Child Stringfield

• Name	Child Stringfield
  Gender	Unknown
  Group	Davidson 001 Family of Immigrant Samuel Davidson
  	Descendants of immigrant Samuel Davidson of DNA Family 001
  Group	Davidson Direct Descendant
  	Direct Descendant of any immigrant Davidson
  Group	Davidson DNA Family 001
  	Descendants of John, George, and Samuel Davidson of Beverley Manor, Virginia, and Iredell county, North Carolina
  Group	Descendant of Revolutionary War Veteran
  	DAR or SAR Eligible Descendant of a Revolutionary War Veteran
  Died	Bef 1909
  Person ID	I27580	DNA Family 1 Genealogies | Descendants of Immigrant Samuel Davidson of DNA Family 001
  Last Modified	13 Sep 2014

  
  

  Father	James Franklin "Jim" Stringfield,   b. 14 Aug 1881, Morgan County, Tennessee ,   d. 2 Dec 1942, Morgan County, Tennessee  (Age 61 years)
  Mother	Martha "Mattie" "Pattty" Davidson,   b. Abt Mar 1883, Casey County, Kentucky ,   d. Between 1930 and 1937  (Age ~ 46 years)
  Married	Sep 1903	Morgan County, Tennessee
  Divorce Filed	23 Apr 1909	Morgan County, Tennessee
  	Divorce bill filed April 23, 1909 James Stringfield vs Mattie Stringfield ~Complainant~        ~Defendant~ Complainant states he and the defendant were married in Morgan County, TN about six or seven years ago and resided in Morgan County ever since their marriage. Complainant states that the said Mattie Stringfield has been guilty of adultery with one John Evans in Morgan County within the past six months, but complainant has only recently learned of such conduct. Complainant states he has not condoned said acts of adultery and has always been kind to defendant and provided the necessaries of life as best he could, and that the marital relations between them has always been the best until this man Evans entered their home and destroyed the happiness of complainant. Complainant here shows to the Court that said John Evans has persuaded the defendant to leave her home and that she is now at the home of the said Evans making her home with him in the same house with the family of said Evans to the great scandal of the neighborhood. Complainant states there has been born to complainant and defendant two children: Juli Bell and Parilee age respectfully about 10 months and 4 years. That complainant has with him the older child, a boy, and that the younger child is with its mother. Complainant states he is able to provide for said child in his custody, but owing to the age of the younger one he does not at this time desire to take it from its mother, but he alleges that owing to the conduct of the mother that she is not a proper person to have the care, custody and training of children. __________ Answer bill filed May 17, 1909 James Stringfield vs Mattie Stringfield Mattie Stringfield admits as correct to marriage dates and place of residence as stated in bill. She denies the charge of adultery as absolutely and maliciously false. Defendant says claim of her living in the house of John Evans to be false. She admits the birth of the two children that their names and ages are correctly stated and that she has the younger one and the older one is with the complainant. Defendant denies that the complainant has always been kind to her and always provided for her until their home was broken up by her misconduct. On the contrary complainant often failed to provide anything for her to eat and would go off and remain away two and three days at a time without leaving her anything to eat and she was compelled to suffer with hunger and to as best she could provide for herself and family from neighbors. About one year ago they rented a house and garden from one John Evans and moved to it. Here the defendant by her own labor made herself and children and complainant too, a good garden and a good crop of potatoes and beans and other vegetables and corn enough to fatten one hog for meat while complainant pretended to work about at other places. Defendant planted part of her garden and was preparing to again when complainant went over to Annadell and came back and told her that he had got a good job of work from one Bart Sexton at $1.25 per day straight time, that he got straight pay whether he worked or not and that he got a house and garden. At first defendant objected to going but finally consented. When she got to Annadell she found all was false. No garden, no land on which to raise potatoes or anything else for herself and children. Also found his statement of $1.25 per day straight time was a falsehood, that he had the promise of one dollar per day when he actually worked. Defendant knew complainant well enough to know he would idle away over half his time even if he could get work and steady work was not even promised. Taking into consideration this fact and the fact that she was placed where she could not do anything herself for her own and her childrens support she was determined to go back to where she could make something to live on. She tried to get complainant to come with her but he preferred to stay at Annadell. So she did come to Mr. Evans place with her youngest child and has a few wearing clothes. Complainant refuses to give her anything else and refused to come back to the place they had where she could make most of the family support by her own labor. ________ Cross bill filed May 20, 1909 James Stringfield vs Mattie Stringfield The answer of James Stringfield to the cross bill filed against him denies that he has ever at any time failed and refused to amply provide food and clothing for the proper support and maintenance of cross complainant and the children. Cross defendant shows to the Court that he is a poor man, he relies on his daily labor to support his family and has ever during his married life used proper industry and properly maintained his family as fitted their station in life. Defendant left and abandoned her home without any excuse except to gratify her desire to live in adultery with one John Evans. Cross defendant shows to the Court that cross complainant out of her loose lewd and immoral character is wholly unfit to have the moral training care and custody of the children and he says the prayer of his original bill should be granted as to the children. ___________
