Petition #20183913

Abstract

Eveline Whetstone seeks a divorce from her husband. Upon her marriage to Evans Whetstone in 1830, her father, William Ratcliff, sent her a slave for a "cook and a washer woman Your Oratrix Never having been accustomed to Cooking and washing." Shortly after her marriage, her husband "commenced his most cruel treatment towards your Oratrix threatened to whip her for not having milk for him and for spitting on the floor accused her of lying and used many other opprobrious epithets." He compelled the petitioner "to do all the cooking generally for the family both whites and Blacks. He also commanded your Oratrix to do the washing." Eveline describes cruel treatment "not more than three weeks before the birth of her youngest daughter he abused her much." She also recounts that Evans threatened her life, testifying that one time "he loaded in her presence two guns and told her if she did not go home to her Father's he would blow her brains out and lay with an open knife in his bed for some time." Furthermore, he told the slaves that "if she attempted to correct them to whip her." She states that her husband ordered a slave "to get into her lap and kiss her[,] Compared the personal likeness of one of his Negro women to your oratrix and gave the preference to the Negro." When Eveline Whetstone fled the house with her two daughters, her husband applied for a license to marry another woman. Although his request was rejected at first, he succeeded the second time. He is now living with his "pretended" wife. Eveline seeks a divorce.

Result: Granted.

3 people are documented within petition 20183913

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Citation information

Repository: Shelby County Archives, Columbiana, Alabama

Subjects