In 1821, Joseph Gresham married Sarah W. Christian of Charles City County. The couple lived in "harmony, confidence, and affection," until Gresham discovered that his wife was having an affair. Gresham notes that the charge of adultery against his wife is "aggravated" by the fact it was done with "a man of color." Gresham received further proof of her transgressions in 1831 after Sarah gave birth to a mulatto child. Gresham petitions for divorce. In a lower court trial, Sarah Gresham accused her husband of being "incompetent to the discharge of his marital duties, of sexual intercourse."
Result: Rejected.
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Repository: Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
