Amanuensis Monday: A Divorce Suit Filed - 1918

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009. Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe and share their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

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This week I transcribe a newspaper article from 1918 mentioning the divorce of a great uncle.

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George Meade and Frank P. Bell are named as correspondents in the divorce suit of Stanford O. Van Every against Amy Van Avery. Alice O. Hartley alleges failure to provide against Sydney R. Hartley, and cruelty is the allegation of the complaint of Sarah C. Porter against Richard Porter, whom she married in Butler county in 1899.

Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) · Tue, Dec 3, 1918 · Page 4

Notes

1) Stanford Van Every (aka Samuel Van Every), was the brother of my maternal grandmother.

2) Amy Johnston and Stanford O Van Every were married in March of 1917. In July of 1918, Amy wrote to the FBI and accused her husband of bigamy, draft evasion, and pro-German sympathies. This news clipping suggests Stanford filed the divorce suit again his wife. This news article provides a county court to contact to see if the divorce records survive. It also provides some possible associates of either my great uncle, or  his wife.

3) I am unsure if the Hartleys mentioned in the same news clipping are related to my Hartley ancestors.  It would be highly coincidental, since my Hartley ancestors resided mostly in Texas and Mississippi.