Good Morning Boschong Subscribers, Earlier this month one of our Subscribers, Mareetta, found an old newspaper article for a Chancery Case in Barren County, Kentucky and I posted it to the BOSCHONG List. It has taken me awhile to research and find the answer to this Chancery Case. First I wrote to the Kentucky State Archives to have them make a copy of the case and the depositions. Mysteriously the file has disappeared from the Archives. My next step was to contact Sandi Gorin who is an expert on Barren County Kentucky court records and holds a lot of the old paperwork in books she has published. She suspected it was a divorce case and she was right. I wish to thank her and publically acknowledge her help in solving this mystery. So here is what the case was all about. Barren County Kentucky Circuit Court Records - Volume 5 DIVORCES 1811 - 1878 Transcribed by Gladys R. Wilson Presented by Sandra K. Gorin Glasgow, Kentucky March 1993 Page 12 - 13 NANCY SUMMERS VS JOHN SUMMERS Divorce Filed 17 March 1812 - No.15 Barren County Kentucky Circuit Court MY SUMMARY: It seems that John Summers was married to a woman named Nancy. The wife Nancy stated in her Divorce suit filed 17 March 1812 that she and John Summers had been married for 26 years and had 6 children. {Married circa 1785} The oldest two, were girls, one of which was of unsound mind and one of which was subject to fits. Unfortunately it doesn't name the children. She stated that she was a faithful and good wife. One day neighbor Winnie Tudor wife of Kinsey Tudor came to visit and sat on their porch talking with the men. Nancy did not like this and said so. On the 1st March 1812, John Summers took up with the neighbor woman Winnie Tudor, abandoning his wife Nancy and their 6 children in Barren County, Kentucky, and moved to Bedford County, Tennessee with Winnie Tudor and lived in open adultery. He was gone 6 months. He then returned to his wife because he said he was sick and she took him back. He did some business during this time, which came out in the Divorce. After he recovered John then declared that he loved Winnie more then he did Nancy, left his wife for a second time and returned to Winnie Tudor. She bore his illegitimate son that they named John. Thus the notice in the newspaper with the depositions. Several people were disposed including Henry Bushong. 16 March 1813 - DEPOSITION OF HENRY BUSHONG: Saith (he living near) (said John Summers) that said Summers and him being often Together when about home after the noise broke out respecting him and Tuder's wife, first went off with Kinsey Tuder's wife for many weeks then returned to his family he being sick and after he recovered his health and strength again in March last went off with said Tuder's wife again and was gone near 6 months they in Conversation one day heard said Summers say he loved Tuder's wife ten times as well as Nancy and Summers said that he believed Nancy's "Very heart and soul is wrapped up in me and further saith that he is now gone from his family." Nancy Summers was granted the divorce in the June Term 1813 of Barren County Kentucky Civil Court no date on Decree. She was given the home place and 200 acres of farm land, $100 in cash, a house slave named Isham and support for herself and her children's education. There is no indication that John Summers ever married Winnie Tudor and in 1826 he left for Jackson County, Alabama. He filed Revolutionary War pension papers in 1833 in Alabama but gave so many conflicting statements about his birth, could not show continuous service for 6 months in time which disqualified him and he was turned down. In his first application he said he was born in May 1760 in Augusta County. Then later in a second application he stated he was born in March 1760 in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He stated his family lived in Washington County, Virginia and Fayette, Clark, Green and Barren County, Kentucky. This indicates that this family moved around a lot for some reason. ------------------------- Submitted by Gloria Neiger Bushong thanks to the efforts of Sandi Gorin