Zebiah Hewson

From John Hewson: Kensington's Revolutionary War Hero by Kenneth W. Milano

When the war was finally over, Hewson set about restoring his business . Because of his patriotism and his daring escapes, he was seen as a local war hero. During the Grand Federal Procession on July 4, 1788, the Hewson family was honored in the parade, traveling at the center of the manufactures float. As reported in the Pennsylvania Gazette on July 9, 1788:

      "The carriage of the manufacturers in length 30 feet, in breath 13 feet, and the same height, neatly covered with white cotton of their manufacture, and drawn by ten large bay horses: on this carriage was placed the carding machine, worked by two persons, and carding cotton at the rate of 50 lbs. Weight per day; next a spinning machine of 80 spindles, worked by a woman (a native of and instructed in this city) drawing cotton suitable for fine jeans or federal-rib; on the right of the stage was next white livery lace; on the left a man weaving jean on a large loom, with a fly shuttle; behind the looms was fixed the apparatus of Mr. Hewson, printing muslins of an elegant chintz pattern, and Mr. Lange, designing and cutting prints for shauls; on the right was seated Mrs. Hewson and her 4 daughters, penciling a piece of very neat sprigged chintz of Mr. Hewson’s printing, all dressed in cottons of their own manufacture; on the back part of the carriage, on a lofty staff, was displayed the calico printer’s flag, in the center 13 stars in a blue field, and thirteen red stripes in a white field; round the edges of the flag was printed 37 different printes of various colours, one of them . . . colours, as specimens of printing done at Philadelphia. Motto – “May the Union government protect the manufactures of America."

• Quilt center, ca. 1790 John Hewson (American, born England, 1744–1821) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Cotton; 27 5/8 x 29 1/2 in. (70.2 x 74.9 cm). "The center panels are known to be Hewson's work because one was included in a quilt made by his wife that descended through the family and is now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art."
• Descendants of Peter Hewson
• ”Family of William Guest, of West Jersey & Captain John Hewson” in Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families [database on-line]. AncestryImage
• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees by SmartCopy: Nov 19 2014, 20:16:36 UTC
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