Misplaced Pages

#702297

61-595: The origins of the Betsy Ross myth trace back to her relatives, particularly her grandsons, William and George Canby, and the celebrations of the Centennial of 1876. Evidence for the precise location of Ross's home came from verification provided by several surviving family members, although the best archival evidence indicates the house would have been adjacent to the one that still stands today as The Betsy Ross House. The 1937 Philadelphia Guide noted that, after

122-437: A disease found in the 19th century to be spread by infected mosquitoes. After two decades of poor health, John Claypoole died in 1817. Ross continued the upholstery business for 10 more years. Upon retirement, she moved in with her daughter Susanna Claypoole (1786–1875), in a section of Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania , while Susanna's older sister Clarissa (1785–1864) took over their mother's business back in

183-400: A long, narrow pennant; and (3) a short, narrow pennant. The ensign was a blue flag with 13 stripes—seven red stripes and six white stripes in the flag's canton (upper-left-hand corner). It was flown from a pole at the rear of the ship. The long pennant had 13 vertical, red-and-white stripes near the mast; the rest was solid red. It flew from the top of the ship's mainmast, the center pole holding

244-400: A long, narrow pennant; and (3) a short, narrow pennant. The ensign was a blue flag with 13 stripes—seven red stripes and six white stripes in the flag's canton (upper-left-hand corner). It was flown from a pole at the rear of the ship. The long pennant had 13 vertical, red-and-white stripes near the mast; the rest was solid red. It flew from the top of the ship's mainmast, the center pole holding

305-447: A peaceful post-war existence, as Philadelphia prospered as the temporary national capital (1790–1800) of the newly independent United States of America, with the first president, George Washington , his vice president, John Adams , and the convening members of the new federal government and the U.S. Congress . In 1793, her mother, father, and sister Deborah Griscom Bolton (1743–1793) all died in another severe epidemic of yellow fever ,

366-537: A research paper to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in which he claimed that his grandmother had "made with her hands the first flag" of the United States. Canby said he first obtained this information from his aunt Clarissa Sydney (Claypoole) Wilson in 1857, 20 years after Ross's death. Canby dates the historic episode based on Washington's journey to Philadelphia, in the late spring of 1776,

427-567: A single flag, but rather what her story tells us about working women and men during the American Revolution. Betsy Ross School in Mahwah, New Jersey is named for her. On January 1, 1952, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor the 200th anniversary of her birth. It shows her presenting the new 13-striped, 13-starred flag to George Washington , with Robert Morris , and George Ross present. The design

488-449: A sketch of a flag he showed her from six-pointed to five-pointed by demonstrating that it was easier and speedier to cut the latter. However, there is no archival evidence or other recorded verbal tradition to substantiate this story of the first U.S. flag. It appears that the story first surfaced in the writings of her grandson in the 1870s (a century after the fact), with no mention or documentation in earlier decades. Ross made flags for

549-545: A symbol of women's contributions to American history. American historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich further explored this line of enquiry in a 2007 article, "How Betsy Ross Became Famous: Oral Tradition, Nationalism, and the Invention of History". Ross was merely one of several flag makers in Philadelphia (such as Rebecca Young , who is historically documented to have made the earlier Grand Union Flag of 1775–76, with

610-674: A trip to the West Indies , she was sold to the Continental Navy. The Hyder Ally continued to patrol without significant success. By February 1783, with peace appearing to near, most of the state's ships had been sold and its sailors dismissed. On April 10, 1783, the Supreme Executive Council ordered the remaining armed vessels to be disposed of. The flags of the Pennsylvania navy were overseen by

671-619: A year before the Second Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act of June 14, 1777 . In the 2008 book The Star-Spangled Banner: the Making of an American Icon , Smithsonian Institution experts point out that Canby's recounting of the event appealed to patriotic Americans then eager for stories about the Revolution and its heroes and heroines. Betsy Ross was promoted as a patriotic role model for young girls and

SECTION 10

#1732786886703

732-525: Is a popular tourist site in Philadelphia, but it is still a matter of historical academic dispute whether she actually lived there, as evidence indicates she actually lived from 1776 to 1779 in a house next door that was torn down after the remaining house was designated. Ross' body was first interred at the Free Quaker burial grounds on North Fifth Street in Philadelphia. In 1856, the remains of Ross and her third husband John Claypoole were moved from

793-651: The Betsy Ross House . However, cemetery workers found no remains beneath her tombstone. Bones found elsewhere in the family plot were deemed to be hers and were reinterred in the current grave visited by tourists at the Betsy Ross House. The Betsy Ross Bridge , connecting Philadelphia with Pennsauken Township, New Jersey , across the Delaware River is named in her honor. Biographer Marla Miller argues that Ross' legacy should not be about

