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Articles and Products of History Betsy Ross: UpholstererBetsy Griscom was apprenticed out to a local upholsterer after she completed her schooling. While she was working there, she met her future husband John Ross. Betsy was of the Quaker faith, and John Ross was an episcopal. It was frowned upon in the Quaker life style to marry outside of ones religion. But, love won out. John and Betsy eloped. Within two years of their marriage they started their own upholstery shop.
The Rosss lived in the time of British rule over the colonies in America. The American Revolution brought hard times to the shop. Fabric was becoming hard to get, and business was slow. John soon joined up with the militia in Pennsylvania and was severely wounded. Betsy did everything she could for 3 weeks to help her husband, but he soon died. One day three people came to visit Betsy. They were George Washington, George Ross, and Robert Morris. They requested that she sew a flag. Betsy knew these men. She went to church with George Washington, George Ross was her late husbands uncle, and Robert Morris was one of the wealthiest men in all of the colonies. It is said that George Washington showed her a rough sketch of the flag that they wanted her to make. Betsy finished the flag around June of 1776. That following July the Declaration of Independence was signed. The Continental Congress adopted the flag as the nations symbol on June 14, 1777. Betsy Ross lived out the remainder of her life as an upholsterer. She continued to supply the military with little cloth pouches that gun powder was carried in. She buried two husbands during her lifetime. She would never know how famous she would become. Further Reading
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