Maybe the best-known figure from the American Revolutionary time who wasn't a president, general or statesman, Betsy Ross turned into a symbol in the late nineteenth century when stories surfaced that she had sewn the primary "stars and stripes" U.S. banner in 1776.
Elizabeth Griscom was born on January 1, 1752, in the bustling colonial city of Philadelphia. She was the eighth of 17 children. Her parents, Rebecca James Griscom and Samuel Griscom were both Quakers.
The little girl of a skilled worker, Betsy went to a Quaker school and was then apprenticed to William Webster, an upholsterer. In Webster's workshop, she figured out how to sew sleeping cushions, seat spreads, and window blinds. In 1773, at age 21, Betsy crossed the stream to New Jersey to steal away with John Ross, the child of an Episcopal minister who got her ousted from the Quaker church.
The Rosses began their own upholstery shop, and John joined the state army. He died after scarcely two years of marriage. Despite the fact that family legend would ascribe John's passing to a black powder blast, the disease is a more probable offender. Betsy Ross was making flags around that timeâ€"a receipt shows that the Pennsylvania State Navy Board paid her 15 pounds for sewing ship’s standards.
The records of the U.S. flag’s origins are fragmentary in part because at the time Americans were indifferent to flags as national relics. “The Star-Spangled Banner†was written in 1812 but did not become popular until the 1840s. As the 1876 U.S. Centennial approached, enthusiasm for the flag increased.
An 1871 pamphlet enthusiastically not only credited Betsy Ross for designing the first U.S. flag but for coming up with the name "United States of America" and writing a hymn that was the basis for the French anthem "La Marseillaise." Americans love the story of Betsy Ross’s making the nation’s first official flag. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize Betsy Rose role for the future of the United States.
Elizabeth Griscom was born on January 1, 1752, in the bustling colonial city of Philadelphia. She was the eighth of 17 children. Her parents, Rebecca James Griscom and Samuel Griscom were both Quakers.
The little girl of a skilled worker, Betsy went to a Quaker school and was then apprenticed to William Webster, an upholsterer. In Webster's workshop, she figured out how to sew sleeping cushions, seat spreads, and window blinds. In 1773, at age 21, Betsy crossed the stream to New Jersey to steal away with John Ross, the child of an Episcopal minister who got her ousted from the Quaker church.
The Rosses began their own upholstery shop, and John joined the state army. He died after scarcely two years of marriage. Despite the fact that family legend would ascribe John's passing to a black powder blast, the disease is a more probable offender. Betsy Ross was making flags around that timeâ€"a receipt shows that the Pennsylvania State Navy Board paid her 15 pounds for sewing ship’s standards.
The records of the U.S. flag’s origins are fragmentary in part because at the time Americans were indifferent to flags as national relics. “The Star-Spangled Banner†was written in 1812 but did not become popular until the 1840s. As the 1876 U.S. Centennial approached, enthusiasm for the flag increased.
An 1871 pamphlet enthusiastically not only credited Betsy Ross for designing the first U.S. flag but for coming up with the name "United States of America" and writing a hymn that was the basis for the French anthem "La Marseillaise." Americans love the story of Betsy Ross’s making the nation’s first official flag. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize Betsy Rose role for the future of the United States.