Crawford County, Pennsylvania

Courthouse

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FEME SOLE TRADERS

MAX SPRINGER, being duly sworn says that he is acquainted with M^rs C. E. Dreyfous the petitioner named in the annexed petition and that he has known her for six years past; That he has heard the said petition read and knows the contents thereof and that he believes the same to be in all respects true; That the said petitioner is unable to support herself and family from her present property and that the same will be wholly expended within a short time unless she can enter into some business and thereby earn a livelihood.  [Signed] Max Springer; sworn to and subscribed at N.Y.C. 26 April 1865.

JAMES P. HOEY, being duly sworn says that he is acquainted with Mrs C. E. Dreyfous the petitioner named in the annexed petition and that he has known her for one year past; That he has heard the said petition read and knows the contents thereof and that he believes the same to be in all respects true; That the said petitioner is unable to support herself and family from her present property and that the same will be wholly expended within a short time unless she can enter into some business and thereby earn a livelihood.  [Signed] James P Hoey; sworn to and subscribed at N.Y.C. 27 April 1865.

JAMES P. HOEY of full age being duly sworn according to law doth depose and say that he is acquainted with the petitioner the above named Anna Shwab and with her said husband Abraham Shwab and that the facts set forth in the above petition are true to the best of his knowledge and belief.  [Signed] James P Hoey; sworn to and subscribed 18 Nov. 1865 before B. S. Burgess, J.P.

EMANUEL GUTHMANN of full age being duly sworn according to law doth depose and say that he is acquainted with the petitioner the above named Anna Shwab and with her said husband Abraham Shwab and that the facts stated in the above petition are true to the best of his knowledge and belief.  [Signed] E. Guthmann; sworn to and subscribed 18 Nov. 1865 before B. S. Burgess, J.P.

JOHN F HENDERSON being duly sworn says:  I am acquainted with Emma L Wheeler have been about four years; I know that she has been deserted by her husband Elizah M Wheeler; She is left in a helpless condition as relates to management of her affairs; She has property real & personal that she needs the proceeds from to support herself & children; I think she is a discreet prudent woman, and if permitted to use her property would do so in a prudent and honest manner; her husband before leaving her neglected her and failed to provide for her wants for about two years.  [Signed] John F. Henderson.

WILLIAM TROTAL [sic; TROPLE] being duly sworn says:  I am acquainted with the petitioner live near her; Know that she has been deserted by her husband E. M. Wheeler; She has real & personal property and in my opinion needs the power to control her property to enable to support herself and children; I think her a discreet & prudent woman and could manage her business in a discreet manner; She has four children; I know that prior to her husband leaving her he neglected his wife and family, and left them in destitute circumstances.  [Signed] Wm. Trople.

Before me a Justice of the Peace in and for said County personally came JOHN T HAWKS and SIMON STROUSE of the city of Titusville in said county, two respectable and credible witnesses, who being duly sworn according to law do depose and say that they are personally acquainted with the above named petitioner Mary Boylan, and were personally acquainted with her husband, Michael Boylan, and they know the fact that for about two years past said Michael Boylan has not resided with or supported his wife and family, but has gone to parts to deponents unknown; —that he was a man of intemperate and vicious habits, and about the 10" of November 1870 was committed to the county jail for drunkenness and disorderly conduct, —and has not since resided in said city of Titusville, where his said wife and her family continue to reside.  [Signed] John T Hawks, Simon Strouse; sworn to and subscribed [blank] Nov. 1872 before John S. Tracy.

JOHN T HAWKS of the City of Titusville being of Lawful age and duly sworn deposes and says, Have resided in Titusville for nearly six years; am forty nine years of age; I am acquainted with the Petitioners Mrs Mary Boylan; She is a near neighbor of mine and has been for over two years; have often seen and spoken to her husband Michael Boylan; In the fall of 1870 I interfered to prevent him from abusing the family and destroying the furniture; He was a man of intemperate habits; So far as I could see he did not try to maintain the family; He was arrested in the month of November 1870 and was sent to jail for Drunkenness and abusing his Wife and her children by a former husband; I have not seen him but once since that; when he came out of jail he came here and staid a day or two and then left and I have never seen him since; He has not lived with his wife nor done anything to support them since that time; The last I heard of him he was somewhere in Canada, but I do not know the place nor where he now is; His Wife and her family are in very needy circumstances both as to food and clothing; She has one child by her said husband Michael Boylan besides other children by a former husband deceased.  [Signed] John T Hawks; sworn to and subscribed 2 Jan. 1873 before John S. Tracy, commissioner.

