Family Support

Settlers with family in the Puget Sound area had an important form of support in this wilderness. Wives and children were frequently taken to the homes of parents or siblings for their protection when men were expected to be away for any length of time.
Family members could share a larger dwelling and school children together. In Phoebe Judson’s case, her family was able to build a larger house when they knew more family members were on the way out from Ohio.
When times were hard, when crops failed unexpectedly or cabins were flooded, extended family came to the rescue by offering shelter. When children were left orphaned or abandoned, which happened often, it was always preferable to adopt them into the home of a family member to leaving the child with strangers.
Finally, the emotional support offered by family could be essential to the psychological health of early settlers in what could be a harsh and intimidating new environment.

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