Be Victorious: Betsy Ross-A Most Remarkable Woman

Yesterday I shared the early part of my jammed packed day in Philly and today I will like to share with you our visit to the Betsy Ross House. We didn't plan on going to this museum but I felt inspired to go for some reason and I am so glad we did!

Some interesting facts about Betsy Ross:

• Born Elizabeth Griscom on January 1, 1752
• She was the eighth of seventeen children!
• She began her career as an upholsterer a little before 1773 (she was 18-20 yrs old) and worked until she was in her seventies
• Was married three times-her first two husbands passed on but she had 34 years with her third husband
• She lost two of her seven daughters in their infancy 
• She spent her last years blind and living with one of her daughters, Jane
• Passed away on January 30, 1936 at the ripe old age of eighty-four!

It is said that Betsy was given a drawing by George Washington of what he wanted the American flag to look like and that she was the one to add the stars and put them in a circular shape (which is the way the flag looked like in the early years). Either way, I wouldn't be surprised if she did help design the American flag. There is no official paperwork stating that she did though. Not really surprised. For a women to be so highly trained in a craft like upholstery was rare indeed, let alone help make a flag that defined a new nation.

A little glimpse inside the museum. It it hearsay that she lived in this actual house. Even if she really didn't I am sure she lived in a house that was similar. Each room was cozy yet simple and functional. But what really surprised me was how narrow the staircase was and how short the stairs were. I cannot imagine going up and down stairs like that with a corset and layers of dresses and a lit candle to boot! Eeeek!

Betsy's resting peace as well of that of her third husband. She lived an incredibly full life in a time where people did not normally age well into their eighties. She ran a successful upholstery business until she could not longer work due to old age and blindness.

She also endured great strife in her life,  losing three husbands and two children She also lost her mother, father, and sister-within days of each other during the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793.

I left this museum feeling very proud that such a courageous woman such as Betsy Ross, helped create one of the most important and valuable symbols of freedom that the world has ever seen. I also admire that she chose to marry the men she did out of love, not convenience or arrangement.

Betsy Ross was a woman ahead of her time. She lived life the way she wanted to live it and worked hard at the things she loved-her craft, her business, her spouses, and her children.

She was a women that lived her life victoriously!