Texas Betsy Ross

Subject: Texas Betsy Ross Fri 08 Jun 2007, 5:36 pm

Here's something I've been wondering. I think a long time ago I heard that Texas has it's own version of Betsy Ross. She is supposed to have made the first Texas flag. Truth of false ?

Mari

Subject: Re: Texas Betsy Ross Mon 11 Jun 2007, 1:14 am

I will check on this for you, Miss Mari (but know that you are gathering these jewels of Texas history to be unwrapped mainly in the fall Wink

)

Have fun, Mari's crew Basketball

Holly
_________________
The woman of the frontier made the best of her situation, for she had developed a respect for the land that gave her freedom as well as the courage to live in it.
~~~ from the perspective of Anne Seagraves

Subject: Re: Texas Betsy Ross Tue 12 Jun 2007, 9:16 pm

It seems that we may have two, Mari!

In September of 1835, Mrs. Frances Hubert Lynch -- a resident of the Baytown area -- sewed a hurried flag from her petticoat to be carried into battle by a company of volunteers which included her ferryman husband, Nathaniel Lynch. William Scott, Captain of the company and one of Stephen F. Austin's 'Old Three Hundred' colonists, wanted to do his part .... and so, he offered Mrs. Lynch a lovely piece of beautiful, blue silk. From this piece emerged the so-called McGahey Flag. A lieutenant of the same name found the blue silk to look quite plain when it held only a single star. "Paint the word 'INDEPENDENCE' on it!" he exclaimed. Mrs. Lynch -- along with Charles Lanco, who later died at the Alamo -- did as he demanded, and this primordial banner was carried with the Lynchburg Volunteers to the Battle of Concepcion, the Siege of Bexar and possibly into the Battle of the Alamo as well.

Our second (?) 'Betsy Ross' was Sarah Dodson who, along with her husband, Archelaus B., had ventured from Kentucky to make a home at Harrisburg, Texas .... which grew into the great city of Houston. Mr. Dodson volunteered to serve with Robertson's Company when the Revolution against Mexico began. Sarah constructed a flag for this company to raise. It is said that Dodson's Flag flew above Washington-on-the-Brazos when the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed. This banner bore a large, white star sewn onto strips of red, white and blue calico. One would recognize its resemblance to our Texas state flag of today.

In all, it appears that we have had eleven flags since the process of separation from Mexico begin. Though not listed in chronological order, they are:

1. The Flag of San Jacinto

2. The National Standard of the Republic (Jan. 24, 1839, and our presently designed state flag)

3. The Flag of the Alamo

4. The San Felipe Flag (Feb. 29, 1836)

5. The Flag of Goliad and Velasco

6. The McGayhey Flag (Sept. 15, 1835)

7. The Flag of Ward's Battalion

8. Captain Dodson's Flag (Sept. 1835)

9. The Naval Flag (April 9, 1836)

10. Captain Burrough's Flag (1836)

11. The National Standard of the Republic (Dec. 10, 1836, which varied from the later Standard)

Mari, I pulled this information from, 'Know Your Texas History,' by Flossie Stanley Keels (pages 18 - 23), and Patrick M. Reynold's 'Texas Lore' (page 40). You guys would especially enjoy the latter because tells the story of our state through humorous cartoons Razz

Holly
_________________
The woman of the frontier made the best of her situation, for she had developed a respect for the land that gave her freedom as well as the courage to live in it.
~~~ from the perspective of Anne Seagraves

Subject: Re: Texas Betsy Ross Tue 12 Jun 2007, 10:54 pm

Holly thank for writing all that out. But I finally did a google on this lady and look what I found ! http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/adp/history/bios/troutman/joannatroutman.html
So there are 3 ??

That's OK with me because this is TEXAS cheers

Love, Mari

Subject: Re: Texas Betsy Ross Wed 13 Jun 2007, 8:25 pm

Oh, dear

Evidently, we had an abundance of enthusiastic, patriotic, seamstresses .... who desired more than anything else the safety of their families and hearths! Reminds me of the devotion of Viking women to their men and their ventures as expressed through the crafting of long-ship sails.

I didn't check the Internet either, Mari. Oh, well jocolor

Don't think I'll ever get the knack of online research. On the one hand, history found on bound pages often seems (deceptively) set in stone, while on the other, its counterpart carried by screen is fluid but often, shallow. What to do?

That's for our grandchildren to figure out!

Holly
_________________
The woman of the frontier made the best of her situation, for she had developed a respect for the land that gave her freedom as well as the courage to live in it.
~~~ from the perspective of Anne Seagraves

Subject: Re: Texas Betsy Ross Sun 17 Jun 2007, 3:28 pm

Amen to that! those ladies had nimble fingers and lots more gumption than we do today.