Last week we
discussed how to obtain a Kentucky divorce record from the Archives. I did just
that recently and was pleased with the results. Sometime ago I purchased the
Crittenden County Circuit Court Index on microfilm[1]
and used that to locate a file I thought might be of interest - John Bebout vs Ellen Bebout.
There have
been a number of John Bebouts through the years, but who was Ellen Bebout? Which John Bebout had a connection to an Ellen? I suspected this was a divorce case, but
wasn't sure until I read the file. It was full of information.
According to
the plaintiff (John Bebout), he married Ellen Adams in Hardin County, Illinois in
July 1869. The couple lived together until June 1872. During that time he
treated the defendant (Ellen Bebout) "kindly and did all he could to make
her a kind & loving husband and provided her with a good home and all that
was necessary to make her comfortable." [2]
In June 1872, Ellen left the plaintiff and moved to Madison County, Missouri. The couple had been living in Illinois, but after
Ellen left for Missouri, John moved back to Crittenden County.
Several
people gave depositions for the plaintiff at the home of John and Martha E.
Tolley in Pope County, Illinois in July 1874, including Absalom Vanbaber;
J.A. Bebout, John Bebout's 27-year-old son; Samuel Humphreys and John and
Martha E. Tolley.
So what did
I learn from this file? I determined
this John Bebout was the Reverend John Bebout, brother of my ancestor, Peter Bebout. John first married Sarah Shoemaker in Caldwell County,
Kentucky in 1841. Sarah died 1 February 1869, according to her tombstone in
Deer Creek Cemetery in Crittenden County. When she died, she left young children in need
of a mother's care. Just five months later
John married Ellen Adams in Hardin County.
Those of us
who had ancestors living in Crittenden and Livingston Counties know that many
of those ancestors married, lived or
died in Hardin County and Pope County. There was a lot of movement back and forth across the Ohio River between Kentucky and Illinois. The problem with researching Hardin County is there were
two courthouse fires, the last being in 1884, so often the records we need no longer exist. In the Bebout divorce
file is there is a copy of the 1869
marriage license, something I would not expect to find. Although the copy dates several years after the actual marriage, it is well before the courthouse fire. If this copy did not exist we would have no
idea John Bebout ever married Ellen Adams.
But we know about the record now and it helps fill in some blanks.
Ellen Adams
Bebout did go to Madison County, Missouri and is found living there with her
married daughter, Frances Adams Wiseman, and family on the 1880 census.
Ellen is listed as a widow, which was probably preferable to being listed as
divorced.
John didn't
file for the divorce from Ellen until July 1874 and it was granted 17 December
1874. Three days later he married Mrs. Mary Barger in Crittenden County. John
died in 1883 and is buried beside his first wife, Sarah.
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