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28 Facts About Betsy Ross For Kids


ByAgkidzone Staff
Updated: Mar 12, 2024

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Betsy Ross was the individual to make the first American flag. Wanna know more facts about Betsy Ross For Kids? Then let’s have a closer look at intricate facts and her connection to the making of the U.S. flag.

1. Betsy Ross has seven kids
Betsy Ross had seven kids, and five of them lived to adulthood. However, she had no kids with her first husband John Ross.

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2. When Betsy Ross was 21, she ran away from her family to get married to John Ross.
Betsy Ross’ parents would never agree for her to get married to someone outside their community. So she eloped across the Delaware River to Gloucester, New Jersey. Later on, she married John Ross at a tavern.

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3. Betsy Ross had 16 siblings.
Betsy Ross was born the eighth of seventeen children to their parents Rebecca James Griscom and Samuel Griscom.
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4. Betsy Ross did her tailoring for George Washington.
According to the sources, Betsy Ross did use to work as a tailor for George Washington.

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5. Betsy Ross had been buried at three different spots.
Currently, Betsy Ross is buried on Arch Street, which is in the courtyard adjacent to the Betsy Ross House. But before that, she was buried at Mt. Moriah Cemetery and Free Quaker burial ground, which is at South 5th St. near Locust.

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6. There is a bridge in Philadelphia named after Betsy Ross.
After Betsy Ross passed away, people named a bridge after her to honor her. The bridge is called Betsy Ross Bridge, which is located across the Delaware River linking Philadelphia and New Jersey.

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7. Betsy Ross’s family belonged to Quaker roots.
Betsy Ross’ Griscom family was a firm believer in Quaker. She grew up in a home where discipline was enforced strictly.

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8. Betsy Ross’ great-grandfather was a popular carpenter in his times.
Betsy Ross’ grandfather’s name was Andrew Griscom. He was a Quaker who relocated from England to New Jersey. Her grandfather was respected by one and all. And till today, you can see his name inscribed in the Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia.

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9. Betsy Ross’ father was a worker and her mother was a housewife.
Betsy Ross’s father worked in the construction of the bell tower at the Pennsylvania State House. On the other hand, Ross’s mother was a homemaker. She came from a well-known Quaker family.

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10. Betsy Ross had sewed the 1st U.S. flag.
Some sources reveal that Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag in 1776. Legends also say that she was credited for designing the flag. Moreover, the flag was called the Stars and Stripes.

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11. Betsy Ross was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Betsy Ross’s first name was Elizabeth Griscom, and she was born on January 1, 1752, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When she was a kid, she received a Quaker education at a Quaker state-run school. Here, she learned many things such as reading, writing, acquiring technical skills as well as sewing.
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12. Betsy Ross started her apprenticeship in a town called William Webster.
After Betsy Ross completed her schooling, she started to apprentice to an upholsterer in William Webster town. In those days, the upholstery job also included sewing.

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13. Betsy Ross met John Ross when she was a part of an apprenticeship.
After Betsy Ross attended a Quaker (a type of Christian) school, she met John Ross while doing her apprenticeship. He was the son of an Episcopal priest. Later on, she fell in love with him.

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14. Betsy Ross married John Ross in 1773.
In 1773, Betsy Ross married John Ross. They worked together in his newly opened upholstery business. However, he died three years later in 1776.

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15. After marrying Betsy Ross was expelled from the Quaker congregation and her family.
After Betsy Ross eloped and married John, Quakers did not accept her marrying into other denominations. Later on, she was expelled from her Quaker congregation and her family.

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16. Betsy Ross became a part of Christ Church
After Betsy Ross was expelled from the Quaker community, she joined Christ church which was her first husband’s congregation. Apart from this, one of their fellow congregants was none other than George Washington, who had just become America’s commander in chief.

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17. George Washington and two more people of a secret committee asked Betsy Ross to sew a flag.

In 1776, a secret committee that also included George Washington asked Betsy Ross to sew a flag. They told her that it should have 13 stripes and 13 stars which stands for 13 American colonies.

Ross suggested that each star has five-star points and not six stars which Washington has picked. Later on, Ross made the flag at her home.

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18. Betsy Ross became a widow after John Ross died in the American Revolutionary War.

Betsy and Ross remained in a blissful marriage for a few years. But later on, American Revolutionary War broke out so John decided to join the provincial militia of Pennsylvania.

He passed away in 1775 leaving behind their upholstery business, which was later continued by Betsy.

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19. Betsy Ross repaired and made upholstery for the Continental Army.
Betsy Ross continued living her life and repaired and made upholstery for the Continental Army. The stuff included tents, blankets, as well as uniforms. Apart from this, she also sewed paper tube cartridges for prepared packaged ammunition.

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20. After John Ross’s death, Betsy Ross married twice.
Betsy got married for the second time to her husband Joseph Ashburn and had two daughters with him. Later on, she got married to her third husband John Claypoole and with him, she had five daughters.

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21. Betsy Ross died at 84 years of age.
After losing two more husbands, Betsy Ross continued the upholstery business until she was 75. Later on, she passed away in Philadelphia on January 30, 1836.

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22. Betsy Ross met George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross in 1776.
According to the sources, Betsy Ross met Robert Morris, George Ross, as well as George Washington in late May or early June of 1776.

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23. As of now, there is no traces of the actual American flag made by Betsy Ross.
Betsy Ross was hired by the Flag Committee of the Continental Congress to sew the first American flag. Many oral accounts have mentioned this but no actual flag was created by Betsy Ross.

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24. Betsy Ross’s American flag had important elements.
Experts say that there is no consensus about the design of the first American flag. However, the important elements of the flag were the colors, the circle, the stripes, and the stars.

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25. George Washington wanted the American flag to have 13 stars in a circle.
There was s specific meaning behind the stars in a circle so that colonies would be seen as equal with one another. George Washington wanted these 13 stars in a circle which meant a new constellation in the heavens.

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26. Betsy Ross continued working in the upholstery business until her retirement.
Betsy Ross got retired in 1827 from the upholstery business. Furthermore, she spent her retirement years in Abington, Pennsylvania with her daughter Susannah.

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27. In 1952, Betsy Ross’s 200th birthday was celebrated by issuing her postage stamp.
On January 1, 1952, Betsy Ross’s 200tg birthday was celebrated uniquely. Sources say that to commemorate her birth anniversary, the American Post Office issued her 200th Anniversary postage stamp.

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28. There is no solid proof that Betsy Ross sewed the first flag.
Sources say that no flag was found sewed by Betsy Ross. However, many people have stated that she sewed the first U.S. flag and all the other stories about her are true.

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