Road to Liberty: Betsy Ross

Betsy Ross is credited with stitching the first United States flag—a symbol of freedom that has since become the marker of American identity, patriotism, and pride.

Born Elizabeth Griscom on January 1, 1752, in Gloucester City, New Jersey, Betsy Ross was the eighth of seventeen children (though only nine survived into adulthood) and was raised by a Quaker family in Philadelphia. After schooling, she apprenticed under John Webster, becoming a skilled seamstress and upholsterer. In 1773, she eloped with John Ross, which got her expelled from the Quaker community, since they did not approve of Betsy marrying a non-Quaker. Together, they ran an upholstery shop in Philadelphia, but John tragically died in 1776.

A widow at 24, Betsy continued running the shop—and according to legend, General George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross visited her in the summer of 1776. Washington showed her a sketch of a flag with thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen six-pointed stars and Betsy advised minor changes. This legend was made famous by her grandson William Canby in 1870 to the Pennsylvania Historical Society, and while there is no definitive evidence, Betsy and the American flag are now inextricably linked. Throughout the Revolutionary War, and for decades after, Betsy continued to make flags—many through government contracts. In 1811, for example, Betsy made over 50 garrison flags for the US Arsenal on the Schuylkill River.

In 1777, Betsy married a merchant sailor, Joseph Ashburn, and they had two daughters, but Joseph was captured by a British warship and died in a British prison in 1782. John Claypoole, a fellow Patriot who had been imprisoned with Joseph, visited Betsy to bring her the news that her husband had died. Over the course of the year, Betsy and John fell in love. They married and had five daughters, enjoying 34 years of marriage before John's death in 1817. Betsy retired at the age of 76, completely blind, and died peacefully on January 30, 1836, shortly after her 84th birthday.