Week 20 #52Ancestors: Nature

Meet Matilda Sutton Rowe

Matilda “Tilda” Sutton is my 1^stcousin 3x’s removed.  Some of the documents that involve her lead me to believe she was a feisty woman.  In fact, Tilda may have raised a few eyebrows.  She was the youngest child of Isham Sutton and Mary “Polly” Barnard and was born in Hancock County, Tennessee just after the Civil War had ended in 1866.  Her first husband was James Wiley Rowe, Jr. and the marriage ended in divorce. Filed on July 20, 1889, I have transcribed a portion of the handwritten paperwork:

To the Honorable John P. Smith Chancellor holding the chancery court at Sneedville Tennessee.  Humbly complaining showeth your Honor your Oratrix Matilda Roe a citizen of Hancock County in said state that some ten or more years ago she intermarried in said county with one Wiley Roe, Jr. and has lived and cohabitated with him as his wife ever since that time until about the 3^rdday of the present month July 1889.  

Some twelve months ago the said Wiley found an attachment for one Nancy Griffin and was guilty of repeated acts of adultery with her but by the persuasion of friends and your Oratrix being in feeble health, she was induced to condone the offence and continued to live with him until the time above mentioned and further causes herein after mentioned refused to live with him any longer.

Some time about the day of June past in said county he was guilty of adultery with one Laura Odle as your Oratrix is informed and believes such since that time has been guilty of repeated acts of adultery with the said Laura and other persons so she is now informed and believes.

Your Oratrix further shows that sometime before the said third day of June he began to neglect his matters at home and to stay away two or three days at a time and when he would come home would be crabit and abusive to her and his children and would not remain but a short time until he would go again and is now entirely neglecting his matters at home not even taking care of his small grain which is now straw fallen in the field.

The said Wiley has considerable property both personal and real.  He has a farm lying in the 7^thDistrict of said County adjoining the lands of Isham Sutton, Elijah Epperson, Joshua Davis and others worth about eight hundred dollars; two yoke of work cattle, a wagon, two by chains, a mare and colt, one eighth interest in an eight horse improved threashing machine, two milk cans, two head of young cattle, sixteen head of stock hogs, eight head of sheep, a sewing machine and stove and other household and kitchen furniture – the most of which household and kitchen furniture including the stove and sewing machine was given to your Oratrix by her father and a growing crop of corn and oats on said land and perhaps other personal property including three stands of bees and some farming implements etc.

Your Oratrix by her marriage to the said Wiley has five children viz. Emily, Iola, Cordie, Catharine and Tilman aged respectively seven years, five years, four years, two years and six months and from the immoral habits and bad character of the said Wiley he is unfit to have the care custody control and training of them.

The said Wiley avows his intention of disposing of said property, and is now engaged in trying to dispose of the same so as to defeat any claim your Oratrix may have thereon for alimony.

The penniless considered complainant prays that the said Wiley Roe Jr. who is also a citizen of said county be made a party defendant to this bill and be required to answer the same fully but not on each that an injunction issue to restrain him from selling or in any way disposing of said property or any part thereof until the function allows of this court; that at the hearing a decree be rendered forever dissolving the bonds of matrimony subsisting between her and her said husband, that the care custody and control of said children be decreed her, that a reasonable portion of said property including the homestead in said soul property both soul and personal be decreed her as alimony, and for general relief.

This is the first application for an injunction in this case.

Coleman & Coleman

It appears that the divorce was granted and Matilda was to receive about $10 per month in alimony and the legal fees of $2,000 were also to be paid by her former husband.  I was amazed to see this type of settlement in 1889.

There is more to discover on Matilda as an article was shared with me regarding a moonshine still found on her farm in 1921 and I’m thinking this didn’t sit well with her father also mentioned in the article as “Uncle Isham Sutton.”

Published in The Sneedville News, May 27, 1921

Curiosity got the best of me so I perused some of the microfilmed records for Hancock County in hopes of finding more information on the still.  What I discovered is a lawsuit filed in 1925 by Matilda and her family against Isham Sutton to prohibit him from removing timber from the property she inherited from him and her mother, Mary “Polly” Barnard (deceased).  She won.

From the Hancock County, TN Catalog on Familysearch.org

Matilda Sutton Rowe died on March 27, 1937 in Hancock County, Tennessee at the age of 70 years old and is buried in the Sutton-Manning Cemetery near her father, Isham Sutton.  Hopefully, they made amends. I believe Tilda fit the "Nature" theme well given her feisty character combined with life on a farm, and fighting to stop the timber removal from her property.  Rest in peace, cousin.