Since Ethan and Epsey had already been through the same process in North Carolina just a few years earlier, it was not difficult for them to select the best house site. The weather was temperate for October and they weren’t concerned about keeping warm, but their household goods needed to be protected. Their first task was to build a small lean-to for shelter, with tarpaulins and hides stretched over saplings to form a roof and three sides. It was located on high ground in a grove of enormous chestnut, oak, white pine, and hickory trees, and with a spring not too far down the hill. It was likely that their permanent cabin would be in this area.

They laid out their fields and pastures, mostly where a thick stand of smaller trees had replaced many older ones blown down in a storm at least three decades ago, and combined the clearing of cropland with accumulating an adequate supply of logs for the construction of their cabin. Although pregnant, Epsey was as strong as most men and wanted to help in many phases of this work, even though Ethan cautioned her about her condition. Ethan worked from daybreak to sunset, usually seven days a week, although his wife never worked in the fields or garden on Sundays. She did not feel any religious restraint on housework, including carding, spinning, weaving, or other tasks that could have been postponed for a day.