Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-08-04

BETSY ROSS SHOWING THE FLAG TO WASH
INGToN
country III the very history itself Of
the American flag in those encyclo-
pedias there is not syllable concern
| ing Elizabeth Ross. scores of whose
| descendants are yet living.
| One of these descendants, Mrs. RAJ
chel Albright. a granddaughter of the
original Betsy herself, to this day
makes flags for the members of various
| historical societies who desire them.
| Mrs Albright lives in Iowa. She is
/ ninety-one years old. Betsy Ross her
self lived till 1886, dying at the age of
| eighty-four Mrs. Albright was born
and brought up in her grandmother
! home, therefore remembers the fash
/ ioner of our country's flag well. A
grandniece, Mrs. Susan McCord Turner
| of Philadelphia, also remembers Mrs.
Ross, who, she says, was beautiful
even in her old age,
Let US recall the story of the maker
of the first United States flag. Let US
| patch together the few facts that are
| on record concerning this important
| parsonage whom men historians omit
the mention Of, so opposed are they to
| giving credit to a woman for anything,
and so taken up are they with exploit
ing their own sex
| Betsy Ross maiden name was Eliza
beth Griscom, and when mere girl she
was noted for her exquisite needle
| work She was three times married.
| Her first husbands name was Ross.
He conducted an upholstering bust
ness in Philadelphia, but died young
| and Betsy continued the enterprise on
| her own account This fact shows her
ability and grit. She was twenty-four
years old when she made the first flag.
A committee of men was appointed
| to design a flag and Betsy was ap-
| pointed to make it. The design was
shown to her. Washington himself
had helped to make the design, pattern
| ing it somewhat after the English coat
| of arms of his own family. He him
self drew the sketch for the flag anf
showed it to Betsy Ross There We're
the thirteen red and white stripes, with
thirteen six pointed stars ranged in a
circle upon the blue union.
Betsy Ross told Washington the six
pointed star was a mistake. 1t was the
heraldie star of the British, the en-
emies of the Americans She declared
that the five pointed star, the heraldic
emblem in use among the French and
BeIgians, who We're the friends of the
young colonies, was the right one. BY
employing it on the young nations flag
the patriots would pay graceful COM
pliment to the only friends they had
in their struggle for freedom. Besides
that, the five pointed star would ar
range itself easily for the circle of
stars the first flag contained.
Then Mrs. Ross took piece of paper,
folded it. cut it with stroke Of her
scissors, unfolded 1t and showed to
General Washington the perfect five
pointed star design which now adorns
our flag. Washington was convinced
on the spot. Betsy Ross got soon after
ward the contract for making all the
government flags.
The flag committee of men recon-
mended to congress that new stripe
| be added to the original thirteen for
each new state. Again Betsy objected
| strenuously. She told them that would
| destroy the symmetry of the flag. She
said a star should be added for each
| new state. However, they did not con-
slider that a woman could possibly
know anything, SO went on and urged
| the additional stripe provision. Con-
| gress adopted it, and the flag continued
to grow bulkier and bulkier and uglier
| and uglier until 1918, when the nation
al authorities We're obliged to go back
| to Mrs Ross original plan of thirteen
| stripes, adding a star for every state
The old pattern had been followed till
the flag contained twenty stripes Mrs.
Ross had the happiness of living to see
| her original suggestion adopted,
Her flag was adopted by congress
| June IA, 1777, and the next day Betsy
Ross was married to her second hus-
band Captain Ashburn. Her third hus-
| band was John Ciaypool
SUSAN PEPPER.