Esther de Berdt Reed
The Ladies Association of Philadelphia was established, according to a brochure that first appeared in Philadelphia in January 1780. Its author could only be identified by its title, Sentiments of an American Woman. Like many other Americans since, that American woman was a foreign-born citizen. She was Esther de Berdt Reed, a native of England who married Joseph Reed, a well-known Philadelphia lawyer who was at the time George Washington's assistant in the Continental Army. Joseph Reed was a distinguished Philadelphia attorney.
The Ladies Association declared its purpose to raise funds for the Continental troops' upkeep, who up until that point were frequently unpaid. The necessary monies couldn't be raised by Congress. The Ladies Association had greater success, but Washington was reluctant to provide the money to the troops directly out of concern that they might spend it on alcohol. The money was spent, at the General's request, on food and clothing for his men. Direct correspondence between Washington and de Berdt resulted in a productive working relationship that she later used to help create several additional Ladies Associations in the former colonies.
For Washington's men, the Ladies Associations made shirts out of material they had purchased, sewing their initials into the seams at Esther's insistence. In the end, the 39 members of the Philadelphia Ladies Association alone produced more than 2,000 shirts. Esther did not live to see the project completed and the United States triumph. Later that year, in Philadelphia, she passed away from dysentery.
- Born: October 22, 1746
- Died: September 18, 1780