SIMON STROUSE of the City of Titusville, being duly sworn, does depose & say, that he is an acting Justice of the Peace in & for the County of Crawford, and that he is acquainted with the Petitioner Mary Boylan for about four years, and that the said Mary Boylan [had?] been living with her husband Michael Boylan constantly in fight & quarrel, and that he Deponent, by virtue of his office sometimes [sic] in November 1870 sentenced the said Michael Boylan for about Sixty Days in the county jail, and that the said Michael Boylan, after he was at liberty again, left this country for parts unknown, and that to Deponent[’]s best knowledge & belief the said Michael Boylan has since then neglected & refused to support the said Mary Boylan & children; The present whereabouts of the said Michael Boylan Deponent does not know.  [Signed] Simon Strouse; sworn to and subscribed 6 Jan. 1873 before John S. Tracy, commissioner.

Personally appeared before the subscriber a Justice of the peace in and for said county THOMAS McGRATH & JOHN P. CATHALA who being duly sworn say that they were well acquainted with the within named James Scanlin and Augustine his wife; they were married in Randolph Township Crawford County; the deponent McGrath was a partner with Scanlin in the cooper business and the deponent Cathala is a brother in law of Scanlin and they say the facts stated in the within petition of Augustine Scanlin are true.  [Signed] Thomas McGrath, J P Cathalo.

J P CATHALA:  I live in Vernon Township; my age is 46 years; I am acquainted with James Scanlin and his wife Augustine Scanlin; They were married about ten years ago, in Randolph Township in this County; They lived in Randolph Township until about four years ago; Then he ran away and deserted his family, and has not been seen since; I do not know where he has gone; He has not made any provision for his family no[r] sent them anything; He left considerably in debt; Mrs Scanlin is a sister of my wife; Mrs Scanlin owns a fifth interest in forty acres of land in Mead and Randolph Townships worth about two hundred and fifty dollars which she inherited from her father and mother; She has no other real estate; She has supported herself since he left by her own labor.  [Signed] J. P Cathala.

THOMAS McGRATH aged 26 years sworn: I live in the City of Meadville; I knew James Scanlin and his wife Augustine Scanlin; They lived together and were man and wife so recognized; About four years ago he went away and left his wife; They lived in the French Settlement in this County; He was a cooper by trade; I do not think he has been heard of since he left; I have made inquiries and have not heard anything except once, that was when he first went and understood he was going to Boston; He was in debt to me; That was one reason I inquired for him; I do not think he has done anything for the support of his wife since he went away; She has supported herself by working out; I do not know any reason why he left except that they could not agree; she could not live with him because he drank very hard and abused her; She is a woman of good character and reputation; He was in debt to a number of persons when he went away besides me; He had no property to pay his debts.  [Signed] Thomas McGrath.

Personally appeared before me a Justice of the Peace in and for said [Crawford] County, W J B FINLEY and L HONEYWELL who being duly sworn according to law depose and say, that they are citizens of the City of Meadville said County, and are acquainted with Charles H. Perkins and Elizabeth Perkins his wife, the parties mentioned in the foregoing Petition; that the said Charles H. Perkins has deserted his wife and family, and as they verily believe, neglects and refuses to provide any means for their support; That said Charles H. Perkins, left the City of Meadville about the time mentioned in said Petition, and has not been known to be in this vicinity since that time; that he left under suspicious circumstances and as they believe, without any intention of returning; that they have heard the foregoing Petition read, and believe all the facts set forth therein, to be true and correct; All of which is true, to the best of their knowledge and belief.  [Signed] L. Honeywell, W. J. B. Findly; sworn to and subscribed 18 Feb. 1873 before Reuben C. Frey, J.P.

