2 Chapter 1 A Quaker Girl

Chapter 1 A Quaker Girl

The winter of 1752 was one of the worst Philadelphia had seen. Food was scarce and the snow was deep. The terrible cold froze animals as they stood in the fields. In a cabin just outside the city, Betsy Griscom was born on January 1. She joined the large family of Samuel and Rebecca Griscom. Samuel worked in Philadelphia as a carpenter, as his father and grandfather had done. Samuel built homes and furniture for the growing city.

Philadelphia was the largest city in Pennsylvania, one of thirteen colonies in America owned by Great Britain. It was also the largest city in all the American colonies. People had been coming to America from England for more than one hundred years. In England, they could not always worship how they wanted to. They came to the colonies so

that they could follow their own religious traditions. Samuel and Rebecca's parents had made that trip across the Atlantic Ocean. The Griscoms were members of the Society of Friends, a Christian group also known as Quakers. The Quakers believed in a simple life. They wanted to work, worship, and raise their families. Twice a week, Betsy went to Quaker services with her family. At home, Betsy helped her mother and sisters with many chores, including stacking firewood, sweeping the rooms, and washing dishes.

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THE THIRTEEN COLONIES THE BRITISH CONTROLLED ALL THE LAND ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST IN THE NEW WORLD OF AMERICA, BUT ENGLAND'S KING GEORGE III GRANTED SPECIFIC PARCELS OF LAND TO PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO COLONIZE—OR SETTLE—IT. ALTHOUGH EACH OF THE THIRTEEN COLONIES HAD ITS OWN HISTORY AND ITS OWN GOVERNOR, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE COLONIES WAS AN EXTENSION OF THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT.