IT’S ALL ABOUT MONEY AND CHICKENS, BAWK, BAWK, BAWK

EARLY CLARE COUNTY LEGAL CASES

HERSEY  v  HERSEY

SEPTEMBER 5, 1906 – IT’S ALL ABOUT MONEY AND CHICKENS, BAWK, BAWK, BAWK

George H. Hersey, age 52, filed a Complaint for Divorce on September 5, 1906, against his wife, Mary A. Hersey, age 49, alleging desertion as the ground for divorce.  He stated a marriage in Mt. Pleasant on December 20, 1903, and that on September 3, 1904, defendant Mary “willfully deserted and absented herself  . . . without reasonable cause for the space of two years and upwards”.  The Chancery Subpoena was served on defendant Mary in the City of Clare on October 6, 1906, by Under Sheriff C.B. Lloyd.  The usual default papers were filed.

Testimony to support one of the 8 statutorily permitted grounds of divorce was obtained on December 11^th by Judge Peter F. Dodds.   Plaintiff George testified to re-marrying and living with defendant Mary for 8 months before she left.  Also, that he was previously married to her when he was 19 and she 17 and then divorcing about 4 years previous, re-married as to the present matter, and seeking to be “redivorced”.  He stated that he really didn’t know why she left except for the fact that “she insisted upon buying more land and raise more chickens.  I told her though we had a plenty; . . . we had 150 then, -- all she could take care of.”  And, “all she thinks of is money, money.”

Plaintiff George indicated a 15-month space of time between their marriages and that on re-marrying they had entered into a contract with each to keep their own land – defendant Mary with 64 acres of 160 acres.  On re-marrying they purchased a house and lot in the City of Clare, he owning 2/3rds and she 1/3^rd with a plan to both furnishing the house.   According to plaintiff George, defendant Mary did not totally unpack her belongings and “seemed to be discontented".   On the day she moved out defendant Mary said, “’I am going out to the farm, where I can have all the chickens I want.’”  Plaintiff George related the chicken difficulty in detail:  “she seemed to want to cover the whole town which chickens . . . She had 300, and she wanted 500 more chickens.  You could not keep them in town.  We had three lots there and she had it covered with chickens.”

Frank L. Blaine also testified and while he had talked to both plaintiff George and defendant Mary, he did not relate any known reason for the breakup.  Orin Holms testified to living ½ mile West of Loomis and prior to that at the Livingston farm “two miles south and two miles east.”  He worked on the farm of Mrs. Hersey at one time and helped her move from the house in Clare on the breakup – “All she ever said was she was leaving because there was not room there for her chickens  . . . She wanted more place for her chickens . .. all she thinks about is money . . . She has to have every dollar she can get.”

A final witness was Earl W. Green, a Clare County Deputy Clerk.  He testified to a quit claim deed by defendant Mary to plaintiff George on September 3, 1904, for Lots 6, 7 and 8, Block 5 of Freighter’s Addition to the City of Clare.

On December 12^th Judge Dodds signed a Decree For Divorce on the ground of desertion and the Decree For Divorce was filed by deputy Register W. Earl Green.

by Jon H. Ringelberg

Member, Clare County Historical Society