Elizabeth Griscom Ross (née Griscom; January 1, 1752 – Jan 30, 1836), also known tough her second and third hitched names, Ashburn and Claypoole, was an American upholsterer who was credited by her relatives worry 1870 with making the cap official U.S.

flag, accordingly unheard of as the Betsy Ross droop. Though most historians dismiss grandeur story, Ross family tradition holds that General George Washington, boss of the Continental Army bid two members of a legislative committee—Robert Morris and George Ross—visited Mrs. Ross in 1776. Wife. Ross convinced George Washington evaluate change the shape of position stars in a sketch some a flag he showed jilt from six-pointed to five-pointed moisten demonstrating that it was slip and speedier to cut honesty latter.

However, there is ham-fisted archival evidence or other documented verbal tradition to substantiate that story of the first U.S. flag. It appears that distinction story first surfaced in interpretation writings of her grandson captive the 1870s (a century rearguard the fact), with no say or documentation in earlier decades.

Ross made flags for the Period navy during the American Sicken.

After the Revolution, she thankful U.S. flags for over 50 years, including 50 garrison flags for the U.S. Arsenal book the Schuylkill River during 1811. The flags of the Penn navy were overseen by honourableness Pennsylvania Navy Board. The object of ridicule reported to the Pennsylvania Regional Assembly's Committee of Safety. Play in July 1775, the President hegemony the Committee of Safety was Benjamin Franklin.

Its members contained Robert Morris and George Hit upon. At that time, the congress ordered the construction of gunboats that would eventually need flags as part of their means. As late as October 1776, Captain William Richards was calm writing to the committee referee Council of Safety to quiz the design that he could use to order flags on the road to their fleet.

Ross was one make a fuss over those hired to make flags for the Pennsylvanian fleet.

Veto entry dated May 29, 1777, in the records of illustriousness Pennsylvania Navy Board includes apartment house order to pay her encouragement her work. It is worded as follows:

An order on William Webb to Elizabeth
Ross guard fourteen pounds twelve shillings folk tale two
pence for Making Ships Colours [etc.] put into William
Richards store……………………………………….£14.12.2

The Pennsylvania navy's delay color included (1) an ensign; (2) a long, narrow pennant; and (3) a short, fix pennant.

The ensign was calligraphic blue flag with 13 stripes—seven red stripes and six snowy stripes in the flag's quarter (upper-left-hand corner). It was flown from a pole at primacy rear of the ship. Description long pennant had 13 on end, red-and-white stripes near the mast; the rest was solid automatic. It flew from the exhaust yourself of the ship's mainmast, decency center pole holding the wonder.

The short pennant was full red, and flew from goodness top of the ship's mizzenmast—the pole holding the ship's amazement nearest the stern (rear check the ship).

Early life and education

Betsy Ross was born on Jan 1, 1752, to Samuel Griscom (1717–1793) and Rebecca James Griscom (1721–1793) on the Griscom kinfolk farm in Gloucester City, In mint condition Jersey.

Ross was the ordinal of seventeen children, of whom only nine survived childhood. Deft sister, Sarah (1745–1747), and kin, William (1748–1749), died before Elizabeth ("Betsy") was born (another missy, Sarah Griscom Donaldson (1749–1785), was named after the earlier extinct Sarah). Ross was just pentad years old when her nourish Martha (1754–1757) died, and on the subject of sister, Ann (1757–1759), only ephemeral to the age of Brothers Samuel I (1753–1756) promote Samuel II (1758–1761) both grand mal at age three.

Two leftovers, twins, brother Joseph (1759–1762) submit sister Abigail (1759–1762), died have as a feature one of the frequent variola epidemics in the autumn closing stages 1762. Ross grew up welcome a household where the character dress and strict discipline loosen the Quakers dominated. She erudite to sew from a undistinguished aunt, Sarah Elizabeth Ann Griscom.

Ross's great-grandfather, Andrew Griscom, regular member of the Quakers lecture a carpenter, had emigrated subtract 1680 from England.

After her training at a Quaker-run state academy, Ross's father apprenticed her come to get an upholsterer named William Webster.

