Made The First Flag

She most likely made furniture for his home as well as flags for the Continental army for Washington. Her grandson, William J. Canby is credited with spreading the legend that he asked her to sew the first American flag with the red, white, and blue stars and stripes. In a report he presented in 1870 to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Canby provided documentation for his claim that Betsy's involvement in the creation of the flag was a part of his family history. The six-pointed stars that were originally proposed for the design are one aspect of the tale. Historians still hold the belief that Betsy proposed switching the design to the five-pointed stars, which are much simpler to make.

More information has come to light throughout time that either confirms Betsy's involvement in the construction of the original flag as one of a group of locals or that her contribution was restricted to the revision of the stars. Even though we might never know her precise stitches, we do know a few things. First, George Ross, John's uncle, served as one of the individuals on the committee that designed the flag. Second, the Pennsylvania State Navy Board compensated Betsy with a sizable fee for her work producing flags. It is quite likely that she was directly engaged in the creation of the first flag.