854-471: The Betsy Ross flag , are subjects of controversy among historians. The house sits on Arch Street , several blocks from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. The front part of the building was built around 1740, in the Pennsylvania colonial style, with the stair hall and the rear section added 10 to 20 years later. Had she lived here, Ross would have resided in the house from 1776,

915-740: The Continental Army . There is speculation that Ross was the "beautiful young widow" who distracted Carl von Donop in Mount Holly, New Jersey , after the Battle of Iron Works Hill , thus keeping his forces out of the crucial "turning-of-the-tide" Battle of Trenton on the morning of December 26, 1776, in which Hessian soldiers were defeated after the crossing of the Delaware River . On June 15, 1777, she married her second husband, mariner Joseph Ashburn. In 1780, Ashburn's ship

976-679: The National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. , notes that the story of Betsy Ross making the first U.S. flag for General George Washington entered into the U.S. consciousness about the time of the 1876 centennial celebrations, with the Centennial Exposition then scheduled to be held in Philadelphia. In 1870, Ross's grandson, William J. Canby, presented

1037-834: The Pennsylvania Navy during the American Revolution. After the Revolution, she made U.S. flags for over 50 years, including 50 garrison flags for the U.S. Arsenal on the Schuylkill River during 1811. The flags of the Pennsylvania navy were overseen by the Pennsylvania Navy Board. The board reported to the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly's Committee of Safety. In July 1775, the President of the Committee of Safety

1098-759: The Pennsylvania State Navy or in modern terms the Pennsylvania Naval Militia ) served as the naval force of Pennsylvania during the American Revolution and afterward, until the formation of the United States Navy . The navy's vessels served almost exclusively on the Delaware River , and were active (in conjunction with ships of the Continental Navy ) in first defending the approaches to

1159-526: The battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776. The Pennsylvania State Navy was responsible for defense of the Delaware river when Philadelphia was occupied by British troops led by General Sir William Howe in 1777, as the Royal Navy wanted to control the river to resupply Howe's army. At first the combined Pennsylvania and Continental fleet was successful, repulsing one attempt by the Royal Navy to pass

1220-510: The British Union Jack of the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew , in the upper corner canton and 13 alternating red and white stripes for the "United Colonies") for the Continental Army , along with many other ships' colors, banners, and flags which were advertised in local newspapers. Rebecca Young's daughter Mary Young Pickersgill (1776–1857) made the flag of 15 stars and stripes in 1813, begun at her house and finished on

1281-499: The Committee of Safety, which established subcommittees to manage the navy's operations and acquisitions. When the state established a new constitution, with a Supreme Executive Council as its executive, the navy's administration was assigned to the Council of Safety. In March 1777 the council established a naval board, which had full responsibility for the fleet, with the exception of the issuance of officer commissions, which authority

SECTION 20

#1732786886703

1342-543: The English Old Mill Prison and had informed Ross of her husband's circumstances and death. John Claypoole's diary and family Bible was rediscovered 240 years later in June 2020. The couple had five daughters: Clarissa, Susanna, Jane, Rachel, and Harriet (who died in infancy). With the birth of their second daughter Susanna in 1786, they moved to a larger house on Philadelphia's Second Street, settling down to

1403-565: The Free Quaker Burying Ground to Mount Moriah Cemetery . The practice of cemeteries purchasing the remains of famous historical individuals was common in order to drive additional business. The Daughters of the American Revolution erected a flagpole at the site of her grave in her memory. In 1975, in preparation for the American Bicentennial , city leaders ordered the remains moved to the courtyard of

1464-545: The Pennsylvania Navy Board. The board reported to the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly's Committee of Safety. In July 1775, the President of the Committee of Safety was Benjamin Franklin . At that time, the committee ordered the construction of gunboats that would eventually need flags as part of their equipment. As late as October 1776, Captain William Richards was still writing to the Committee of Safety to request

1525-668: The Pennsylvania Navy may be in any point in the future reactivated through either the office of the Governor of Pennsylvania and/or by legislative action committed by the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly . When the American Revolutionary War broke out in early 1775, the colony of Pennsylvania 's Committee of Safety decided that the colony's capital and seat of the Second Continental Congress , Philadelphia , would need to be protected against

1586-489: The Pennsylvanian fleet. An entry dated May 29, 1777, in the records of the Pennsylvania Navy Board, includes an order to pay her for her work. It is worded as follows: An order on William Webb to Elizabeth Ross for fourteen pounds twelve shillings and two pence for Making Ships Colours [etc.] put into William Richards store……………………………………….£14.12.2 The Pennsylvania navy's ship color included (1) an ensign; (2)

