BLONDEYES, THE TROUBLEMAKER

Often people think that in the “old days” divorce didn’t happen much. Perhaps it didn’t happen as often as it does now, but it sure happened a lot. Below is a funny divorce petition I found while researching in the court records of Douglas County, Kansas. I was looking for the divorce record of Nellie’s father, Levi J. Sperry, and quite accidently found this action put forward by his daughter.

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In the District Court of Douglas County, Kansas
(Dated 9 September A.D. 1884)

Nellie S. Perry – Plaintiff Petition
vs Charles S. Perry- Defendant

Comes now the said plaintiff and for her cause of action herein shows to the Court

That she is now and has been for more than one year last past an actual resident in good standing of the County of Douglas and State of Kansas.

That on or about the 1st day of October, A.D. 1879 at Lawrence, Kansas she was lawfully married to the defendant Charles S. Perry and that they have ever since been and now are husband and wife, and that ever since the date of their said marriage she has conducted herself as the faithful, loving and obedient wife of said defendant and yet your petitioner avers that the said defendant regardless of his marital duties toward your petitioner did on or about the 1st day of May A.D. 1884 at a house of prostitution known as “Moll Butler’s” on 3rd Street in the city of Kansas City and County of Jackson and State of Missouri commit adultery with a certain woman whose true name is unknown to your petitioner, but who is known by the names of “Blondeyes” and “Ella” and who is an inmate of said house of ill fame, and said defendant has ever since said 1st day of May and up to the date hereof continually frequented said house and committed adultery with said woman.

Wherefore your petitioner prays judgment that the bonds of matrimony existing between herself and the said defendant Charles S. Perry be dissolved and that she be restored to her maiden name of Nellie D. Sperry and that she have her costs borne.

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The new crop of genealogists who have come along since the advent of the Internet somehow believe that the internet will provide them will all the information they need. They do not seem to understand that it is absolutely necessary to push oneself away from the computer and get their hands into “real” research – digging into the physical records themselves either by on site research or through using microfilmed records provided by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Who knows how soon it will be before all the divorce records in the County Courthouse in Lawrence, Kansas, will be digitized or in fact, if they every will.

The fun of genealogy is more than just finding out the birth, marriage and death date of our ancestors. The fun is finding out that “Blondeyes” obviously swept poor Charles Perry off his feet and that Nellie Perry refused to put up with it. Good for her. Her actions gave me a great story for my family history, and another confirmation that divorce has been around for a long, long time.