Sepia Saturday 491: A recap of the series on the 1866 divorce of my third great-grandparents — what the court records reveal.
The surprise discovery that a my paternal third great-grandparents Zebulon and Hannah (Hance) Blakeslee were divorced in Pennsylvania in 1866 led me on a quest for the records of their divorce case.
After a Genealogy Road Trip to the Susquehanna County seat in Montrose, Penna., I worked with courthouse staff to locate and obtain copies of my ancestors’ divorce papers — research that was well worth the effort!
The court records gave surprising details about my third great-grandparents’ separation and eventual divorce, and also raised new questions about why Hannah left Zebulon in 1858 — to be explored in future posts.
For now, here’s a recap of what the court records revealed about my Blakeslee ancestors’ nineteenth century divorce.
Divorce law, petition and subpoenas
- 1800s: My Blakeslee ancestors and Pennsylvania divorce laws
- 1865: Zebulon Blakeslee petitions for divorce
- 1866: Hannah (Hance) Blakeslee’s divorce subpoenas
Depositions and new questions
- 1866: The intriguing divorce deposition of James E. Whitney
- 1865: Where in the world was Hannah (Hance) Blakeslee?
- 1866: The illuminating divorce deposition of Jehiel W. Snow
- 1866: The disappointing divorce petition of Cordelia Snow
Divorce decree
One mystery remains…
Many thanks to the readers of Molly’s Canopy for following along throughout this Blakeslee series and the previous one, and posting insightful comments.
If you are new to Molly’s Canopy, you may also want to check out the prequel to the Blakeslees’ divorce proceedings in The Odd 1860 Separation of Zebulon and Hannah (Hance) Blakeslee.
One mystery remains: Why did Hannah (Hance) Blakeslee leave her marriage in 1858, never to return? Some thoughts on this in the next post. Meanwhile, please visit the blogs of this week’s other Sepia Saturday participants here.
© 2019 Molly Charboneau. All rights reserved.