1647-772: The Rev. Aeneas Ross, a Church of England (later Episcopal ) priest and assistant rector at the historic city parish of Christ Church . Griscom and Ross eloped in 1773, marrying at Hugg's Tavern in Gloucester City, New Jersey . The marriage caused a split from her Griscom family and meant her expulsion from the Quaker congregation. The young couple soon started their own upholstery business and later joined Christ Church, where their fellow congregants occasionally included visiting colony of Virginia militia regimental commander, colonel, and soon-to-be-general George Washington (of

1708-606: The Rosses had been married for two years. As a member of the local Pennsylvania Provincial Militia and its units from the city of Philadelphia , John Ross was assigned to guard munitions. He died in 1775. According to one legend, he was killed by a gunpowder explosion, but family sources provide doubts about this claim. The 24-year-old Elizabeth ("Betsy") continued working in the upholstery business repairing uniforms and making tents, blankets, and stuffed paper tube cartridges with musket balls for prepared packaged ammunition in 1779 for

1769-605: The brig Convention was ready for action. Its existence as a significant force was limited by the arrival of a French fleet on the North American coast, and in August 1778 the state's assembly voted to sell off most of its remaining ships, keeping only the Convention and a few smaller ships. The smaller ships proved inadequate protection for the trade ships of Pennsylvania's merchants. In response to their petitions,

1830-533: The city of Philadelphia during the British campaign that successfully occupied the city in 1777, and then preventing (at least for a time) the Royal Navy from resupplying the occupying army. The Naval Militia would also be reactivated in the late 19th to early 20th century. As under 10 U.S. Code §7851 naval militias form part of the United States organized militia and therefore are considered as such,

1891-685: The city. Ross, by then completely blind, spent her last three years living with her middle Claypoole daughter Jane (1792–1873) in Philadelphia , which was rapidly growing and industrializing. On Saturday, January 30, 1836, 60 years after the Declaration of Independence, Betsy Ross died at age 84. She was survived by one daughter with John Ashburn, Eliza, and four daughters with John Claypoole: Clarissa, Susanna, Jane, and Rachel, and one sister, Hannah Griscom Levering (1755–1836), who herself died about 11 months later. The so-called Betsy Ross House

Betsy Ross House - Misplaced Pages Continue

1952-454: The council retained. Overall naval command of the fleet was at times contentious. Thomas Read served as its first commodore , but he was replaced on January 13, 1776, by Thomas Caldwell , who only served briefly, resigning due to poor health in March. His replacement, Samuel Davidson , was promoted by the committee ahead of other captains, and almost caused a mutiny. As a result, Davidson

2013-496: The current Betsy Ross House was selected as the Flag House, the adjacent building where Ross may have indeed lived "was torn down to lessen the hazards of fire, perhaps adding a touch of irony to what may well have been an error in research." Although the house is one of the most visited tourist sites in Philadelphia , the claim that Ross once lived there, and that she designed and sewed the first American flag, sometimes called

2074-492: The death of her first husband, John Ross, until about 1779. Over the years, various structural changes and general wear and tear left the house in dire need of restoration. In 1937, Philadelphia radio mogul , A. Atwater Kent offered up to $ 25,000 for the restoration of the house and commissioned historical architect Richardson Brognard Okie to do the work. Original elements were kept wherever possible. Otherwise, materials from demolished period homes were used. A new structure

2135-466: The defenses of Fort Mercer and Fort Mifflin on October 22 and 23, which resulted the destruction of two British warships, HMS Augusta and HMS Merlin , which were under the command of Admiral Francis Reynolds . The fleet also bombarded von Donop's forces as they attacked Fort Mercer in the Battle of Red Bank , in which the Hessians suffered one of their worst defeats of the war. In November,

2196-543: The design that he could use to order flags for the fleet. Betsy Ross was one of those hired to make flags for the Pennsylvanian fleet. An entry dated May 29, 1777, in the records of the Pennsylvania Navy Board, includes an order to pay her for her work. It is worded as follows: An order on William Webb to Elizabeth Ross for fourteen pounds twelve shillings and two pence for Making Ships Colours [etc.] put into William Richards store……………………………………….£14.12.2 The Pennsylvania navy's ship color included (1) an ensign; (2)

2257-406: The distribution of prizes. While no explicit legislation authorizing privateering appears to have been passed, the state did issue more than 400 letters of marque between 1776 and 1782. The navy saw action on May 6, 1776, when they engaged the British ships Roebuck and Liverpool , forcing them to withdraw to Newcastle, Delaware . The fleet was also active in keeping British troops away from

