MAURY CO, TN DIVORCE
DIVORCE - SAMUEL CRAWFORD and MARY SELLERS CRAWFORD
From: GEORGIA
chickflet <chickflet@aristotle.net>
1833 Sep 27 - Petition to the General Assembly of
Tennessee by Samuel
Crawford for a divorce from his wife, Mary Sellers Crawford: Samuel
Crawford, a citizen of Maury Co., TN would respectfully represent to your
honourable body that he intermarried with his present wife, Marey,
formerly Mary Sellers, upon the 6th day of January 1829 in said county
of
Maury, and your petitioner will further state that he and his said wife
had not been married more than three months before his said wife
Mary
did voluntary and without any legal cause or any violent abuse and
contrary to the wish and desire of your petitioner ran off from him, your
said petitioner and continued off for some days, but your said
petitioner
sent for her said Mary to return home to said petitioner and live with him
again with request the said Mary complied with, but your petitioner
will
further state that some time about the first of June following that she
the said Mary did elope from him your said petitioner the second time
and that without any legal cause or abuse of any kind whatever
for there was not even one cross word spoken between them of no kind
whatever and she the said Mary continued to stay off for some time
between two and three weeks but your petitioner further states that by
the force of persuasion and entreaty from him to his said wife Mary she
was persuaded upon to return home and live with him again, but your
petitioner further states that his said wife Mary continued to run off
from him alternately every now and then for some time but your petitioner
states that by his entreaties and that of their mutual friends she would
in a short time be prevailed upon and return home to her duty and
agree
to live with your petitioner again, your petitioner being willing to
submit to almost anything rather than to have a rupture in his
family
and continued to submit to her treatment still hoping that his wife
would
see the impropriaty of her conduct and would pursue a different course
, but your petitioner humbly showeth that with all the argument and
entreaties that he was master of he could not prevail with her.
On the
5th day of April 1831 your petitioner left home in the morning and when he
returned home in the evening the said Mary had eloped and was gone
offmuch to the surprise and astonishment of your petitioner, which
desertion made the seventh time in less than twenty seven months and the
said Mary returned home in about ten days afterwards in company with
two
other persons and tried to raise a quarrel and dispute with your
petitioner, but your petitioner would have no dispute with her as he did
not wish to have any disturbance with her but tried to admonish her to
do
better but she still persisted in her course until one of the company
rather reprimanded her for her conduct when she then slacked her
conversation but your petitioner further states that the said Mary did
not stay more than about one hour before she went off again and has
never
returned home to your petitioner since...your petitioner from recent
information has good reasons to believe that said Mary has been guilty
of
adultrous acts inconsistent with her natrimonial vows and is or was
labouring under the bad disorder and that since her elopement from your
petitioner...by affidavvits of witness annexed to this petition...his
family is poor and one of his children a female is a cripple from her
birth and they are all entirely dependent on your petitioner for
support.
Signed Samuel Crawford
Deposition of Dickson Sellers dated 12 Sep 1833: Says he is
well acquainted with Samuel Crawford and Mary Crawford and that Mary
was
continuously in the habit of running off from her husband and would after
a while being absent from him then return home and live with him again,
and continued to follow that practice for about two years...she went
off
in the spring of 1831 and has never returned home; she said she would
never live with him again; he has been well acquainted with Mary ever
since he was a child as the said
Mary is the supposed aunt of him and the
said deponant was raised by her father until
grown and he is well
acquainted with her temper and disposition and that the said Mary is a
high tempered and ill natured woman and of uncommon stubborn
disposition
and when she takes a notion to do anything whether it is right or
wrong
she does it; her father nor her mother nor any of her family can do
anything with her if she took a notion to have her own way.
Deposition of James Rutledge dated 26 Sep 1833: Says he is
well acquainted with Samuel and Mary Crawford; that Mary has been in
the
habit of eloping from her husband; he does not recall the number of times;
Mary came to his house and stayed several days and while she was there, he
and one of his nieces went with Mary to her home and she did not stay
at
home more than an hour before she went off again; this was in the spring
in 1831 in April he thinks; she appeared to be very angry with her husband
and tried to raise a quarrel with him but he did not quarrel with her
but
told his wife Mary to stay at home and behave herself as a woman ought
to
do and quit all such foolishness but she still kept trying to dispute with
him until the deponant had to speak to her and the said Mary still
went
off; she positively said she would never return to her husband.
Deposition
of James Sellers dated 26 Sep 1833: Says he is
well acquainted with Samuel and Mary Crawford; he has known both of
them
for upwards of thirty years for the said Samuel
Crawford's first wife was
this deponant's [step]sister and his
second wife Mary is his cousin and
the said Crawford married his last wife Mary formerly Mary Sellers
some
time in January 1829 and he is well acquainted with the fact that she the
said Mary was continuously in the habit of running off from her husband
Samuel; he cannot recollect the number of times she ran off; the last time
was about the first of April 1831 and from that time she has never
lived
with her husband since and the last time she left her husband she came to
his house and said she had left her husband but that her husband had
not
said one angry word to her but that she would not live with him again; he
tried to persuade her to return but she refused to do so; deponant went in
company with one David Dodson to see Mary
and stayed all night and part of the next day; David Dodson talked and
advised with her the said Mary and used all possible means that they
could in the bounds of reason to get her to return to her husband and live
with him again, but it was all in vain for they could not do anything with
her for she utterly...
Georgia L. Fletcher
chickflet@aristotle.net
From:
chickflet <chickflet@aristotle.net>
Marie, I have Nancy Sellers married Robert Craig on 04 January 1832,
Maury
County, Tennessee. I have her as the daughter of Robert Sellers Sr.
Perhaps Mary Sellers, daughter of John Sellers and Elizabeth Hart, married
a Craig after she was married to Samuel Crawford.
Georgia
(Mary Sellers and Samuel Crawford divorced in 1833,msh)