Description
John W. Freeland petitioned for divorce from his wife, Rebecca Eldridge Freeland, whom he married in 1845. John claims that he and Rebecca lived together for 5 years, during which time Rebecca treated him with "great indignity and inhumanity" and abandoned their home "without any cause whatever on his part." John accused Rebecca of trying to poison him, of prostitution, adultery and threats to kill any children they had. Rebecca presented a copy of the couple's 1850 separation agreement, wherein she and John divided their marital property, including a seventeen-year-old slave named Mary and Mary's eleven-month-old daughter, Samantha. See also May 15, 1855, Circuit Court decree in the John W. Freeland vs. John Eldridge lawsuit affirming a legal conveyance of slaves to Eldridge.Date(s) of Creation
1/28/1851
