Mary Jane Fitzpatrick seeks a divorce from her husband, William, with whom she claims she can never again live "for fear of death or great bodily harm." Mary Jane confesses that her husband is a "drunkard," who visits "houses of ill-fame" where he indulges in the "most obscene & improper conduct." He has repeatedly "beat & choked" her and recently "maliciously & for the purpose of destroying the life of Your Oratrix with a knife or razor tried to cut her throat." She then "fled from his house" and now resides with her mother. Mary Jane also asks the court to order William to "provide a suitable maintainence for her children & a suitable allowance" for her. While William "was not the owner of anything" when they married, he now has obtained property from his "wealthy" father, Morgan. She asks the court to attach "such slaves, land & other property as the said Morgan may have given her husband" and to enjoin the two men from selling any of "said property." She also asks the court to decree a slave named Dick and a horse, which she brought to the marriage, as her separate property.
Result: Partially granted.
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Repository: Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee
