Betsy Ross & the Nation’s First Flag

The year was 1870, decades after her passing, when the legend of Betsy Ross began to take root in the fertile ground of American historical narrative. It was in Pennsylvania that the tale of her sewing the first U.S. Flag, a vibrant emblem of a nascent nation, began to be stitched into the very fabric of American lore.

What we know with certainty about Betsy Ross is this: she was born on January 1, 1752. She was the eighth of seventeen children born to Samuel and Rebecca Griscom, a Quaker family. When Betsy Ross was a mere three years old, the family relocated from New Jersey to Philadelphia, a city bustling with the promise of opportunity and the seeds of revolution. As she blossomed into a young woman, Betsy honed her skills as an upholsterer, a craft she diligently learned as an apprentice under the tutelage of John Webster, a respected figure in Philadelphia’s upholstery scene.

It was during this apprenticeship that Betsy Ross found herself entangled in a "forbidden" romance with a fellow apprentice, John Ross. Their love was deemed unacceptable by Betsy’s family, as marrying outside the Quaker faith was a transgression punishable by expulsion from the community. Undeterred by the disapproval of her family, the young lovers made a bold decision. On November 4, 1773, they eloped across the Delaware River to Gloucester, seeking to forge their own path. The couple quickly established themselves, opening their own upholstery business in Philadelphia’s "Old City," a district teeming with artisans and entrepreneurs.

However, the shadow of the impending American Revolution loomed large over their lives. John, a dedicated member of the local militia, found himself increasingly drawn into the conflict. The circumstances surrounding his death in 1776, just over two years into their marriage, remain shrouded in uncertainty. The young couple was not blessed with any children.

This is where the historical narrative transitions into the realm of legend, where fact and speculation intertwine. According to family descendants, Betsy Ross received a visit in June of 1776 from a distinguished delegation: George Washington, Robert Morris, and her late husband’s uncle, George Ross. They sought her expertise in crafting a flag for the fledgling nation, a mere month before the momentous Declaration of Independence. Presented with a preliminary design, Betsy is said to have proposed a significant alteration: replacing the six-pointed stars with five-pointed stars. The men, representing a secret committee from the Continental Congress, entrusted her with the task of creating the first flag of what was to become a new nation.

According to sworn statements from family members, Ross had a prior acquaintance with Washington through her church and had engaged in business dealings with him through her upholstery enterprise. However, concrete evidence to either substantiate or refute these claims, including the alleged meeting, remains elusive, leaving the reader to form their own conclusions.

In June of 1777, Betsy embarked on a new chapter in her life, remarrying Joseph Ashburn. Ashburn, a mariner by trade, spent much of his time at sea. Despite the challenges of his profession, they managed to build a family. In 1780, while pregnant with their second daughter, Joseph’s ship was captured by the British, leading to his imprisonment in England. During this period of hardship, their first daughter, Zilla, tragically passed away before her first birthday. Joseph succumbed to illness and died while still in captivity.

A fellow prisoner, recently released and a close friend of Joseph named John Claypoole, delivered the devastating news of her husband’s death. He quickly found himself captivated by the resilient widow, and they married on May 8, 1783. The couple returned to the Quaker community, joining the Society of Free Quakers, a group that supported the separation from British rule. Their marriage spanned 34 years and resulted in the birth of five more daughters. John, burdened by war injuries, endured a long illness before passing away in 1817.

Throughout these personal trials and tribulations, Betsy continued to operate her upholstery business, which included the production of flags. After a remarkable half-century in her trade, she retired at the age of 76, moving in with her daughter Susanna near Abington. By 1833, Betsy had lost her sight completely and spent her final years residing with her daughter Jane in Philadelphia. She passed away on January 30, 1836, at the age of 84.

Years later, in 1870, her grandson, William Canby, presented a paper and affidavits from several family members to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. These documents recounted the story of her involvement with Washington and the creation of the flag, a narrative that purportedly originated with an aunt two decades after Betsy’s death. Canby used General Washington’s documented visit to Philadelphia in the late Spring of 1776 as the basis for the date of the meeting. The story, resonating with the patriotic fervor leading up to the nation’s Centennial in 1876, gained widespread publication in national journals. In 1909, a book by Canby’s brother and nephew, titled "The Evolution of the Flag," further solidified the legend of Betsy Ross in American history.

Despite the enduring popularity of the tale, skepticism persists. While some point to the fact that Betsy Ross did produce flags for the Pennsylvania Navy during the relevant period, others argue that there is no concrete evidence of a congressional flag committee ever existing. No official records indicate that Congress addressed the issue of a national flag until the resolution to adopt the stars and stripes in June 1777.

In the absence of definitive proof, some historians propose that credit for the flag’s design may be due to New Jersey Representative Francis Hopkins, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and known for his artistic talents. Hopkins played a role in creating the Great Seal of the United States, the Treasure Seal, American currency, and other significant symbols.

The home of Betsy Ross, where the nation’s first flag is said to have been made, was transformed into a museum in 1898. It continues to stand as a historical landmark, more than 250 years after its construction, serving as a tangible link to the enduring legend of the woman who may have sewn the first stars and stripes.