In earlier times many people had multiple marriages because of the shorter life expectancy. My grandfather’s mother died when he was a child and his father remarried—that wasn’t so good for my grandfather (apparently his stepmother fit the stereotype of stepmothers) but I have a lot of second cousins whom I like very much, who would never have been born if not for that second marriage. My Revolutionary War ancestor had three wives. Many more examples in my family tree.
My grandpa’s father died when grandpa was 2 years old. Grandpa’s mother remarried, then she died when grandpa was 5 years old, then his step father remarried. He then had 2 parents that were not blood related to him and according to grandpa they loved him as their own.
Folks took their responsibilities seriously in those days.