Add some Betsy to your Fourth!

 

by Kathy Owen

I’ll bet you haven’t thought about Betsy Ross since you
were in grade school, right?

With Independence Day almost here, let’s take a look
at some cool facts regarding America’s seamstress.

Interesting facts about Betsy Ross and the
creation of the first flag:

1.   Betsy grew up in a large family: she was the 8th of 17 children.

2.   In her teen years, Betsy was apprenticed to an upholsterer, and that’s the business she worked in the rest of her life, starting her own shop with her first husband, John Ross.  An upholsterer in those times sewed much more than furniture-related items, and tasks included flags and garments.

3.   In May 1776, the now-widowed Betsy was visited in her home by a secret committee from the Continental Congress:  George Washington (then head of the Continental Army), Robert Morris, and George Ross, the uncle to Betsy’s late husband.  Washington already knew the widow; she had embroidered ruffles on his shirts in the past, and their pews at Christ Church were right next to each other.  Along with her skill, she was the natural choice for making the first flag.

4.   The original sketch Washington showed her was of 6-pointed stars, but Betsy proposed using 5-pointed.  They thought 5-pointed stars were too hard to make, but she showed them otherwise, by making a 5-pointed star with a single snip of her scissors.  Want to learn how?  Click here.

Up until this time, each colony had its own flag, and the founding fathers knew the value of a unifying symbol.

5.   Betsy was married three times.  Her first two husbands were killed as a result of the war.

6.   In the winter of 1777 (well after Betsy had finished the flag and the Continental Congress had passed the Declaration of Independence), British soldiers forcibly occupied her home during the time their army had possession of Philadelphia.  This was the same brutal winter the Continental Army was spending in Valley Forge.

7.   Betsy lived to be 84 years old, and had 7 children, 5 of whom survived into adulthood.

Want more info?

Betsy Ross Homepage

“Flag Day” – Library of Congress

Flag Timeline

To our American readers, Happy Independence Day, and to our readers from other parts of the world, have a drink on us. Freedom deserves to be celebrated, whenever we take the time to appreciate it!

How about you? What’s your favorite fun fact about the 4th of July?

Until next time,  Kathy

Posted by Kathy Owen (aka K.B. Owen). Kathy is a recovering former English professor with a PhD in 19th century British literature. She is currently raising three boys and working on Book 3 in the Concordia Wells series of historical cozy mysteries.

We blog here at misterio press once (sometimes twice) a week,  usually on Tuesdays. Sometimes we talk about serious topics, and sometimes we just have some fun.

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