W J B FINDLEY of lawful age being sworn deposes and says, I reside in the City of Meadville; I am engaged in business as a merchant; I am acquainted with Charles H Perkins and Elizabeth Perkins his wife the petitioner; Have known them over seven five years or more; They lived on Dock street in this city; On or about the seventh of November last Mr Perkins went away and left his wife and family and has not been back since to my knowledge; He left debts unpaid, one at our store; He left nothing for his family to live upon to my knowledge except what was in his store which was levied upon and sold afterwards for debts; He left an order to draw the wages due him at the shop where he worked and instructions that the money be drawn and sent to him; From what I can judge of his intention by the circumstances of the case I do not believe he ever intends to come back here; I know from conversations with him that it has been his intention heretofore to desert his wife; I do not know that he has proided [sic] anything for his family since he went away; I do not know where he is; I do not know except by report in what circumstances he left his family; I do not think he left property enough to pay his debts.  [Signed] W J B Findly.

L. HONEYWELL being sworn deposes and says:  I am sixty eight years old; I reside on Dock Street in the City of Meadville; I am acquainted with C H Perkins and Elizabeth Perkins his wife; They lived on the same street with me; Sometime this fall I think about the 7^th day of November Mr Perkins went away and left his family; His family consists of his wife and one child a boy about four or five years old; He has not been back since that I know of; I do not know where he went; I do not know in what circumstances he left his family; I know that after he was gone the goods in the Grocery he kept were sold by the constable or sheriff.  [Signed] L Honeywell.

JOHN M CLARK aged 36 sworn:  I am acquainted with C H Perkins and his wife; Have known them four years or thereabout; My place of business for the last year has been two doors from where they lived and did business; He kept a small grocery and was a machinist; Sometime in November he went away and left his family; I do not know where he went; He has not been back since; I do not from what I know of the man and his circumstances believe he ever intends to come back; I do not think he left anything for his family to live upon; The goods in the Grocery were sold by the Sheriff to pay debts after he went away; I think he did not leave any other personal property.  [Signed] John. M. Clark.

personally appeared CLARK BROWN of Titusville being duly sworn according to law deposes and says that he is well acquainted with Henry A. [sic] Hill the Husband of the Petitioner Lydia Hill; [¶] Deponent says that said Henry A Hill has been very seriously injured for more than one year past in his eye sight rendering him unable to properly conduct his business and deponent believes the facts set forth in the Petition of said Lydia Hill are correct & true.  [Signed] Clark Brown; sworn to and subscribed 21 Oct. 1876 before Simon Strouse.

personally appeared H. T. HUNT of Titusville being duly sworn according to law deposes and says that he is well acquainted with Henry A. Hill the Husband of the Petitioner Lydia Hill; [¶] Deponent says that said Henry Hill has been very seriously injured for more than one year past in his eye sight rendering him unable to properly conduct his business and deponent believes the facts set forth in the petition of said Lydia Hill are correct and true.  [Signed] H. T. Hunt; sworn to and subscribed 21 Oct. 1876 before Simon Strouse.

MARY B. MOORE being duly sworn according to law deposeth and saith that she is acquainted with Elizabeth H. Sample the foregoing petitioner and that having read the foregoing petition so by her signed, that the facts as therein set forth are true and correct to the best of affiant[’]s knowledge & belief and that the said Rinaldo P. Sample has deserted his said wife Elizabeth H Sample for upwards of five years last past and doth continue so to do.  [Signed] Mary B Moore; sworn to and subscribed 16 May 1883 before the Prothonotary.

KITTY BIRCH being duly sworn according to law deposeth and saith that having read the petitioner [sic] so by said Elizabeth H. Sample made as aforesaid and that the facts as therein set forth are true and correct and that the said Rinaldo [or Rinalda] P. Sample has wilfully deserted the said Elizabeth H Sample for upwards of five years last past, and continues so to do.  [Signed] Mrs K. G. L[?]. Birch; sworn to and subscribed 16 May 1883 before the Prothonotary.

FRANCINA CLARK being duly sworn deposes and says, I am the daughter of William and Lydia Clark; I am 19 years of age and live with my parents in East Fallowfield Township; My father will do nothing toward supporting his family; He has done nothing for me since I have been old enough to help myself; I have often heard him say that he would not provide for the family, and he wont work my mother’s farm nor allow any one else to do so; He is between fifty and sixty years of age I think, and is in good enough health to work the farm to support the family if he wanted to, but instead of doing that he goes away to work for other people and permits the farm to go to ruin and decay; The barn is badly in need of repair and the fences are very much decayed and grown up with bushes and weeds; He does not own any livestock and has disposed of all that my mother owned; I have two sisters younger than I am and they, like myself, are obliged to work out for their own support and are thereby deprived of the privileges of attending school, for to any extent.  [Signed] Francenia Clark; sworn to and subscribed 30 April 1884 before Wm. A. Douglass, J.P.