2318-545: The early U.S. flag. Hopkinson submitted letters to Congress in 1780 requesting payment for his designs. Hopkinson was the only person to make such a claim in the Revolutionary War era. While Griscom was apprenticed to upholsterer William Webster, she met John Ross, a nephew of George Ross Jr , a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence . John's parents were Sarah Leach and

2379-586: The end of August. Their names were: Bulldog , Burke , Camden , Congress , Dickinson , Effingham I , Experiment , Franklin , Hancock , Ranger , and Warren . Additionally, 10 fire rafts were built in late 1775 and early 1776 and placed under the command of Captain John Hazelwood ; the Arnold and the Putnam were built as floating batteries and were manned by Pennsylvania State Marines. In April 1776

2440-527: The floor of a nearby brewery, delivered to the commander of the fort the year before the British attack of September 12–14, 1814, on Fort McHenry in Baltimore , during the War of 1812 , (receiving a government-issued receipt for the work of two flags, a large 30 by 42 foot (9.1 by 12.8 m) "garrison flag" and a smaller "storm flag"), then seen by Francis Scott Key (1779–1843) and which inspired him to write

2501-614: The frequent smallpox epidemics in the autumn of 1762. Ross grew up in a household where the plain dress and strict discipline of the Quakers dominated. She learned to sew from a great aunt, Sarah Elizabeth Ann Griscom. Ross's great-grandfather, Andrew Griscom, a member of the Quakers and a carpenter , had emigrated in 1680 from England . After her schooling at a Quaker-run state school , Ross's father apprenticed her to an upholsterer named William Webster. Research conducted by

Betsy Ross House - Misplaced Pages Continue

2562-469: The incursions of British naval vessels on the Delaware River . On July 6, 1775, it authorized the purchase and outfitting of ships for that purpose. Two days later it placed its first order for an armed galley . By October thirteen such boats had been built at a cost of £550 each, and outfitted with a single cannon in the bow. Thomas Read was appointed commodore of the fleet. The first six were launched by July 19, and another six had been launched by

2623-582: The newly organized Continental Army ) and his family from their home Anglican parish of Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia , near his Mount Vernon estate on the Potomac River , along with many other visiting notaries and delegates in future years to the soon-to-be-convened Continental Congress and the political/military leadership of the colonial rebellion. Betsy and John Ross had no children. The American Revolutionary War broke out when

2684-484: The poem which later became the national anthem , The Star-Spangled Banner . Pickersgill's small 1793 rowhouse is still preserved in East Baltimore's Old Town neighborhood at East Pratt and Albemarle Streets and is known as the " Flag House & Star-Spangled Banner Museum ". Occasionally over the decades, there has been some controversy and disagreement between the relative merits and historical accuracies of

2745-502: The process. By 1782 the activities of the Royal Navy and Loyalist privateers again spurred Philadelphia's merchants to petition for better naval defenses. This resulted in the commissioning of the Hyder Ally , which was outfitted by the merchants, and placed under the command of the Continental Navy's Joshua Barney . After the successful capture of HMS General Monk , Barney took over her command, renaming her Washington . After

2806-577: The river's eastern shore when General George Washington retreated across New Jersey following the loss of New York City . Hazelwood was instrumental in preventing Hessian troops from quartering in Burlington, New Jersey , a town sympathetic to the Loyalist cause, by bombarding it when Hessians were spotted there. This forced their commander, Carl von Donop , to quarter his troops much more widely, and may have contributed to Washington's victory at

2867-631: The sails. The short pennant was solid red, and flew from the top of the ship's mizzenmast—the pole holding the ship's sails nearest the stern (rear of the ship). Betsy Ross was born on January 1, 1752, to Samuel Griscom (1717–1793) and Rebecca James Griscom (1721–1793) on the Griscom family farm in Gloucester City, New Jersey. Ross was the eighth of seventeen children, of whom only nine survived childhood. A sister, Sarah (1745–1747), and brother, William (1748–1749), died before Elizabeth ("Betsy")

2928-566: The sails. The short pennant was solid red, and flew from the top of the ship's mizzenmast—the pole holding the ship's sails nearest the stern (rear of the ship). In April 1889, the Pennsylvania Naval Militia was reconstituted as the Naval Force of Pennsylvania - one of many organized state naval militias which were the predecessors to the modern day Naval Reserve . This article includes information collected from

