Esther de Berdt

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Esther de Berdt Reed (October 22, 1746 – September 18, 1780) was active in the American Revolutionary War as a leader who organized women in the cause of American independence.

[edit] Early life

Esther de Berdt was born in London, into a family descended of Protestant refugees from Ypres, who had fled the "Spanish Fury" led by the Duke of Alba. Her family called her Hette or Hettie and she loved books very much. In 1770, at the age of twenty-three, she married Joseph Reed, an American studying law in London. Thereafter, she and her widowed mother followed him to Philadelphia in the American colonies. Reed later served as George Washington's secretary and aide-de-camp.

[edit] History

Though she was English by birth, Esther was exceptionally devoted to the revolutionary cause. During the Revolutionary War, she helped organize a women's group in Philadelphia which raised more than $7000 in support of the war. At the suggestion of General Washington, the group then used the funds to purchase linen and sew clothing for American troops. For her efforts in support of the American cause, she was recognized as a Daughter of Liberty. During an evacuation of Philadelphia she fled with her six children to Flemington, New Jersey.

She is buried in the Arch Street Presbyterian Church cemetery in Philadelphia. Her epitaph reads:

In memory of Esther
The beloved wife of Joseph Reed
President of this State
Who departed this life
On the 18th of September, 1780
Aged thirty three years