u2019 trades, they rarely owned their own businesses. Yet, when Mrs. Duterte’s husband died of a sudden illness in 1859, she not only inherited her husband\u2019s shop, but successfully managed the business for the next several decades.[note]\u201cLarge Funeral-Sudden Death.\u201d The Liberator<\/em> 25 March 1859: 2. America\u2019s Historical Newspapers<\/em>. Web. 17 March, 2013; [\/note] Indeed, she defied the gender norms of the undertaking profession, becoming the first woman in America to operate a mortuary.[note]Walker, Juliet E. K. The History of Black Business in American: Capitalism, Race, Entrepreneurship. Second ed. Volume 1, to 1865.<\/em> Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2009:166.[\/note] She was extremely successful in this line of work and was noted for being \u201cprompt in her business affairs, and sympathizing and accommodating to all\u2014rich or poor.\u201d[note]\u201cUndertaking.\u201d The Christian Recorder<\/em> 8 March 1862. African American Newspapers<\/em>. Web. 16 March, 2013.[\/note]<\/p>\n Henrietta Duterte used her business for more than just profit; it also enabled her to hide fugitive slaves from detection. She literally turned her trade into a vehicle for emancipation. As a member of the Underground Railroad, she often hid runaways in coffins or disguised them as part of funeral processions to ensure their safe passage.[note]Blockson, Charles L. Philadelphia: 1639-2000- Black America Series<\/em>. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2000:47. Etheridge, Lesley Gist. The Gist of Freedom is Still Faith<\/em>. The Gist of Freedom: David Lubell, 2005.108.[\/note] Additionally, she used her business profits to support the Black community through philanthropic projects. She contributed financially to the First Colored Church in Philadelphia and raised money to pay the pastor of Allen Chapel\u2019s salary.[note]\u201cAcknowledgement.\u201d The Christian Recorder<\/em> 20 July 1867. African American Newspapers<\/em>. Web. 16 March, 2013. Gould, T. Rev. \u201cA Happy New Year.\u201d The Christian Recorder<\/em> 18 Jan. 1877. African American Newspapers<\/em>. Web. 16 March, 2013.[\/note] She also fundraised on behalf of Stephen Smith\u2019s Philadelphia Home for Aged and Infirm Colored Persons and helped to organize the 1866 Freedman\u2019s Aid Society Fair to aid free Blacks in Tennessee.[note]\u201cBrief Editorials\u201d The Christian Recorder<\/em> 19 Feb. 1870. African American Newspapers<\/em>. Web. 16 March, 2013. \u201cFreedmen\u2019s Fair.\u201d The Christian Recorder<\/em> 30 June 1866. African American Newspapers<\/em>. Web. 16 March 2013. \u201cHome for Aged and Inform Colored Persons\u201d The Christian Recorder<\/em> 9 Oct. 1884. African American Newspapers<\/em>. Web. 16 March, 2013. \u201cHome for Aged and Infirm Colored Persons.\u201d The Christian Recorder<\/em> 19 June 1884. African American Newspaper<\/em>s. Web. 16 March, 2013. Our Own Reporter. \u201cPhiladelphia Matters.\u201d The Christian Recorder <\/em>8 April 1880. African American Newspapers<\/em>. Web. 16 March, 2013. \u201cStephen Smith\u2019s Birthday.\u201d The Christian Recorder<\/em> 23 Oct. 1890. African American Newspapers<\/em>. Web. 16 March, 2013.[\/note]<\/p>\n While she remained socially active throughout her life, she gradually transferred the management of her business to her nephew, Joseph Seth, who continued to operate it after her death.[note]\u201cFelicia Blue.\u201d Find a Grave<\/em>. 17 Mar. 2009. Web. 18 March, 2013.[\/note] She died on December 23, 1903, at the age of eighty-six and was buried in Eden Cemetery.[note]\u201cDied-Duterte\u201d Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em> 27 December 1903. African American Newspapers<\/em>. Web. 17 March, 2013. \u201cHenrietta S. Duterte.\u201d Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Death Certificates Index, 1803-1915<\/em>. Prove, UT, USA: Ancestry. Com Operations, Inc., 2011. Web. 16 March, 2013.[\/note] Recently, H.S. Duterte has garnered increased attention from scholars, resulting in her re-inscription within the history of Black business and abolitionism in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.106″ background_image=”https:\/\/oldsite.coloredconventions.org\/mobilitymigration1855\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/01\/Panorama-from-Philadelphia-State-House-steeple-1838.jpg” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” inner_width=”auto” inner_max_width=”1080px” prev_background_color=”#ffffff” next_background_color=”#ffffff”][et_pb_row make_fullwidth=”on” use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.92″ background_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.77)” module_alignment=”center” module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”100%” max_width_tablet=”100%” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ 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