Fairfield Co., Ohio, Divorces

Info extracted from the Lancaster Daily Eagle newspaper, Lancaster, Ohio. Date shown is publication date of the newspaper.

The charges brought forth, and shown below, were often contested or the defendent would file a counter petition. Charges that were brought forth at the first half of the year, I did try to find the end court result but was not always successful. Those charges brought forth toward the end of the year may not have gone to court until the following year, and therefore, not shown in this listing.

Name (often the plaintiff)		action	Name (often the defendant)		newspaper publication date	charges	date of marriage	maiden name
Altman	Amanda M.	granted divorce	Earl W.	Altman	April 16, 1926	gross neglect of duty and extreme cruelty
Andrews	Delma	filed divorce suit	Vercoe	Andrews	November 23, 1926				suit filed by 'next friend' Mary Barber. Vercoe's whereabouts unknown.
Azbell	Walter	filed divorce suit	Virginia M.	Azbell	August 27, 1926				Case #16578, asking also for custody of monor children. Virginia in Columbus but residence unknown.
Barbiers	Ferdinand S.	filed divorce suit	Eliza	Barbiers	November 17, 1926	wilful absence for more than 3 years			Wife resides at 41 Hesse Plein, Antwerp, Belgium.
Bartley	Mildred	filed divorce suit; amended	Frank A.	Bartley	December 8, 1926	gross neglect of duty
Bauman	Frederick	granted divorce	Jennie	Bauman	July 21, 1926	divorce granted on cross petition. He was Jennie's 5th husband.
Beck	Anna	case dismissed	James	Beck	October 11, 1926
Beck	Carrie M.	filed divorce suit	Harry F.	Beck	November 3, 1926	gross neglect of duty		Beck, Carrie M.	Maiden name listed in several future legal notices as "Carrie M. Beck".
Belle	Lillie May	filed divorce suit	Harry D.	Belle	July 19, 1926	failure to support.	August 27, 1915		1 ch: Lulu May Belle.
Boyer	Ruth M.	filed divorce suit	Harvey	Boyer	November 4, 1926	extreme cruelty			Being a minor, her 'next friend' Jessie Householder filed petition. They have one child.
Brigode	Flora	filed divorce suit	Earl	Brigode	October 21, 1926	desertion		Littrell, Flora	His whereabouts unknown. Case set for Dec. 3.
Britch	Bertha	filed divorce suit	Charles E.	Britch	October 30, 1926	non-support
Chappius	Myrtle Belle	filed divorce suit	Rufus	Chappins	July 19, 1926	struck and choked her more times than she can remember. Stindy.			4ch: Maurice 23, Mildred 21, Lucile 15, Margaret 12
Coombs	Helen M.	filed divorce suit	Robert T.	Coombs	August 21, 1926	gross neglect of duty	Sept. 25, 1922 Chicago		1 ch: Barbara, 11 months.
Corson	Sarah	filed divorce suit	Wm. W.	Corson	December 15, 1926	gross neglect, failure to provide clothing.
Corson	Wm. W.	files cross petition	Sarah	Corson	December 15, 1926	nagger, ill natured, frequently cursed and swore at him.
Dewitt	Ethel	filed divorce suit	Edward	DeWitt	July 8, 1926	gross neglect of duty; husband went to FL and ceased communication.
DeWitt	Ethel	granted divorce	Edward	DeWitt	August 28, 1926	gross neglect of duty			Ethel gets custody of the one child.
Dodds	Clementine	filed divorce suit	Major	Dodds	August 21, 1926	failure to provide and extreme cruelty
Eaton	Linda	filed divorce suit	Samuel	Eaton	August 17, 1926	adultery, immoral associations with women, and he is suffering from venereal disease because of above.	Nov. 20, 1922		1 ch: Beatrice
Eaton	Lucinda	answers cross petition	Samuel D.	Eaton	December 14, 1926	She states that the def. Is a resident of the state and father of 4 ch by a former marriage, and admits these ch were to live with them after marriage; that she was very fond of them and frequently used large sums of money to clothe them. Denies all other allegations.
