Esther de Berdt Esther de Berdt Reed ( October 22 , 1746 – September 18 , 1780 ) was active in the American Revolutionary War as a civic leader for soldiers ' relief , who formed and led the Ladies Association of Philadelphia to provide aid for George Washington ' s troops during the war . Early life . Esther de Berdt was born in London , England , 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 . At the age of twenty - three Esther married Joseph Reed , an American who had studied law in London . Thereafter , she and her widowed mother followed him to Philadelphia in the American colonies . Joseph became a prosperous lawyer and a local political leader , and the couple entertained members of the Continental Congress , including George Washington and John Adams . Reed later served as Washington ' s secretary and aide - de - camp . Role in Revolutionary War . 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 . De Berdt had wanted to give the men gold or silver coins , something above and beyond what they would normally receive , but Washington feared the money would be used for liquor , and that the men , used to receiving paper money , each volunteer seamstress , whether married or unmarried , sew her name into the clothing she made . More than 2 , 200 shirts for the soldiers were created from the funds and the labor of these women . For de Berdt ' s efforts in support of the American cause , she was recognized as a Daughter of Liberty . Unfortunately , Reed did not live to see her efforts fully realized . Reed died on September 18 , 1780 , at the young age of 34 . The daughter of Benjamin Franklin , Sarah Franklin Bache , took over Reed ’ s position and finished the patriotic project . Though she did not see the project finished , Reed ’ s efforts did not go unacknowledged . She was recognized as a Daughter of Liberty , and women in several colonies , including Maryland , New Jersey , and Virginia , followed her example by starting similar fundraising organizations . Her commitment to the Revolution is especially noteworthy because she was British ; she had lived in America only a few years before the war against her homeland began . In writing about her reasons for this unusual action , Esther Reed made it clear that freedom was her motivation , and that women also were capable of publishing political thought . 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 < br > President of this State , who departed this life < br > On the 18th of September , A . D . 1780 , aged 34 [ sic ] years . < br > Reader ! If the possession of those virtues of the heart < br > Which make life valuable , or those personal endowments which < br > Command esteem and love , may claim respectful and affectionate < br > Remembrance , venerate the ashes here entombed . < br > If to have the cup of temporal blessings dashed < br > In the period and station of life in which temporal blessings < br > May be best enjoyed , demands our sorrow , drop a tear , and < br > Think how slender is that thread on which the joys < br > And hopes of life depend . Publications . Reed contributed to " The Sentiments of an American Woman , " a broadside published in Philadelphia on 10 January 1780 , which appealed for women ' s war support and declared that women were the equals of men in patriotism . The call to action was successful and the Ladies Association of Philadelphia became the largest women ’ s organization of the Revolutionary War .