Elizabeth Blocker vs. William Blocker

Petition For Divorce

____________________________________________________________________________ 
                                                                             
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.                                                                 
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Washington Telegraph, December 29, 1841, Volume II, Number XXX, page 3,      
column 3.                                                                    
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