England	Bessie A.	filed divorce suit	Arthur C.	England	April 20, 1926	desertion for 16 years.	April 16, 1905		1 ch: Ruth, 18 years old.
England	Bessie A.	granted divorce	Arthur C.	England	July 1, 1926	wilful absence for over 3 years
Eschbaugh	Ruth	granted divorce	Lawrence	Eschbaugh	April 10, 1926	gross neglect of duty		Murray, Ruth I.
Finney	Emma	granted divorce	Harrison	Finney	October 27, 1926	cruelty			property in Amanda awarded to Emma. She is to pay $100 for satisfaction of his lien. It is rumored he will ask for a new trial.
Finney	Emma	granted divorce	Harrison	Finney	November 27, 1926	extreme cruelty		McDougle, Emma	Maiden name restored. Given clear title to estate in Amanda.
Fling	Myrta E.	granted divorce	John	Fling	April 7, 1926	failure to support, extreme cruelty, cursing at her.	Dec. 10, 1925 Circleville
Flowers	Martin	case dismissed	Mary	Flowers	December 27, 1926
Franklin	Ruth	filed divorce suit	Carl	Franklin	September 18, 1926	failure to provide, extreme cruelty, brutally struck and bruised her with fist, did not support her and threatened her life.	Newark	Gainor, Ruth	Ruth is a minor, so 'next friend' Winona Rush filed petition for her.
Gierhart	Elmer B.	filed divorce suit	Elizabeth	Gierhart	May 28, 1926	On Oct. 11, 1924 she left him and has since refused to live with him.	Sept. 6, 1924
Gierhart	Elmer G.	granted divorce	Elizabeth	Gierhard [sic]	July 24, 1926	gross neglect
Goheen	Ella	files divorce suit	James	Goheen	December 17, 1926	gross neglect of duty. Has struck her causing her arm and throat to bruise; cursed her daily.			States she has been forced to support herself by working in a factory and doing other manual labor since their marriage.
Harmon	Florence	filed divorce suit	Cloyce	Harmon	August 31, 1926	gross neglect of duty
Harp	Effie	filed divorce suit	Harry	Harp	December 28, 1926	gross neglect; left her Dec. 5, 1926 and told her he would pay no bills contracted by her. She has no means of support and unable to earn a living due to feeble health.			2 ch: Charles Russell "aged 11 years July 1st 1926, who was adopted", and Rolland W. Harp b Oct. 16, 1926.
Harris	Marie		Henry K.	Harris	November 11, 1926	gross neglect			mother given custody of children
Harris	Marie E.	granted divorce	Henry K.	Harris	November 11, 1926	gross neglect			Mother given custody of children and all personal and real property are given to her in lieu of dower right.
Harrison	Lelah	granted divorce	Chester	Harrison	July 6, 1926				custody of ch to mother
Heinlein	Elsie	granted alimony during divorce suit	Calvin	Heinlin	July 20, 1926
Hiles	Elizabeth	filed divorce suit	Frank	Hiles	November 30, 1926	extreme cruelty. Struck her in face, threw an iron skillet at her. Frequently in rage and anger he has hurled bricks at her. Threatened to kill her on Nov. 29 and burn down the dwelling. Also threatened to kill ch.	Feb. 12, 1912		3 ch: Wesley 14, William Franklin 11, Agness Louise 8.
Hiles	Jennie	filed divorce suit	George	Hiles	April 21, 1926	gross neglect of duty	August 22, 1926	Mowery, Jennie
Hilger	Henry	granted divorce	Ella	Hilger	June 3, 1926	gross neglect of duty.
Hoffer	Ruby	filed divorce suit	Christian	Hoffer	May 19, 1926	professional loafer; loafs at pool room in Zanesville. Failure to provide.	Dec. 24, 1924		1 ch: Dorothy Marie Hoffer.
Howard	Margaret	granted divorce	William	Howard	November 18, 1926	gross neglect of duty		Jones, Margaret	Maiden name restored.
Humphrey	Nellie	granted divorce	Joseph	Humphrey	December 8, 1926
Johnson	Nellie	granted divorce	George W.	Johnson	June 1, 1926	gross neglect		Tanner, Nellie
Keeley	Wilbert D.	filed divorce suit	Daisy	Keeley	April 3, 1926	adultery			Daisy's whereabouts unknown.