2989-410: The second official U.S. flag , accordingly known as the Betsy Ross flag . Though most historians dismiss the story, Ross family tradition holds that General George Washington , commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and two members of a congressional committee— Robert Morris and George Ross —visited Mrs. Ross in 1776. Mrs. Ross convinced George Washington to change the shape of the stars in

3050-420: The site. The Betsy Ross House has long been the site of Philadelphia's observance of Flag Day . [REDACTED] Philadelphia portal Betsy Ross Elizabeth Griscom Ross (née Griscom ; January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836), also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn and Claypoole , was an American upholsterer who was credited by her relatives in 1870 with making

3111-589: The state acquired the Montgomery , which Read served as captain of until he received a Continental Navy commission in October 1776. By the end of August 1776, the Pennsylvania State Navy consisted of 768 men manning 27 vessels, with 21 more smaller vessels on order. These were armed with a four-pounder gun in the bow and were classed as guard boats. The navy fell under the broad control of

SECTION 50

#1732786886703

3172-591: The state authorized the construction of the General Greene in March 1779. Under her captain, James Montgomery, she cruised between New York and the Chesapeake Bay , often in conjunction with Continental Navy ships or privateers, and sent a number of prizes to Philadelphia. According to Montgomery, her crew was virtually unmanageable, and she was sold at the end of the 1779 sailing season. Her unusually low sales price aroused suspicions of collusion in

3233-541: The two flag-making traditions and historical sites in Philadelphia and Baltimore. It is thought that Ross's only contribution to the flag design was to change the 6-pointed stars to the easier 5-pointed stars. Scholars, however, accept the claim by Francis Hopkinson —a member of the Continental Congress who designed most of the elements of the Great Seal of the United States —that he created designs for

3294-586: The two forts were captured by British troops, and Commodore John Hazelwood 's fleet was then forced to withdraw upriver. Unfavorable winds slowed their progress, and four ships ( Montgomery , Delaware , Arnold , and Putnam ) were burned to prevent their capture. In April 1778 most of the fleet was destroyed in advance of expected British operations against it. However, news that the British were going to withdraw from Philadelphia led to its resurrection, and in July Captain Hazelwood reported that

3355-414: Was Benjamin Franklin. Its members included Robert Morris and George Ross. At that time, the committee ordered the construction of gunboats that would eventually need flags as part of their equipment. As late as October 1776, Captain William Richards was still writing to the Committee of Safety to request the design that he could use to order flags for the fleet. Ross was one of those hired to make flags for

3416-406: Was added in the rear, made from period bricks. The front stairway and dormer were entirely replaced. The front doorway was moved to the opposite corner, and a new window was installed. Kent then purchased the two adjacent properties to develop a "civic garden." In 1941, the entire property, including the historic house and courtyard, were given to the city of Philadelphia. In 1965, an annex building

3477-540: Was added to the property, and in 1974 the courtyard was renovated and a fountain added. In preparation for the United States Bicentennial , remains deemed to be those of Ross and her third husband, John Claypoole, were moved to graves in the courtyard. A private nonprofit organization, Historic Philadelphia, Inc., began leasing the property from the City of Philadelphia in 1995 and continues to manage

3538-417: Was born (another sister, Sarah Griscom Donaldson (1749–1785), was named after the earlier deceased Sarah). Ross was just five years old when her sister Martha (1754–1757) died, and another sister, Ann (1757–1759), only lived to the age of two. Brothers Samuel I (1753–1756) and Samuel II (1758–1761) both died at age three. Two others, twins, brother Joseph (1759–1762) and sister Abigail (1759–1762), died in one of

3599-591: Was captured by a Royal Navy frigate and he was charged with treason (for being of British ancestry— naturalization to American colonial citizenship was not recognized) and imprisoned at Old Mill Prison in Plymouth , England. During this time, their first daughter, Zilla, died at the age of nine months and their second daughter, Eliza, was born. Ashburn died in the British jail. Three years later, in May 1783, she married John Claypoole, who had earlier met Joseph Ashburn in

3660-574: Was first removed from fleet command, and then eventually dismissed from the navy. Fleet command was then given to Thomas Seymour , but Captain Hazelwood objected to serving under the elderly Seymour. When British operations began to threaten Philadelphia in September 1777, the council dismissed Seymour and gave overall fleet command to Hazelwood. In September 1778, the state established an admiralty court to adjudicate maritime cases and deal with

3721-404: Was taken from a painting by Charles H. Weisberger, one of the founders and first custodian of the Memorial Association, who has cared for and operated the Ross House. This was issued when the Ross legend was still strong and accepted by many of the American public and before additional historical and academic scrutiny. Pennsylvania Navy The Pennsylvania Navy (more formally known as

SECTION 60

#1732786886703
#702297