Daniel Beard in later life
The American Boy's Handy Book, by Daniel Beard
Captain Jinks, Hero, from the 1902 book of the same name, illustrated by Beard
Daniel Carter "Uncle Dan" Beard (June 21, 1850–
June 11, 1941) was an American illustrator, author, and social reformer who was one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America.
Early life
Beard was born in Cincinnati, Ohio into a family of artists.[1] As a youth, he explored the woods and made sketches of nature. He lived at
322 East Third Street in Covington, Kentucky near the Licking River, where he learned the stories of Kentucky
pioneer life. The home is now located in the Licking-Riverside Historic District.
He started an early career as an engineer and surveyor. He attended art school in New York
City. He wrote a series of articles for St. Nicholas magazine that later formed the basis for the American Boy's
Handy Book. He was a member of the Student Art League, where he met and befriended Ernest Thompson Seton in 1883. He illustrated a number of books for Mark Twain, and for other authors such as Ernest Crosby.
Beard became the editor of Recreation magazine and wrote a monthly column for youth. He founded the Sons of Daniel Boone in 1905, basing it on American frontier traditions. He later moved his column
to Women's Home Companion. After conflicts with a new editor, he moved to the Pictorial Review. Since Women's Home Companion retained the rights to the name, he simply
renamed the organization to Boy Pioneers of America.[2]
Scouting
He merged his organization into the Boy Scouts of America when it was founded
in 1910. Beard became one of the first National Scout Commissioners of the Boy Scouts and served it
for 30 years. The work of both Beard and Ernest Thompson Seton are in large part
the basis of the Traditional Scouting movement.[3]
Beard also helped his sister organize the Camp Fire Girls and became president of the
Camp Fire Club of America. Beard was a Freemason in a
New York Lodge, and an award for Masonic Scouters has been named in his honor.
Prior to the establishment of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award,
Dan Beard was recipient of the first and only "gold Eagle badge" awarded at the Second National Training Conference of Scout
Executives held in 1922 in Blue Ridge, North Carolina.[4]
Beard died on June 11, 1941, at his home (named Brooklands) in Suffern, New
York.[5] He was buried near his home at the Brick
Church Cemetery in Spring Valley, New York.[6]
The Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, which carries I-471 across the Ohio River, was named for him. A life-size bronze
statue of Daniel Carter Beard and Boy Scout, created by world-renowned sculptor Kenneth Bradford, stands in Covington, Kentucky near his boyhood home, now a National Historic Landmark.[7]
At the Philmont Scout Ranch in the Northern Region, there is a staffed campsite named after him. At that campsite scouts work
on low impact camping and participate in team building activities. The campsite is also on the edge of the Valle Vidal, and much
vegetation around it is burned down due to many fires.
Bibliography
- The American Boy's Handy Book, 1882, 1903 (still in print)
- The American Girl's Handy Book, 1887 (still in print)
- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, 1889
(illustrator, still in print)
- The American Boy's Book of Sport, 1890
- Moonlight and Six Feet of Romance, 1892 (still in print)
- The Outdoor Handy Book, 1896 (still in print)
- Jack of All Trades, 1900, 1904?
- Field and Forest Handy Book, 1906 (still in print)
- Handicraft for Outdoor Boys, 1906
- Animal Book and Campfire Stories, 1907
- Boy Pioneers and Sons of Daniel Boone, 1909
- Boat, Building, and Boating, 1912 (still in print)
- Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties, 1914 (still in print)
- The American Boy's Book of Bugs, Butterflies and Beetles, 1916
- The American Boy's Book of Signs, Signals and Symbols, 1918
- The American Boy's Book of Camp-Lore and Woodcraft, 1920 (still in print)
- The American Boy's Book of Wild Animals, 1921
- The Black Wolf-Pack , 1922,
- American Boy's Book of Birds and Brownies of the Woods, 1923
- Do It Yourself, 1925
- Wisdom of the Woods, 1926, 1927?
- Buckskin Book For Buckskin Men and Boys, 1929
- Hardly A Man is Now Alive, 1939 (his autobiography)
See also
References
- ^ Rowan, Edward L (2005). To Do My Best: James E. West and the History of the Boy Scouts of America.
Las Vegas International Scouting Museum. ISBN 0-9746479-1-8.
- ^ (June 2006) "ISCA
Journal". International Scouting Collectors Association 6 (2): 10.
- ^ Traditional Scouting. American Traditional Scouting. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
- ^ Rowan, Edward L (2005). To Do My Best: James E. West and the History of the Boy Scouts of America.
Las Vegas International Scouting Museum. ISBN 0-9746479-1-8.
- ^ June 12, 1941, New York Herald Tribune
- ^ Brick Church Cemetery aka Reformed Church Cemetery, Beard Family Plot -
(Section D, Division 1, Plot 1, Grave 6),221 Brick Church Rd (Brick Church Rd and Hwy 306), Spring Valley NY 10977,
845-354-6785
- ^ Beard,
Daniel C., Boyhood Home. National Historic Landmarks. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
External links
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