In a message dated 8/10/2005 4:00:49 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time, VA-SOUTHSIDE-D-request@rootsweb.com writes: I have received a lot of question lately concerning divorce in the pre-Civil War South. Here is a simplified, copy and paste article with helpful end-notes that might help a lot of folks. Paul http://www.arches.uga.edu/~mgagnon/students/Marino.htm Speaking of divorce in the 1800s... My great grandmother had a brother whose wife lost her "marbles"... from a neighbor she tried to get strynine (sp?) to poison the family, livestock... etc. In the county divorce records it shows that HE got the children.. surely a FIRST in history. A direct descendant (also researching) is trying to see if she went to a state mental institution. The state institution won't even check on the name even though in 1870-1880. Ellie S. Ellie S.