____________________________________________________________________________ State of Arkansas, County of Pike, Clerk's office of the Pike Circuit Court, on the Chancery side thereof, in Vacation, 21st December, A.D. 1841. Elizabeth Blocker, by William Stone, her next friend, complainant. vs. William Blocker, Defendant. Petition For Divorce. This day came the complainant by Grandison D. Royston, her solicitor, and filed her bill and affidavit in this cause, and it appearing to the satisfaction of the clerk of this court from the affidavit of said complainant, also filed in this cause, that the said defendant William Blocker, is a non-resident of the State of Arkansas. It is therefore ordered by the Clerk of the Pike Circuit Court, that the said defendant be, and he is hereby, notified, of the commencement of this suit, and the substance of the allegations and prayer, of the complainant's bill as follows: That on the 10th day of February, 1839, complainant was married to defendant in the county of Pike, in the State of Arkansas; that the defendant has wilfully deserted and absented himself from the said complainant for the space of one year, without reasonable cause; and that he still remains absent from her; that there are two female children, to wit: Sarah Ann Blocker and Louisa Jane Blocker, under her custody and charge; that during the time they cohabitated together he failed to make any provision for the support of his wife and children; that at the time of his marriage with the complainant he had a wife living who is yet alive; that he is unfit to have the management, custody, and care of the children; that the complainant's bill is to dissolve and set aside marriage contracts, not only from bed and board, but from the bonds of matrimony, and for such other relief as she may be entitled to in the premises; and it appearing further to the clerk that process of the Pike Circuit Court cannot be served on the said defendant. It is therefore ordered that unless the said defendant shall appear on or before the next term of the Pike Circuit Court, to be holden at the court house in the town of Murfreesboro, on the fourth Monday in April next, and plead, answer or demur to said bill: that the same shall be taken as confessed, and a decree entered accordingly; and it is further ordered, that this order be published for eight weeks successively in some newspaper in this State, the last insertion to be at least four weeks before the 1st day of the next term of the Pike Circuit Court. David S. Dickson Clerk of the Pike Cirucit Court, in the State of Arkansas. A true copy from the record. Teste: David S. Dickson, Clerk. December 29. ____________________________________________________________________________ Washington Telegraph, December 29, 1841, Volume II, Number XXX, page 3, column 3. ____________________________________________________________________________ HTML file and design by David Kelley, 1997. All rights reserved.