About Daniel Carter Beard
Who was Daniel Carter Beard?
Daniel Carter Beard, known to many as "Uncle Dan", was an Author, artist, surveyor, explorer, naturalist, conservationist, social reformer, a true pioneer, and a great spirit of the Boy Scouts of America.
He founded the youth organization "The Sons of Daniel Boone" in 1905.
More than any other man, Daniel Boone was responsible for the exploration and settlement of Kentucky--the western frontier of 18th century America. The Sons of Daniel Boone was in the 1900s, the largest boys organization in America. In many ways the movement was a precursor to the future Boy Scout movement.
Beard was a strong advocate and founder of Scouting in the United States.
More About Uncle Dan
The Early Years
Building an Organization
Building an Organization
Born June 21, 1850, in the Ohio River Valley, he was raised in Daniel Boone country of Ohio and Kentucky.
He studied civil engineering from Worrall’s Academy in Covington, Kentucky, and worked as an engineer and a surveyor in the Cincinnati area. In the 1870s Beard moved to New York City, where he studied at the Art Students’ League and began working as an illustrator. His work appeared in such publications as Harper’s Weekly and The New York Herald, and he illustrated a number of books, including Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889) and Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894).
Beard’s interest in outdoor activities led him to write The American Boys’ Handy Book (1882), which served as an instruction manual for a broad range of amusements suitable for young boys.
Building an Organization
Building an Organization
Building an Organization
In 1905 he wrote an article for a magazine to address the need for American and Canadian boys to form The Sons of Daniel Boone society, which later became the Boys of Pioneers, for the sole purpose to protect "our brothers in fur, feathers, scales, and bark." The society's main objective was to study the outdoor code, woodcraft, outdoor sports, along with having fun, to save and protect the outdoors. He was assisted by many generals, admirals and even Buffalo Bill. President Teddy Roosevelt was his best friend. The Sons of Daniel Boone soon became the largest youth group in America, rallying to the song "Cut a notch, cut a notch, cut a notch...For we are the Sons of Daniel Boone."
Scouting
Building an Organization
The Later Years
At the time the US Boy Scout movement was starting in 1910, Daniel Carter Beard was a vibrant 60-year-old man.
Working with Earnest Thompson Seton, James E. West and William D. Boyce, Daniel Carter Beard founded The Boy Scouts of America, He joined it enthusiastically as National Scout Commissioner and Chairman of the National Court of Honor. The Sons of Daniel Boone merged with The Boy Scouts of America.
Beard also helped his sister organize the Camp Fire Girls and was a Freemason - An award for Masonic Scouters has been named in his honor.
Beard founded Boy Scout Troop 1 in Flushing, New York.
The Later Years
The Later Years
Uncle Dan vowed that when the city transit line reached Flushing NY he would move. In 1928 when the subway line connected Flushing to New York City, he moved with his family to the suburbs - a 13 acre estate called Brooklands by the Mahwah River in the Village of Suffern in Rockland County, New York.
When Dan Beard was asked if he was the "father of scouting", he replied - "Scouting has no father, just many uncles. I am one of those uncles. I'm Uncle Dan in buckskin clothing."
Final Resting Place
Final Resting Place
Uncle Dan remained at Brooklands until his death on June 11, 1941 at the age of 90. He is buried near the Brookland Estate at the Brick Church Cemetery in Spring Valley, New York.
In 2001, 9 acres of the original Brooklands Estate were transformed into Brooklands Park creating a sanctuary in honor of Daniel Carter Beard's dedication to nature.
His Legacy
Final Resting Place
The Friends of Daniel Carter Beard is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focusing on showcasing the legacy of Daniel Carter Beard.
See "The Legacy below