Mary Jane Clinard seeks a divorce and alimony from her abusive husband of five years, Henderson Clinard. She reveals that, "less than three days after the marriage," her husband "was intoxicated" and that he has not been sober "as a general rule exceeding three or four days at a time" throughout their marriage. He has acquired a habit "of bringing negro men, slaves of the neighbourhood, to his house & drinking with them in your Oratrix's room." When Mary Jane "orders them to be gone, they reply to her with insolent language, and her husband countenances them in this conduct." He often comes home drunk, "as late as" one in the morning, and behaves violently towards her. He has seized and choked her, thrown a knife at her, and several times struck her "with the tongs or shovel." She has a scar on her face, "which is still remaining" from his abuse. Henderson also treats their child "in the same way." Mary Jane has fled with her child to a neighbor's house and now wishes to be divorced from him "absolutely." She informs the court that the only property Henderson brought to their marriage was a "negro boy," whom he has since sold and replaced with a "negro girl named Minerva." She asks the court to attach his property, so that she can derive alimony out of the same.
Result: Granted.
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Repository: Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Archives