JOHN STEWART aged 48 years and ANDREW T DAVIS aged 28 years citizens of Eastfallowfield Tp. pursonly appeard before me and being duly sworn deposes & says they are acquainted with William Clark & Lydia his wife of Eastfallowfield & have been aquainted with them for 20 years; Lydia Clark owns the farm; William hur husband is about 55 years old; the farm is in bad condition on account of not being properly worked or cared for; he William is able to work but for some unknown reason to us he does not work nor will not work on the farm & help support the family but works for others, but will use no part of his wages to help support the family, this he told me, Andrew T Davis himself; We know that he sold off the entire stock of grain hay & stock at public sale last Sept & kept the proceeds & also J. Davis [sic] knows he sold off all the valuable timber; the farm has not a fence sufficient to turn a sheep.  [Signed] John Stewart, Andrew T Davis; sworn to and subscribed 1 May 1884 before S M Kerr, J.P.

BENJAMIN F. WALES and JOHN W. SWIFT each being duly sworn say they are residents of Woodcock Boro and are well acquainted with Martha A. McPheeters and know that she has been deserted by her said husband Robert McPheeters for about fifteen years as stated in her petition.  [Signed] Benjamin F. Wales, John W Swift; sworn to and subscribed 24 Dec. 1885 before C. W. Knerr, J.P.

F E WILSON and E NORTHAM being duly sworn say that they have known the petitioner and the said Joseph Larimer for the last six years and that the facts set forth in the foregoing petition are true to the best of their knowledge and belief.  [Signed] F. E. Wilson, E. Northam; sworn to and subscribed [blank] Sept. 1886 before Philip P. Wenz, J.P.

REBECCA M. NILES, sworn, deposes as follows:  I am the wife of Earnest Dennis W. Niles and live at No 14 West Spruce Street in the City of Titusville where I have lived since last fall; Before that I lived on a farm; My husband does not live me; He has deserted me; When he deserted me I lived on the farm referred to, called the ‘Wilkins’ farm in Crawford County; He left me there and went away from me a year last April, about the first part of April; He has remained away from me ever since; Never returned; I have supported myself since that time; He has not contributed anything towards my support.  Signed Rebecca M Niles.

CLARA GREEN, sworn, deposes as follows: I am 22 years old and live in Titusville with Mrs Niles; Have lived with her for five years and more past; I was acquainted with Mr. Niles; Previous to moving into town Mrs Niles lived on the Wilkins farm in Crawford County; Mr. Niles deserted his wife a year ago last April; Previous to that he had lived with her on the Wilkins farm; He has not returned to her; Mrs. Niles has supported herself since the desertion; He has not contributed anything towards her support; I have been in the family of Mrs Niles all during since that time and I would have known if he had contributed anything.  [Signed] Clara M Green.

MAUD W. GREEN, sworn, deposes as follows: I am 20 years old; I live in Titusville with Mrs Niles and have lived with her for four years last past; For the last two years Mrs Niles has lived part of the time on the Wilkins farm and part of the time in Titusville; Mr. Niles deserted his wife a year ago last April; He has never returned to her; He has not contributed anything towards her support; She has supported herself; I have lived with Mrs. Niles in her family since the desertion & would have known if he had contributed anything towards her support.  [Signed] Maud W. Green.

LEE BANNISTER, sworn, deposes as follows:  I am 51 years old and live in Titusville; I live near Mrs. Niles, directly across the street; Mr. Niles does not live with his wife; He deserted her as I understand; He has not lived about a year ago; I have never seen Mr Niles return to Mrs Niles residence since his going away.  [Signed] Lee Bannister.

CHARLES A. McDOWELL and MARY E. McDOWELL being severally sworn say: that they are acquainted with Anna Fetterman, the within name[d] petitioner, who is the wife of George Fetterman, and that he, the said George Fetterman, has neglected to provide for her during the last four years, through his hatred of and ill=will towards her, and and [sic] during that period has deserted her.  [Signed] Mary E McDowell, C A McDowell; sworn to and subscribed 11 Nov. 1891 before the Prothonotary.