Knight	Dora	granted divorce	Isaac	Knieght	June 30, 1926	wilful absence for over 3 years
Knipe	Dora	filed divorce suit	Isaac	Knipe	April 30, 1926	abandonment			Isaac's whereabouts unknown.
Kober	William	files cross petition	Victoria	Kober	December 7, 1926	admits he was resident of Lancaster for more than a year. Plaintiff left his home and he solicited her to return. He denies all other allegations. He charges her with extreme cruelty, accusing him of associating with women for immoral purposes. She takes all his money from him requiring him to beg money from her.			He asks that her petition be dismissed and his and he be granted divorce on his cross petition. He was recently elected County Commissioner.
Koontz	Lola	granted divorce	[name not mentioned]	Koontz	July 24, 1926	wilful neglect, idleness, profligacy, dissipation.
Koontz	Lola F.	filed divorce suit	Earl M.	Koontz	April 16, 1926	wilful neglect and failure to provide	May 28, 1921		2 ch: Bettie 4y and Jaunita Irene 2y
Kraner	Alvah M.	filed divorce suit	Harry P.	Kraner	July 8, 1926	squandering money, staying out late with other women, failure to provide			1 ch: Richard Miesse Kraner
Kull	Mary E.	granted divorce	Roy F.	Kull	October 30, 1926	extreme cruelty			She was given custody of child, $6/week support of child, and household furniture.
Lee	Guy	files cross petition	Goldie	Lee	November 16, 1926	admits they live with his mother but says arrangements were with wife's consent. He denies all other charges. Counter charges say Goldie has vicious and violent temper and once tried to attack his mother with hatchet. She has called him profane names and nagged him.
Lenhart	Alcinda	filed divorce suit	William F.	Lenhart	October 21, 1926	gross neglect of duty and extreme cruelty; taken a great dislike to their ch. and refuses to allow some admittance to her home.			parents of 8 ch, all over legal age. This is her second suit, the first was dismissed.
Lenhart	William	files cross petition	Alcinda	Lenhart	November 27, 1926	Clains he has given his wife a note and mortgage valued $3075 in full satisfaction of her dower interest. He asks that her divorce suit be dismissed.
Light	Edward S.	filed divorce suit	Maria	Light	April 16, 1926	absent from home several times with whereabouts unknown; threatened to kill him.	Feb. 12, 1912
Light	Edward S.	granted divorce	Marea	Light	June 5, 1926			Nisle, Marea
Long	Sylvia M.	granted divorce	Edward S.	Long	November 20, 1926				Edward's motion to vacate the divorce has been stricken from files. Husband had been given 5 days to pay back alimony, which he didn't do, so the divorce granted to wife is final.
Lutz	May Queen	filed divorce suit	Lester	Lutz	January 15, 1926	been absent for over 3 years
Mansberger	Ira	filed divorce suit	Mary	Mansberger	April 30, 1926	familiar with other men; leaves home for 3-5 weeks.			3 ch: Hazel 7, Zema 6, Richard 4
Mansberger	Ira and Mary	case dismissed			July 20, 1926	case dismissed as they're living together again.
Marlier	Faye C.	filed divorce suit	[smudged]	Marlier, Jr.	November 23, 1926	gross neglect and extreme cruelty. Wastes his money, assaulted her numerous times, and once kicked and beat her for attending church service. Has threatened to shoot her.			2 ch: dau. 2y, and son 3 months. On October 27 plaintiff struck and choked. 3 days latter she left him, taking the children, to her parents.
Marlier	Faye C.		Aime	Marlier, Jr.	November 27, 1926				Pending settlement, court ordered def. To pay wife $6/week for support of herself and children.
Martin	Mary	filed divorce suit	Harvey	Martin	December 23, 1926	adultery			Harvey's last known address was on Porter Street in Detroit, MI.
McLin	Emma	files divorce suit	Ward S.	McLin	July 26, 1926	gross neglect and failure to co-habit with her.			Emma is a minor, so 'next friend' Philip Farmer filed petition.