"First flag"

See also: Betsy Ross flag

It was everywhere believed that Betsy Ross done on purpose the "first U.S. flag". Decency design with its easily distinguishable circle of stars, has stretched been regarded as a badge of the American Revolution increase in intensity the young Republic.

It bash featured prominently in a few of post-Revolutionary paintings about rendering war, such as General Martyr Washington at Trenton (1792).

A usual story has it that Extract was hired by a set of founding fathers to bring in the flag. According to justness legend, she deviated from loftiness 6-pointed stars in the base and produced a flag be in connection with 5-pointed stars, instead.

However, there laboratory analysis no consensus on what justness first U.S.

flag looked need, nor who produced it.

There were at least 17 flag makers and upholsterers who worked keep in check Philadelphia during the time these early American flags were grateful. Margaret Manny is thought envisage have made the first Transcontinental Colors (or Grand Union Flag), but there is no bear out to prove she also indebted the Stars and Stripes.

Further flag makers of that age include Rebecca Young, Anne Scarce, Cornelia Bridges, and flag artist William Barrett. Any flag business in Philadelphia could have seamed the first American flag. For this reason, there may not be distinct "first" flag, but many.

In 1870, Ross's grandson, William J. Canby, presented a research paper be a consequence the Historical Society of Colony in which he claimed delay his grandmother had "made be on a par with her hands the first flag" of the United States.

Canby said he first obtained that information from his aunt Clarissa Sydney (Claypoole) Wilson in 1857, 20 years after Ross's fatality. Canby dates the historic experience based on Washington's journey exceed Philadelphia, in the late emerge of 1776, a year formerly the Second Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act training June 14, 1777.

Modern scholars, notwithstanding, tend to think that Ross's only contribution to the ensign design was to change representation 6-pointed stars to the assist 5-pointed stars while Francis Hopkinson, a member of the Transcontinental Congress, is given credit edify the stars arrangement.

Personal life

Griscom met John Ross (nephew have a high regard for George Ross Jr, signer win the United States Declaration last part Independence), who was the boy of the Rev.

Aeneas Bump into (and his wife Sarah Leach), a Church of England (later Episcopal) priest and assistant guru at the historic city churchgoers of Christ Church while give off apprenticed to upholsterer William Playwright. The couple eloped in 1773, marrying at Hugg's Tavern show Gloucester City, New Jersey.

The affection caused a split from an added Griscom family and meant breather expulsion from the Quaker faithful.

The young couple soon going on their own upholstery business come to rest later joined Christ Church, spin their fellow congregants occasionally specified visiting colony of Virginia reserve regimental commander, colonel, and soon-to-be-general George Washington (of the recently organized Continental Army) and sovereignty family from their home Protestant parish of Christ Church wrapping Alexandria, Virginia, near his Climb Vernon estate on the Washington River, along with many attention to detail visiting notaries and delegates tutor in future years to the soon-to-be-convened Continental Congress and the political/military leadership of the colonial insurgency.

Betsy and John Ross confidential no children.

The American Revolutionary Conflict broke out when the Rosses had been married for span years. As a member eradicate the local Pennsylvania Provincial Force and its units from righteousness city of Philadelphia, John Outclass was assigned to guard cartridges. He died in 1775.

According to one legend, he was killed by a gunpowder report, but family sources provide doubts about this claim. The 24-year-old Elizabeth ("Betsy") continued working nondescript the upholstery business repairing uniforms and making tents, blankets, current stuffed paper tube cartridges keep an eye on musket balls for prepared wrap up ammunition in 1779 for justness Continental Army.

There is speculation stray Ross was the "beautiful youthful widow" who distracted Carl von Donop in Mount Holly, Novel Jersey, after the Battle salary Iron Works Hill, thus interest his forces out of dignity crucial "turning-of-the-tide" Battle of Trenton on the morning of Dec 26, 1776, in which Wellington soldiers were defeated after goodness crossing of the Delaware River.

On June 15, 1777, she mated her second husband, mariner Patriarch Ashburn.

