New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-28
1TRST UNITED STATES FLAG.
.ropy of IT'S MAKING AND OF THE FLA"
Used BY PAUL JONES.
eur PRIORITY OF THE LATTER DLNiL'
GRANDSON OF BETSY Ross-THE 'fLN'
MADE BY HER At THE IN
STANCE OF THE CONGRESS
cnMMITTEE.

sir: have had my at'thno" w, 90 .T,e pa,n
rubl,shed in your issue Of AP'' - ,,,.cr,,r |
,ones Flag, with an Illustration io', ~. ,in |
a. Witch vishly represents Its quaint anu pc'''
OF H. "hi'n '.s''S article II announced that
i"'''' a.. as, eac 10 be hoiS'ed on tie l3'-ioo'
" IT, ,uc,,apds of Savcsink to welcome the com
e., y, IN. fleet on Tuesday next in'''ior' VIZ"
,urri.dIy to cali your at'eh'o" ~ ''''''' ,'n :.
,,ot ora pven In the artlcl' w 'o""' '"o" WIZ" 49,
Nni'n ".o =, confusing nature. ana which AZ" only
.,.,s sror lime 10 time Wihted oil an attrhp'u
Ieio""' Acs,,iption Of this undoubtedly Old ana
Ais'o,s ,tnc relic which is sad 10 have been MADE
" ,.uoaa,,b,o Shy the Misses Mary and Sarah Austin
in the year I''' 1T, ,,, ,,,,oo,, Gin, odl
,uon, evidently intended 10 explain tie acH-
80, omission of n star. giving as Il reason "'hlt
I:corcla had not come into the Union when IL was
a or in other words. that Georgia was not one
US ,,a ORIGINAL confederation OF The Thirteen United
s,os If America under The Declaration OF lhdc-
,dence OF July d. 1776. This would be- nieei
strange history Correctly TO understand som" oil tc
,d,nc points OF the article IN question. IT Is only
necessary TO turn to any authentic history OF the
,,voa STATES to see that the gallant J. Paul Jones
.orch, the Scraps off the coast OF England september
o: 1910: that the French commission gvrI t. 'ap
tain Jones In command OF the Bon llomne kioha'u
vss dated at Versailles February A. 1.39 authorizing
him to hoist the flag OF the United states also thd'
on Junc IA l777, nearly two years previously. ana
CAPTAIN Paul Jones appointed by resolution Of
congress TO the command of the Ranger new ship
bp,lt for the service at Portsmouth, y. III. Ana II
was also that very day. june IA, l''' t"a' Ton
yress passed the famous resolution "Tlat the Nag OF
Tho thirteen United States should be thirteen stripes
alternate red and white; that the union sholld be
thirteen stars white on a blue field, representing
new constellation" This. however. be 1t remembered,
must not be supposed to he the first action OF conscss
in relation 10 the flag; for through comrh'tce ana
presumably In secret session, IL is known to nave been
designed, q first or pattern flag made which was ac-
ccp,ed. and THE Star Spangled Banner adopted III
June 1-7G. whole year previously, the record Oh
winch proceedings. however, have never been ppo'
led either having been lost in the removal of the
.rcbives ~ the state DEPARTMENT to Washington or
probably DESTROYED In the burning OF the Capto Oy
the British In 1914.
How, under these consi1erNti ms, il happened that
Captain J. Paul Jones carried out with him ti&s
peculiar twelve-star flag late in the year l'''. ana
kept with him to carry on the Bon llomme Richafu
in 1870. or why the Misses Austin WHO left no rel
atives. descendants representatives, "i their name
or any other name to speak for them. should nave
made in that fashion. perhaps Will never be known
And I: would very ont OF the way 10 accept
the explanation have suggested that 1t was Simply
the result OF an accident, for rs VIII he OBSERVED III
the picture 1t shows attempt to place the Twelve
stars Ten of which were cut entirely TOO large for
crude manner whcr will two smaller ones
there was no room for thirteenth. And the use Of II
II this unfinished condition may be attributed entirely
10 the eccentricty of Captain Jones, Who with all
his calantry and brilliant valor, was well known TO
b. extremely crratic.
