The Lives and Times of Our Founding Fathers - 4
In this post: Martha Washington, Betsy Ross, Oliver Wolcott
Founding Fathers Series
Step into history like never before.
Starting today and on a daily basis (Mon thru Fri), we will be posting 2 to 3 videos, about 5 minutes worth of videos, presenting the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the ladies of the American Revolution come alive through vivid, first-person storytelling.
This Series will be tagged on the right column of our blog as Founding Father Series
You may not know some, that does not devalue the contributions they provided in the founding of our country.
Their courage, sacrifice, and triumph unfold in gripping moments that shaped America’s founding.
Martha Washington
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (1731–1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first President of the United States. She is recognized as the inaugural first lady, a title coined posthumously, and she defined the role for future presidential spouses. Born on June 2, 1731, at Chestnut Grove Plantation in New Kent County, Virginia, she was the eldest daughter of Virginia planter John Dandridge. She first married Daniel Parke Custis on May 15, 1750, a prosperous planter 20 years her senior. Martha and Daniel had four children together, two of whom died in early childhood. After Daniel Custis’s death in 1757, Martha became a wealthy widow, inheriting land and enslaved people.
In 1758, Martha Dandridge Custis met George Washington, who was then a colonel in the British army and commander of Virginia forces during the French and Indian War. They married on January 6, 1759, and she and her two surviving children, Jackie and Patsy, moved to Mount Vernon, George’s plantation. George Washington adopted Martha’s children, and they later raised four of Martha’s grandchildren after her son died. Although they had no biological children together, their marriage brought significant wealth and social status to George Washington through Martha’s substantial inheritance. Martha was known for her strength, determination, intellectual curiosity, and lively personality. She was also described as charming, attractive, and socially adept.
During the American Revolution, Martha Washington was a steadfast supporter of her husband, spending over five years at the winter encampments with the soldiers, including locations like Valley Forge. She helped maintain morale, bringing food, wool, and medicine, and making socks for soldiers. As the first First Lady, Martha established important precedents for the role, hosting weekly receptions known as “levees” and formal dinners that contributed to the social and political life of the new nation. After George Washington’s presidency, they retired to Mount Vernon in 1797. Martha Washington died on May 22, 1802, at Mount Vernon, approximately two and a half years after her husband’s death. She was eulogized in newspapers as “the worthy partner of the worthiest of men.”
Betsy Ross
Elizabeth Griscom Ross, widely known as Betsy Ross, was born on January 1, 1752, in Gloucester City, New Jersey, and later moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the age of three. She was the 8th of 17 children born to Samuel and Rebecca James Griscom, both Quakers. Ross attended Quaker schools, where she developed skills in needlework. She was an upholsterer by trade, and she and her first husband, John Ross, opened their own upholstery business in Philadelphia.
Betsy Ross’s legend grew significantly in the late 19th century, particularly after her grandson, William Canby, presented a paper to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1870, crediting her with designing and making the first U.S. flag. This story was further popularized by Charles Weisgerber’s 1893 painting, “The Birth of Our Nation’s Flag,” which depicted Ross in her parlor with George Washington. The Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia is a historic site where visitors can learn about her life and the legend of the flag.
Perspectives
Claims of Betsy Ross making the first American flag
Family stories, first recounted by her grandson William Canby in 1870, credit Betsy Ross with designing and making the first U.S. flag.
The legend suggests that in late May or early June of 1776, George Washington and a committee asked Ross to sew the first American flag.
Ross is said to have suggested changing the stars from six points to five points, making them easier to cut and sew.
The Independence Hall Association, a private organization, gives Ross credit for making the first American flag.
Historical skepticism regarding the Betsy Ross flag story
The story that Betsy Ross made the first American flag is largely considered apocryphal by many historians.
Historians have not found contemporary documentation in diaries, letters, or journals of the Continental Congress to verify the claims made by Ross’s grandson.
The painting “The Birth of Our Nation’s Flag” by Charles Weisgerber, which depicts Ross with the flag, was created in 1893, 115 years after the alleged event, and is considered a product of his imagination.
Oliver Wolcott
Oliver Wolcott Sr. was an American Founding Father, politician, and signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. Born on November 20, 1726, in Windsor, Connecticut, he was the youngest of 14 children to Roger Wolcott, who served as Colonial Governor of Connecticut. Oliver Wolcott Sr. graduated from Yale College in 1747. He married Lorraine (Laura) Collins on January 21, 1755, and they had five children, including Oliver Jr.
Wolcott Sr. had a career in both politics and the military during the Revolutionary War. He served in the French and Indian War as a captain and later as a brigadier general in the Connecticut militia during the Revolutionary War, participating in battles such as Saratoga. He was a delegate from Connecticut to the Continental Congress, where he voted for and signed the Declaration of Independence. Wolcott Sr. also served as the 19th Governor of Connecticut from 1796 until his death in 1797.
Oliver Wolcott Jr., born on January 11, 1760, in Litchfield, Connecticut, also had a prominent career in public service. He served in the Continental Army from 1777 to 1779 and graduated from Yale University in 1778. Wolcott Jr. played an important role in organizing the Treasury Department, serving as Auditor and then Comptroller. He was appointed by President George Washington as the second United States Secretary of the Treasury in 1795, a position he continued under President John Adams. Later, he served as a judge for the Second Circuit Court and as the 24th Governor of Connecticut for ten consecutive one-year terms from 1817 to 1826. Oliver Wolcott Jr. died in New York City on June 1, 1833.