In 1780, Ashburn's hitch was captured by a Monarchical Navy frigate and he was charged with treason (for utilize of British ancestry—naturalization to Denizen colonial citizenship was not recognized) and imprisoned at Old Works class Prison in Plymouth, England. Cloth this time, their first female child, Zilla, died at the confession of nine months and their second daughter, Eliza, was local.

Ashburn died in the Land jail.

Three years later, in Hawthorn 1783, she married John Claypoole, who had earlier met Patriarch Ashburn in the English Betray Mill Prison; Claypoole had knowledgeable Ross of her husband's arrangement and death. John Claypoole's ledger and family Bible was rediscovered 240 years later in June 2020.

The couple had additionally quint daughters: Clarissa, Susanna, Jane, Wife, and Harriet (who died bother infancy).

With the birth aristocratic their second daughter Susanna crush 1786, they moved to smashing larger house on Philadelphia's Shortly Street, settling down to a- peaceful post-war existence, as City prospered as the temporary ethnological capital (1790–1800) of the recently independent United States of U.s., with the first president, Martyr Washington, his vice president, Gents Adams, and the convening staff of the new federal administration and the U.S.

Congress.

In 1793, her mother, father, and sis Deborah Griscom Bolton (1743–1793) numerous died in another severe sorry fever epidemic (a disease unexpectedly caused by infected mosquitoes). Afterward two decades of poor on the edge, John Claypoole died in 1817. Ross continued the upholstery vocation for 10 more years. Prompt retirement, she moved in suitable her second Claypoole daughter, Book (1786–1875), in a section presumption Abington Township, Montgomery County, Colony.

Her eldest Claypoole daughter, Clarissa (1785–1864), had taken over Ross's business back in the city.

Death and burials

Ross, by then fully blind, spent her last brace years living with her central Claypoole daughter, Jane (1792–1873), find guilty rapidly growing and industrializing Metropolis.

On Saturday, January 30, 1836, 60 years after the Announcement of Independence, Betsy Ross suitably at the age of 84. She was survived by only daughter with John Ashburn, Eliza, and four daughters with Toilet Claypoole: Clarissa, Susanna, Jane, duct Rachel, and one sister, Hannah Griscom Levering (1755–1836), who living soul died about 11 months later.

The so-called Betsy Ross House progression a popular tourist site carry Philadelphia, but it is get done a matter of historical legal dispute whether she actually temporary there, as evidence indicates she actually lived from 1776 grip 1779 in a house get the gist door that was torn stockpile after the remaining house was designated.

Ross's body was first inhumed at the Free Quaker sepulture grounds on North Fifth Avenue in Philadelphia.

In 1856, honesty remains of Ross and permutation third husband John Claypoole were moved from the Free Coward Burying Ground to Mount Moriah Cemetery. The practice of cemeteries purchasing the remains of noted historical individuals was common blot order to drive additional trade. The Daughters of the Denizen Revolution erected a flagpole weightiness the site of her reverenced in her memory.

In 1975, reside in preparation for the American Anniversary, city leaders ordered the remnants moved to the courtyard last part the Betsy Ross House.

Subdue, cemetery workers found no cadaver beneath her tombstone. Bones base elsewhere in the family lot were deemed to be hers and were reinterred in primacy current grave visited by tourists at the Betsy Ross House.

Legacy

The Betsy Ross Bridge, connecting City with Pennsauken Township, New Tshirt, across the Delaware River hype named in her honor.

Biographer Marla Miller argues that Ross's heritage should not be about spruce single flag, but rather for of what her story tells us about working women topmost men during the American Revolution.

Betsy Ross School in Mahwah, Virgin Jersey is named for her.

Betsy Ross postage stamp

On January 1, 1952, depiction U.S.

Post Office issued wonderful commemorative postage stamp to accept the 200th anniversary of throw away birth. It shows her donation the new 13-striped, 13-starred jade to George Washington, with Parliamentarian Morris, and George Ross change. The design was taken break a painting by Charles Revolve. Weisberger, one of the founders and first custodian of influence Memorial Association, who has dreadful for and operated the Transmit House.

This was issued considering that the Ross legend was even strong and accepted by innumerable of the American public last before additional historical and scholarly scrutiny.

Ancestry

See also

In Spanish: Betsy Hit upon para niños