Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire. Emma Frances Pratt Chapter

Emma Francis Jane (Vail) (Birge) Pratt (1851-1917) was born in New York but came to Hamilton at a young age as her father was one of the partners in the firm of Sanford, Vail & Bickley. She attended the Wesleyan Ladies’ College and graduated with two diplomas. She first married Morton Birge in 1870 and later Thomas H. Pratt in 1879. She was very active with women’s organizations such as the WCTU and was one of the founders of the Hamilton YWCA in 1889, co-writing their constitution.