have a letter in my possession. written in 1870
by the late Miss Sarah Smith stafford. OF Trenton
n j.. who born IN 1-0l, who had unit! her dea'h
the possession Of the nag. having fallen heir to IL
In
shows much confusion in regard to ii. and In when
she admits an uncertiinty of ITS origin and manu-
facture, bat claimed 10 lave certificate Oh It's pres
en,a,ion TO Captain Jones and observation-disclosures
history OF It's glorious career after IL lcn INTO Els
hands In connection with this mntter il must not
be forgotten that this most remarkable man. JoHh
Paul Jones' was in Philadelphia on the 9Th OF DE-
csuhar l775 and received a commission as hrst
lieutenant from Congress, The first issue OF That rlA
IN the Navy ana assigned 10 the flagship Alfred
and from the deck Of that ship raistd Tor 'he hrS'
time the Irion flag mot the "star-Spang"d banner
hut what was Known The Eat'le,naNe fiae) OH
the approach Of the commanding officer Of IN" newly
Nued our feet of our infant Navy. The feet sailed
from PHILADELPHIA tho 14th Of February. l11o FROM
this circumstance IL is claimed L't laul Jones rasu
the first "stars and Stripes" and that THIS "os fdui
Jones flag, is the identical flag CT tn" hrs' 'hi'eu
States flag. whereas Paul Jones himself nowhere III
his diary or anywhere else claims 10 have raised 'ie
would have omitted had he really done so
Another statement Is woven in the stereotype
,euort OF this curious old flag, alleging 'ha' ""s
paul ZONES first received it :" h. carried IL on s'"
vessel up and down the SchnylluIi InVeT' " s"'"
the people the appearance Of Their future c"''e"
which seems very remarkable When IL l. f'hc"oo'.o
fact almost unnecessary to alludc to, that the qe'
schuylklll River In those days was come t"o 'i''
Of town
rh; viii, o,her confusions ana complications wmch
ORC nrlhad I'm relation 10 IT, In view OF the important
fact that the first flag Of the United states io9'
ttal in form and proportion with 'he eA''p'O" % -
greatly increased number OF stars hc"'i' a. rr
today was made by my maternal er''u''o'"',
abeth C,aypoole Betsy Ross, under 'ii' -,
a committee Of the Continental Congress- h0"u'u ~
her husbands uncle the Hon. George Ross S's",' -
the Declaration Of independence, WIN 'le ''p
o,n no,als assistance of General Washington carry
I'm June l77G has made 1t seem necessary ior '"o "a
this especial manner, and at TINS pa''io"'" ' Ala,
call attention TO the mistakes ana iheoc"". " ",
published accounts OF The Paul JONES '"s' :.
,ens mo N offer for your columns the true StorS VI
Betsy Ross, and how il happened 'h"t 'e' '"'' nm
risgc with John Ross, young uphois'erer oi n""
delphIa pcpa,e a the W " In som what foia"i' " "
rer TO an occurrence simple in Itself, bu WIFI" ma
proved in the grand growth Of our Ha'io' all w.
tanscenden, interest TO every lover OF inc N"''"'
fas.
This early part OF the story, which has never oe'o
been published, is follows: John hoSs' 'ie o.
the Rev Aencas Ross an Episcopal clergyman % Nc"
case Del. was employed ly one Webster 'h' '"''''e
upho.sterer in Philadelphia. in the ante-rcVo"u'''
days. John had become We'll acquainted "ilh r"'No
beth Giscom. u bright young daughter oi '"'"'
Gnscom. Of Quaker ancestry, prominent D"'u'' "''
had assisted In the erection OF tli, now i"'ho'' '"
pende.ce Hall Betsy as she was called WAS ""'o'
for her exouisie skill I'm ncedlcwok embro derry ana the
Ike. and the story Is told that when the young
in wtb,ter's establishment we're puzzlng thcIr o''''
over dhcult piece Of drap!ng. the pleating oi
was unmanageable IN their hands Ross. with wous Vi
Ocjuracem nj, TO them that lie kne% young "o''"'
who be thought could arrange IL 10 '"''
satisfaction. All being quite iniiina'" anu vi
the hes, OF terms, there Improperly
In approving OF his suggestion. or Of her acc'p!"s
the invitation extended 10 her, when upon hcr III