EMELINE BURDICK and JOHN R CEASE being duly severally sworn say: that they are acquainted with Almira J Sherwood, the within named petitioner, who is the wife of John A. Sherwood; and that he, said John A. Sherwood, through drunkenness & profligacy, has neglected to provide for and support said Almira J. Sherwood.  [Signed] Emiline Burdick, J. R. Cease; sworn to and subscribed 18 Jan. 1895 before M. H. Luse, J.P.

JAMES WILLIAMS and M Z SLAYTON being duly sworn according to law depose and say that they are well acquainted with Mrs. Lovilla Lewis and Alford [sic] Lewis her husband.  That Alford Lewis because of drunkenness and profligacy has neglected for serveral several years and still neglects to support his family and the within named petitioner and that the deponents believe that the welfare and best interests of the petitioner and her family will be served by the decree prayed for in the said petition.  [Signed] M. Z. Slayton, Jas. Williams; sworn to and subscribed 7 Sept. 1895 before Newton Truesdale, J.P.

Mr. C. E. AIKIN of Hydetown, Crawford County, Pennsylvania, being sworn deposes and says: I have lived in Hydetown since 1864 and have known the petitioner Mrs. Jamison twenty years; I have known Samuel Jamison, her husband for nearly as long, fifteen or twenty years; To my knowledge Mrs. Jamison has lived in Hydetown ten years; To my knowledge since I have lived in Hydetown Samuel Jamison her husband, has lived there with her perhaps six years, but has not lived in the town for about six years; I have only seen Samuel Jamison once since he left Hydetown and that was about five years ago; I do not know of his having been in Hydetown but once since; I would probably have known if he had been there at other times; Samuel Jamison when in Hydetown was a carpenter; When I knew him successful in his trade and earned as much money as the average carpenter; Mrs. Jamison earns her livelihood sells nursery stock for Brown Bros. Rochester, New York, and toilet articles, and travels from place to place; From all that I know she is supporting herself that way; It is the general understanding that she and her husband are not living to gether; I knew them both as neighbors and never knew of any ill treatment of him by her or of her being unfaithful to him.  [Signed] C E Aikin.

LUCY A. STORY of Hydetown, being duly sworn according to law deposes and says: I have lived in Hydetown sixteen years, and I have known Mrs. Jamison, the petitioner for about fifteen years; I have lived in Mrs. Jamison’s house seven years this coming Fall, and two years previous I lived across the street from her nearly opposite; During this time I have known Mrs. Jamison quite intimately; Samuel Jamison her husband left his family eight years ago this coming November, and has not lived with his wife since then; When Mrs. Jamison leased her house to me she reserved two rooms which she uses as her home; She sells nursery stock for the Brown Bros, and toilet articles of her own preparation, and supports herself in that way; Mrs. Jamison was a very domestic woman, and always made a good home for her husband, and was always faithful to him to the best of my knowledge & belief.  [Signed] Lucy A Story.

J. B. MEYERS of Oil Creek Township, being duly sworn according to law deposes and says: I live in Oil Creek Township just above the Bucklin Hotel; I know Samuel Jamison formerly of Hydetown; In 1895 or 1896 I bought a farm from him; During the transaction of buying the farm he told me that he and his wife were not living together; He said that he was living in West Moreland County and that she was living part of the time in Hydetown and part of the time in New Castle; He, Jamison, did not know whether he could get his wife to sign the deed or not; I had to negotiate separately with her to get her to sign it.  [Signed] J. B. Myers.

See Crawford County Deed Book E-4:494: deed dated 17 Feb. 1873 from Augustine Scanlin (formerly Augustine Montaigne), Jean P. Cathalat, and others, conveying the farm of J[ean] B[aptiste] Montagne, dec’d., which had been devised to Catharine Montagne during her lifetime.

  ²  Charles Perkins married 25 Oct. 1865, by Rev. R. Craighead, Miss Lizzie Porter, daughter of Col. James Porter (Crawford Democrat 28 Oct. 1865, p. 3, col. 2).

  ³  Frank Rofee of Providence, R.I., married 20 Feb. 1896 Miss Lillian Rhodes of Titusville (Crawford Journal 5 March 1896, p. 8, col. 6; see also Crawford Co. Marriage Docket 6:539 [Frank H. Roffee to Lillian Rhoades]).