Adelia B. Beard and Lina Beard were cofounders of the first American girls’ scouting group, known originally as the Girl Scout Society, then the Girl Pioneers, and finally as the Camp Fire Girls. Both were greatly interested in equal franchise for women and were members of the Equal Franchise Society of Flushing. Lina and Adelia co-authored several books together, the most well-known of which is The American Girls’ Handy Book. They lived in Suffern, New York.