Phoebe Goodell Judson

Phoebe Goodell Judson, born in 1832, married Holden A. Judson in Vermillion, Ohio, in 1852, and in 1853 they crossed the Plains by covered wagon, with their son La Bonta born en route. After first settling in Chehalis, they moved to Whatcom County in 1871 because of constant flooding, and she was the only white woman on arriving in the Nooksack Valley, where the family settled on 160 acres. She raised four of her own children as well as numerous orphaned children and was affectionately called the "Mother of Lynden" for naming and helping to establish that town. She and her husband were active in the territorial and political affairs of Washington and contributed greatly to the establishment of Washington as a state. At age 94, in 1925, she wrote the book A Pioneer's Search for an Ideal Home from her diary, and her Christian spirit and refinement endured despite the harsh living conditions of the early West.

Bellingham, Washington · United States