  Divorced	22 May 1909	Morgan County, Tennessee
  	Divorce decree #1091 filed May 22, 1909 James Stringfield vs Mattie Stringfield Upon the bill and answer, cross bill and answer there to and oral testimony of witnesses introduced in open court, the Court is pleased to find that the allegations of adultery charged in the bill are sustained by the proof and the original bill is in all things sustained. The Court is pleased to order and decree the custody of the older child, Paralee, for the time being to the father, James Stringfield and the care and custody of the younger child for the time being will be left with the defendant and mother Mattie Stringfield, each of the parties will have the right to visit from time to time said children. From the proof on file the Court is pleased to decree that the mother is not of fit moral character to have the permanent custody care and moral training of either of the children permanently and the cause is retained on the docket in this court awaiting the disposition of the children at some subsequent time, the mother will report at the next term of this court satisfactory proof of her good character, if she desires to retain the custody of the child temporarily awarded to her. ____________________ From Janice Sauls, Sept. 2014 This is part of an e-mail I wrote to someone this year when we were trying to figure out which James Stringfield was the correct one as there were several in Morgan County, TN, to choose from. We had also heard a wild tale in the past of Mattie attempting to "chop Lee's head off with an axe" when Lee was about 4 years old, but that "Aunt Annie had saved him" and kept him for a short time. (James had a sister named Annie) -------- There were 3 witnesses listed on the front when the decree was first issued. I believe they must be witnesses on behalf of James because in the end when the court finds in favor for James it states "of oral testimony of witnesses introduced in open court." The names appear to be: Smith Grider, John Brown, and Ed Osbourne. Looks like Dolly Belle Stringfield Grider was married to a William Grider, so there could be a connection with that family since Dolly was a sister to James. Right now I can't access anything to give me information on the Grider family. Here's some more detail of the decree: After Mattie went to Annadel and found James's story of work, house and land to be false, she asked him to come back to the house they had left but James preferred to stay at Annadel. "Complainant refuses to give her anything else and refuses to come back to the place they had where she could make most of the family support by her own labor, but where complainant would have a better opportunity to do a few days work himself for the support of the family this step she was forced to take because she knew that if she was deprived of the opportunity to make something for herself and children she and they would have to suffer with hunger. She had no thought of abandoning complainant and has tried to get him to come back to where she could make a living and not have to depend on the neighbors or go hungry. These efforts on her part to ____  him to stay with her have been met on his part by the bill filed in this cause falsely charging her with things she is not guilty of. In view of the refusal of complainant to come back with her to where she can make a living for herself and children and his refusal to even give her her own things she prays that in this cause she have a ______ giving her the care of both her children and that she be given possession of all her household property and complainant be required to contribute to the support of herself and children. She does not want a divorce. She does not want to turn complainant loose so easily." Also written that Mattie Stringfield made under oath that owing to her poverty she was unable to bear the expense of the cross bill. When James was cross examined he said he was advised that Mattie "had left the home of John Evans at this time, and moved out to herself and in all probability using some efforts to cover up her adulterous conduct from her neighbors." (one of the witnesses/spies lived next door to John Evans) James also said he "does not object to maintaining and supporting his children this he considers a duty and one he would perform with pleasure, but he insists that this Honorable Court will not impose the burden upon him of contributing to the support of cross complainant while she lives in open adultery with Evans. Cross defendant denies that cross complainant has any right or title whatever to the household goods or any part thereof." The court decreed that "the bonds of matrimony heretofore subsisting between the complainant James Stringfield and the defendant Mattie Stringfield, be absolutely and perpetually dissolved and the complainant James Stringfield restored to all the rights and privileges of a single and unmarried person." I still believe Mattie's side of the story... Mattie wanted both of her children, did not want a divorce, and James wanted Lee only as a weapon to hurt Mattie. If Mattie did try to harm Lee, could it have been due to the fact that she was so stressed from losing custody of him along with the whole divorce proceedings? If she tried to harm him any other time, I think that fact would have been mentioned during the divorce decree that she must be of unstable mind. Some things have slowly changed, but women did not have any rights a hundred years ago, no matter what they said.....your thoughts?
  Marriage Status	Divorced
  Family ID	F10227	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart