9 Chapter 8 Busy to the End

Chapter 8 Busy to the End The end of the 1700s was a time of more change for America, and for Betsy and her family. In 1795, she and John had another daughter, Harriet, but the baby died ten months later. In 1799, Eliza Ashburn, Betsy's oldest daughter, married a ship's captain. And later that year, George Washington passed away at the age of sixty-seven. Washington's death saddened the entire nation that he had helped create. In Philadelphia, numerous public services and funerals were held to honor him. Betsy and her family took part, joining thousands of citizens.

In 1800, John Claypoole suffered what was probably a stroke. He could no longer work. He stayed home—and usually in bed—for the rest of his life. Betsy did her best to care for him, but it was not easy. By 1803, they were receiving money as charity from the Free Quakers to help pay their bills. Betsy kept working. Her daughters helped as much as they could, but one by one, they married and started their own families. Betsy enjoyed being a grandmother. One of Clarissa's twins was named for her!

Betsy continued making flags. The short War of 1812 between America and Great Britain led to more orders from the US Army and Navy. In 1817, John Claypoole died at home. Betsy had worked hard to care for him, even as she grew older herself. For the third time in her life, Betsy was a widow. Ten years later, at age seventy-five, Betsy finally stopped working. Her daughter Clarissa, and Margaret, Betsy's niece, took over the shop. Betsy left Philadelphia to live with her daughter Susan in the countryside of Abington, Pennsylvania. She made regular trips back to the big city to go to Free Quaker meetings and to see old friends.

Philadelphia continued to grow. When Betsy was born, about twenty-five thousand people lived there. By the 1830 census, Philadelphia was home to more than eighty thousand! In July 1835, America turned fifty-nine years old. As always on Independence Day, US flags flew everywhere. That year, there were twenty-four stars on the flag.

In 1835, Betsy moved back to Philadelphia to live with her daughter Jane. On January 30, 1836, when she was eighty-four years old, Betsy Ross passed away. Jane's son, William Canby, remembered that when she died, she was "beloved and respected by all who had ever known her."