A Widow’s Winter Security
After the drowning of John Brant, Seattle neighbors and the local Scotch society rally to provide food for his grieving family.
Relief for the widow and six children of John Brant, who was found drowned in his boat on the Sound, has been helped along by J. M. Nickerson, who left an order for a half-barrel of flour at the Post-Intelligencer office for the needy family. A committee from the Scotch society, of which Brant was a member, is also taking up subscriptions to assist the survivors.
“A committee from the Scotch society... is also taking up subscriptions to assist the needy family.”
Before modern social safety nets, mutual aid through fraternal organizations like the Scotch society was often the only thing standing between a family and total destitution after the loss of a breadwinner. It serves as a reminder of the fragility of working-class households in pre-industrial, maritime Seattle.
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