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. Esther de Berdt was born in London, England on October 22, 1746, into a family descended of Protestant refugees from Ypres, who had fled the "Spanish Fury" led by the Duke of Alba. Her family (including her younger brother) 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.
