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Betsy Child Hood
Betsy Ross was born on January first and was the 8th kid of 17. When Betsy was a young child she started going to Quaker School. There she learned sewing and other crafts common in her day. She was one of the few girls who got an education in the 18th century. -
First Husband
Betsy fell in love with John Ross and they got married. After the marriage she cut off comunication with her family and left the Quakers. About three years after they got married, John got injured after joining the military and Betsy tried to nurse him back to health, but sadly he didn't make it. Betsy returned to the Quakers after John died and joined the Fighting Quakers who supported the war. -
Starting up the Buissness
John and Betsy created their own upholstery business in Philadelphia. During the Reolutionary War money was tight and they weren't able to get as much materials as they would like. This also caused them not to have as many customers and orders. Today her business is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Philadelphia. -
The Flag
Betsy met with George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross, her first husbands uncle. Washington wanted to have a flag with six pointed stars because he thought five pointed stars would be to hard to make. Betsy knew how to fold a square piece of cloth in a certain way so she could make a five pointed star with only one cut. The flag she made was adopted by the Union on June 14, 1777. -
Second Husband
Betsy remarried to a sea captain named Joseph Ashburn. Soon after that they had two daughters. During the winter the British soldiers forced them to share there home with them. When Ashburn was on a trip to the West Indies, he was taken by the British. He later died in Old Mill Prison in England. -
Third Husband
Betsy married for the last time to John Claypoole. This marriage was the first one held at Christ Church, which was the church she went to as a child. John had been in prison with her second husband Joseph Ashburn, and had met Betsy when he delivered Joseph's farewells to her. Betsy convinced John Claypoole to stop sailing and to help her run her busness. -
The Kids Take Over
John dies of a sickness after many years. Betsy then tried to convince her kids to help her run the busness, because John was no longer helping her. She had a total of seven kids but only six lived to adulthood. When they grew up most of them moved away but a few stayed and ran the busness with their families. -
Betsy Stopped Working
At the age of 76, Betsy stopped working and left the business to her kids. Betsy moved to Abington, Pennsylvania to live with her daughter Susannah. Susannah didn't want to run the business and moved away when she became an adult. Susannah took care of her mom in her old age until Betsy died on January 30, 1836. -
The World Now Knows
About fifty years after Betsy Ross died, the story of her making the first American flag was told by her grandson. The first time her grandson told the story about Washington asking her to make the flag was in 1870. He later published the story in Harper's Monthly in 1873. People today think that he might have lied about his grandmother making the flag even though records show her getting paid by the navy for making a flag for them. -
Postage Stamp
On January 1, 1952 Betsy Ross was added onto a postage stamp. It was added for the 200th anniversary of her birth. On the stamp it shows her presenting the flag to three men, one of them being George Washington.
