Martha Gray informs the court that, when she married Joshua Gray in 1840, she believed that the contract was one of mutual affection. About two months later, Joshua Gray began to feel otherwise and began mistreating Martha. On some occasions, he beat her to the point where she could barely walk. Despite the hostile living conditions, Martha Gray continued to live with her husband and even became pregnant in the spring of 1841, with the hope that a child would bring the couple closer together. Joshua Gray had other plans. He initially threatened to leave her because of her pregnant state and, three weeks before the birth, beat her severely. When Martha Gray told her husband that he might hurt the child, he replied "that he hoped he should destroy the child as he wanted none." The child survived but was soon abandoned, along with Martha, by Joshua Gray. Now, Martha Gray stands before the court asking for a divorce and custody of her child.
Result: Dismissed.
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Repository: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama
