For the last thirty years the AP United States History Class at Julia R. Masterman High School has embarked on a month-long journey into the depths of Philadelphia historical research. During this biographical project, students are tasked with retelling the story of a specific Philadelphian born in the mid 19th Century. While this project is primarily used to fulfill the College Board standard for research in AP United States History, it is also an opportunity for students to engage in their understanding of the world around them.  

The project began with a class trip to the Woodlands Cemetery in October to select a person. Groups were given a set of rules: the gravestone cannot be taller than seven feet, the deceased cannot be a famous figure who is already thoroughly documented, and the person cannot have already been researched by past students. Students were then free to wander the entire cemetery. The group found three possible gravestones, and in order to select a person for the project, the group did some preliminary research on each of the subjects. Immediately, George Canby, the first gravestone that the group had found when visiting the cemetery, stood out as someone special. The group discovered that George Canby’s grandmother was Besty Ross, the woman associated with creating the first modern American flag: the Stars and Stripes. 

Intrigued by the possibility of researching someone whose ancestor is Besty Ross, the group was immediately inspired to start their research regarding the life of George Canby. The research began with conducting outreach to a variety of archives and communicating with them in order to gather information about George’s life. Specifically, this group visited the Philadelphia City Archives and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, as well as attending a virtual archive appointment with the Huntington Library, located in California, where they were able to access papers held by the Archive of California pertaining to George and his brother William’s research. 

Through this research, the group learned that not only was George related to one of the most important historical figures in American history, but he himself played a large role in the spread of information regarding her life. George Canby was born on April 13, 1829, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Jane Claypoole and Caleb H. Canby. George grew up as a Quaker, and as time went on, became employed as a plumber. On top of that, a driving force in George’s life was his devotion to historic preservation. He spent much of his time researching and producing information relating to the construction of historic public buildings in Philadelphia. Additionally, George and William spent the later parts of their lives devoted to publicizing the story of their grandmother, Besty Ross, and her involvement with the American flag. In fact, upon William’s death, George took over writing and editing a book entitled The Evolution of the American Flag, which was published 1907. George’s and William’s work resulted in popular recognition of Betsy Ross’ contribution to American culture, and contributed massively to her fame in American society today. 

To compile all of this research into a comprehensive project on George Canby’s life, the group assembled a binder, which contains historical context, a detailed biography, forty documents relating to his life, a map, and more. The successes, failures, tragedies, and life’s work of George Canby lurk among these pages, and judging by his love of research, he would be proud.