McLin	Emma	granted divorce	Ward S.	McLin	September 13, 1926	gross neglect			minor ch Elnora Iretha awarded to mother.
Miller	Sarah E.	filed divorce suit	Oliver	Miller	May 27, 1926	failure to provide and neglect of duty
Mundy	Wavelene	granted divorce	Thomas	Mundy	October 8, 1926	gross neglect of duty
Neff	Mary	filed divorce suit	Lester	Neff	August 30, 1926	non-support			In Nov. 11, 1926 article, it says that Lester Neff, his wife Goldie M. Neff, and Henry E. Azbell were arrested and pled guilty to the charge of acting in a way to cause the delinquency of Maude Hayes by encouraging her to associate with immoral persons. On Oct. 30, Neff in company with Hayes, and Mrs. Neff with Azbell, spent a weekend together at an abandoned cottage. Lester served 90 days at Dayton workhouse in the past. The Hayes girl was put into the detention home of Mr. and Mrs. Eck, but she escaped. Her whereabouts unknown.
Parrish	Alma	filed cross petition	Dwight	Parrish	July 21, 1926	she denies allegations, says he's been associating with other women, is lazy, indolent and jealous. Failing to provide for her, refuses to live with her.		Coover, Alma	next friend Edna V. Noble filed on behalf of Alma Parrish.
Parrish	Dwight	filed divorce suit	Alma	Parrish	July 19, 1926	adultery	January 28, 1926	Coover, Alma	Dwight is a minor so his 'next friend', Dora Parrish, filed petition.
Parrish	Dwight	divorce granted	Alma	Parrish	September 10, 1926
Reid	Lucille	filed divorce suit	Raymond	Reid	April 16, 1926	quarrelsome disposition, unreasonable temper	April 15, 1922		2 ch: Alice, 2; Robert 5 months.
Riser	Catherine	granted divorce	Oscar	Riser	February 9, 1926	gross neglect			Catherine gets custody of 2 ch
Rowe	Edith	filed divorce suit	James Shinder	Rowe	October 30, 1926	gross neglect			hearing set for on or after Nov. 18th.
Rowe	Edith	granted divorce	James Shinder	Rowe	November 20, 1926	gross neglect of duty		Hogrefe, Edith O.	maiden name restored
Runkle	Samuel V.	granted divorce	Edna M.	Runkle	November 6, 1926	gross neglect of duty			Father is awarded custody of the children, Lloyd E. Runkle and Erome V. Runkle.
Sales	Maud	granted divorce	Russell E.	Sales	April 3, 1926	neglect and cruelty
Smith	Elton	shot and killed himself			December 20, 1926	Wife Olivia, 21, in hospital from shot in right side. Her mother is Aimee LeJeune in which Olivia had been staying. She pulled her car into garage and he sprang out of hiding and shot her. Mother heard Olivia scream and ran to assistance. Elton ran 200 feet down road and took his own life.			Elton was a World War vet, step son of Charles O. Smith of Lancaster. Has a brother Sylva in Cleveland; mother dead for some years. Mrs. LeJeune said her daughter and 4 year old granddaughter were living with them, and that there had been much domestic trouble between Elton and her daughter since their marriage 5 years ago.
Smith	Olivia	granted temporary alimony	Elton	Smith	November 20, 1926				$6/wk. granted to Olivia pending settlement.
Smith	Olivia	case dismissed	Elton	Smith	December 28, 1926	case dismissed as def. Has died since filing of the suit.
Spurgeon	Olive L.	granted divorce	William H.	Spurgeon	April 3, 1926	neglect and cruelty
Standiford	Margaret	supplemental petition	William	Standiford	December 11, 1926	gross neglect and adultery. For 18 months he has not furnished her with a proper home, and since Sept. 26, 1925 he has not supported her. For past 4 months he has associated with other women.	June 10, 1922, Logan, OH	Ripp, Margaret	no ch born to union. Standiford is in jail on charge of stealing a car.
Staniford	Margaret		William	Staniford	September 25, 1926	gross neglect
Thompson	Emma	filed divorce suit	John Harland	Thompson	July 23, 1926	agreed on Jan. 6, 1923 to separate; guilty of going with other women.	June 27, 1907		no ch born to them.
