Betsy Ross

I

Introduction

Betsy Ross (1752-1836), seamstress who according to legend made the first American flag. The story that Ross made the earliest flag with stars and stripes was first published by her grandson in 1870. Historians remain skeptical.

II

Early Life

Ross was born Elizabeth Griscom on January 1, 1752, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At an early age, she showed an aptitude for fine needlework. She also demonstrated an independent nature when she eloped with John Ross to New Jersey in 1773. Ross, a militiaman, was killed in a gunpowder explosion in 1776, and Betsy took over his upholstery business.

III

First American Flag

According to tradition, General George Washington, financier Robert Morris, and Colonel George Ross, her late husband's uncle, asked Ross to design and make a national flag in 1776. Ross agreed and proceeded to make the famous flag. The flag of the United States, known also as the Stars and Stripes, was adopted by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. The Congress resolved that “The flag of the United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, with a union of thirteen stars of white on a blue field ....”

In 1870 William Canby, a grandson of Ross, made public the family story of this visit, and it subsequently received wide attention. In support of this story, it was confirmed that making flags for ships was part of Betsy Ross’s business. Although independent researchers failed to establish proof of the story, Ross’s home in Philadelphia is preserved as the birthplace of the American flag.

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IV

Later Life

In 1777 Ross married Captain Joseph Ashburn, and they had two children. The British captured Ashburn during the American Revolution, and he died in a military prison in 1782. Ross married again a year later, to John Claypoole, who had shared a prison cell with her second husband. They had five daughters. In 1817, after Claypoole's death, Ross went to live with a daughter in Philadelphia. Ross died in Philadelphia on January 30, 1836.

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