 The character Ben Cartwright is a New Englander who had been a  seaman. Before setting out West with his young son Adam, the widower  Ben had been a ships chandler, running a shop supplying gear to  merchant vessels. (This past is referred to in several episodes, but  most significantly, "Elizabeth, My Love" broadcast during the second  season on May 27, 1961, when an older Ben is remembering Adams late  mother, his first wife.)