Author: Chapman, John; Hynor, Lewis; et al
Title: Manuscript Bill of Divorce
Description: Arkansas, By the author, 1843. Manuscript document; 9 3/4 x 8; single sheet, folded, pp. [4]; text in brown ink on pp. 1 and 2 only; old fold lines; a few tiny nicks to edges of folds; light ink offsetting; in very good condition. Written by John Chapman, clerk, in a barely-decipherable hand, the document transcribed one Lewis Hynor's story for the court - his wife Eliza abandoning him without a cause and leaving him in that state for over a year and his request to be granted a divorce. In the first half of the 19th century, divorce was most often applied only as a last resort, as numerous religious and social dogmas were in place. Furthermore, people in early-19th-century US saw the institution of marriage differently from how we see it today - not as a committed relationship of two unique individuals, but as a union, which effected a permanent transformation, gave them one singular identity, and produced a public association, the terms of which were not negotiable by either one in the couple. (Hartog, H. (1991). Marital Exits and Marital Expectations in Nineteenth Century America. Lecture presented at University of Wisconsin Law School). Last, but not least, a divorce had to be granted by a legislative enactment (as is this case) and it was very expensive, thus limiting it to only very wealthy people - usually men, who wanted to get rid of their wives. Very good .

Keywords: California-Vbf, Americana, Law, Divorce


See more books from our catalog: Americana