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Mrs. Julia McKinne Foster
First President of
Florida Division UDC
1896-1900

Mrs. Julia McKinne Foster was a member of the Martha Reid Chapter in Jacksonville and the wife of Bishop Edwin G. Weed of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida. Bishop Weed served during the War of 1861–1865 in Company T of the 7th Georgia Cavalry Regiment. In 1896, he also served as Chaplain of R. E. Lee Camp, United Confederate Veterans.

Florida Division
founded
July 14, 1896


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Answering the Call to Be United in Service

First Florida Chapter

The Florida Division started in Jacksonville with the Chapter later known as the Martha Reid Chapter. This initial Florida Chapter was officially designated as Jacksonville Chapter No. 19 by the General Organization during its assembly at the Second General Convention in Atlanta on November 7, 1895. Mrs. Clarence Maxwell of Jacksonville traveled to Atlanta to receive the new Chapter’s charter.

In January 1897, the Chapter’s name was changed to Martha Reid Chapter No. 19 in honor of Mrs. Mary Martha Reid, the beloved matron of Florida Hospital in Richmond. This wartime hospital was established by Dr. Thomas M. Palmer and other Floridians. Mrs. Reid faithfully nursed Florida soldiers throughout the War Between the States and, during the conflict, lost her only surviving son at the Battle of the Wilderness.

The beginnings of this first Florida Chapter go back two years before the founding of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in Nashville. All 32 charter members of Jacksonville Chapter No. 19 were previously members of the Confederate Home Association, a women’s group organized in 1892 to establish a home for aged and disabled Confederate soldiers and sailors.

When the call came from Nashville for Southern women in memorial and auxiliary societies to “have one name and wear one badge,” the Confederate Home Association applied for a charter. The group then disbanded, and UDC Chapter No. 19 was officially chartered in November 1895.

First Division Convention

With Florida’s first Chapter established, additional Chapters were needed before forming a Division. Members of the Jacksonville Chapter, under the leadership of their first president, Mrs. Theodore Hartridge, worked through correspondence and personal contacts across the state to help organize new Chapters.

Their efforts were quickly successful. Within a few months, five Chapters had been chartered and were ready to answer the call issued by Mrs. Hartridge to meet and organize a Florida Division.

This historic meeting was held at the Board of Trade Building in Jacksonville on July 14, 1896, with many members of Jacksonville Chapter No. 19 in attendance.

The five charter Chapters of the Florida Division were:

  • Jacksonville (Martha Reid) Chapter No. 19
  • Lake City (Stonewall) Chapter No. 47
  • Ocala (J.J. Dickison) Chapter No. 56
  • Brooksville Chapter No. 71
  • Palatka (Patton Anderson) Chapter No. 76

Today, the Florida Division remains united in carrying out the Organization’s objects: Historical, Educational, Benevolent, Memorial, and Patriotic.

Disclaimer: The presence of links to outside websites does not imply endorsement, approval, or concurrence by the United Daughters of the Confederacy® on any level. The name "United Daughters of the Confederacy" is a registered trademark of the General Organization and may not be used outside the Organization without the express written consent of the United Daughters of the Confederacy®. The official UDC insignia is a registered trademark of the General Organization and may not be used without the express written consent of the President General.

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 Last updated 30 Mar 2026