Thompson	Gerald	filed divorce suit	Glenna	Thompson	September 11, 1926	gross neglect of duty, riding in automobiles until a late hour of the night with other men.
Timberlake	Marie	filed divorce suit	Howard	Timberlake	November 17, 1926	gross neglect and non support. Has never furnished her with a home, refused to live with her and has only given her $120 since their marriage.			Plaintiff asks for custody of the minor child and temporary and permanent alimony.
Van Gundy	Wesley	filed divorce suit	Lean	Van Gundy	December 17, 1926	gross neglect and when his work compels him to travel she refuses to accompany him and stays with her parents.			NOT filed in Fairfield. Van Gundy formerly of Lancaster, a bricklayer. Article started out with "According to word from Cincinnati..".
Wagner	Cora	filed divorce suit	Ebbert	Wagner	November 26, 1926	gross neglect and non-support.			She asks for custody of their 3 1/2 old child.
Wagner	Ebbert	filed cross petition	Cora	Wagner	December 30, 1926	Claims his wife, prior to marriage, was able to perform duties of a farmer's wife except milking, and promised to do so. After marriage she refused work except minor tasks, forcing him to live with his parents, his mother doing the work of the farmer's wife and caring for the babe. They have not lived together since Nov. 23, 1923, when she acknowledged her unfitfulness for motherhood and voluntarily returned to her people.	November 9, 1922		1 child, Dorothy Marie, 3 1/2. Husband asks for exclusive custody of child.
Waits	Clinton	granted divorce	Margaret	Waits	November 8, 1926	unfaithfulness
Wallace	Cora	granted divorce	[name not mentioned]	Wallace	July 26, 1926			Lutz, Cora
Wallace	Florence Lutz	filed divorce suit	James	Wallace	June 8, 1926	wilful absence for 3 years	Sep. 30, 1920, Covington, KY	Lutz, Florence Steele	no ch born to them.
Wanbaugh	Beulah O.	granted a divorce	Forrest H.	Wanbaugh	August 16, 1926	gross neglect of duty		Beavers, Beulah O.	maiden name restored; $300 alimony.
Westbrook	Ethel	granted divorce	Leslie	Westbrook	October 19, 1926	gross neglect of duty
White	John	filed cross petition	Nora L.	White	August 18, 1926	asks that her original charges be dismissed, then charges her with ungovernable temper, striking him causing internal injuries, hitting him in jaw tearing ligaments loose that had a short time before been broken, and threw his watch away. Also threatened his life many times. States that on their marriage she said she'd been married once before, but charges she'd been married 2 or 3 times prior to their own marriage.
White	Nora L.	filed divorce suit	John W.	White	July 8, 1926	petition also against Fairfield Nat'l Bank and Nora White Stevens. Def. Guilty of accusing her of infidelity, choked her, failure to provide, and transferred a deed of property.
White	Robert	filed divorce suit	Lennie	White	August 16, 1926	adultery and desertion; he asks for custody of children
Wilson	John E.	files cross petition	Mae	Wilson	July 26, 1926	gross neglect of duty, extreme cruelty; also states that wife is not correct person to have custody of ch. by virtue of her attitude and manner around house.
Wilson	Mae	filed divorce suit	John E.	Wilson	July 23, 1926	claims he gets a portion of clothes for the family at the junk pile in the Lancaster Paper Mill where he works. Vicious, wicked and carries on [with?] Ilda Gregory.			ch: Iretha 16, Elmer 14, Sarah 12, Roy 7, Evelyn 2.
Wilson	Mae	case dismissed	John E.	Wilson	September 18, 1926
Wonderle	Jennie	filed divorce suit	George	Wonderle	November 17, 1926	extreme cruelty, threatened to strike her. Received no money from him other than $25/year. Claims he's quarrelsome, vicious and nagging, treats her with no respect, and applied to her vulgar, ribald and sacriligious epithets and is jealous of her. Corresponds and meets woman of improper morals in Cleveland			Wife's petition states she bought real estate with insurance money of her late husband, and claims defendant offers to leave her if she will sell property and give her half the proceeds.