Betsy is common 18th century nickname for Elisabeth. Not much is known about her. Betsy Richards comes down more as an oral tradition than from any known documentation. There are, however, written documents from Ephrata Cloister indicating the death of Frederick Gas' "helpmate" Elisabeth Gass in 1754. The dates and other circumstantial evidence strongly suggest that these are references to the wife of Frederick Gass (b 1701 in Rothenfluh) and mother to several including Frederick Gass, Jr. ( or II, born before 1738 - and I think before crossing the Atlantic on ship James Goodwill in 1727- probably abt 1722 and dying abt 1804).
