The Founding of Our Chapter

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One day in the winter of 1896, several ladies were invited to meet at the home of Miss Cora Belle Bickford, and over a cup of tea they discussed the possibility of forming a chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Biddeford, Maine. Twelve members were required to form a chapter, and since many men from this vicinity served in the Revolutionary War, it was not difficult to find twelve eligible women to become members-at-large. Miss Bickford was appointed organizing regent and on January 25, 1897, a chapter was formed at her home. Since five members were descended from Rebecca Emery, it was decided to name the chapter after her.

Miss Cora Bickford automatically became the first regent with authority to appoint the necessary officers who would serve until an election was held by the chapter.

Now being a duly organized chapter, a charter was granted by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution on March 20, 1897. The charter was signed by President General Letitia Green Stevenson, Recording Secretary Charlotte Emerson Main, and countersigned by Maine State Regent Helen Frye White.

The first meeting of the newly formed chapter was held at the home of Sarah E.D. Jelleson on February 13, 1897, at which time the officers were elected. At subsequent meetings, committees and a board of councilors were chosen.

New members were added at yearly meetings. At a meeting held on October 2, 1897, it was voted that since no chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution had been formed in Saco, Maine, the eligible ladies of that city would be invited to join the Rebecca Emery Chapter NSDAR.

The Life of Rebecca Emery     Back to top

The woman for whom our chapter is named must have been a very colorful and proud lady. We feel honored to carry her name in our chapter. She had a zest for life and yet was so caring and compassionate to those in her community and to the strangers whom she served in her business. Her motto may truly have been: “There are no real strangers – only friends we have not met.”
Rebecca must have inherited her outgoing personality from the paternal side of her family. Her great-grandfather, Anthony Emery, was born in England and came to America on the ship “James” in 1635. He often held positions such as juryman and selectman in Kittery, Maine, where he settled. However, in 1680 he was fined for entertaining Quakers and was disfranchised. At that time he moved to Providence, Rhode Island.

Anthony’s son, James, remained in Kittery, Maine, and his family consisted of seven children. His oldest son, also James, was born in 1658. His wife was Margaret Hitchcock. Of their nine children, Rebecca Emery was their fifth. She was born March 7, 1697, in Berwick, Maine, but no other information is available on her youth. On January 1, 1719, she married Captain Daniel Smith of Biddeford, Maine, and from this marriage they had ten children. Little is known of Daniel and Rebecca’s children. One daughter named Rebecca married Dominicus Scammon, the son of a partner in the Pepperell Company. Another daughter married a lawyer. No others are mentioned in the histories available. Captain Smith was formerly of Exeter, New Hampshire, and was one of the earliest settlers in the latter part of the century to come to Biddeford, Maine. He was very prosperous and owned a lot of property. In 1738, Daniel and Rebecca ran an inn situated on King’s Highway, which now would be near the corner of Jefferson and South Streets in Biddeford, Maine. That year, Daniel paid the fourth-highest taxes in the town of Biddeford, Maine. He served the town in many capacities such as constable, deer warden, selectman, and as representative on the General Court, the chief legislative body of Massachusetts.

Daniel Smith died in 1752, and his estate showed that he had accumulated several hundred acres of land, three Negro slaves, four horses, twelve oxen, seventeen cows and calves, and twenty-four sheep. He owned five feather beds, but no books, riding equipment, or carriages. Captain and Rebecca must have either walked or ridden on horseback, possibly with Rebecca riding “pillion” behind Daniel.

On May 29, 1755, his widow, Rebecca, married Lieutenant Nathaniel Ladd from Falmouth, Maine, who originally came from Exeter, New Hampshire. Nathaniel helped Rebecca run the inn, which was now known as “Ladd’s Inn.” It was a famous landmark for more than a full generation. Many stories are available to attest to the fact that the inn was an extremely popular establishment, of the highest repute.

Lieutenant Ladd died in 1776, and Madame Ladd, as Rebecca was known, survived her second husband by ten years. In these years, she continued to run the inn by herself. On January 27, 1786, Rebecca died in Biddeford, Maine, at the age of eighty-eight. Rebecca is the only woman to have a personal epitaph in the “Old Biddeford” town records. It reads as follows: “Departed this life in the eighty-ninth year of her age, Mrs. Ladd, a noted midwife in this neighborhood. She had ten children (three alive), forty-eight grandchildren (thirty-three alive), eighty-two great-grandchildren (seventy alive), and four great-great-grandchildren (all alive). Total 144…Of whom 110 are now alive.” That certainly makes each and every member of the Rebecca Emery Chapter NSDAR very proud indeed. May it inspire each individual to strive for excellence in all pursuits of life.

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