Tag Archives: Jessie Tyler

Jessie and Albert’s Divorce Papers

My Great Grandmother, Jessie Mae Tyler Green Harris, was married twice. First to Albert Green whom she divorced in 1913 and then to Frank Harris. According to the divorce papers her first husband abandoned her and my grandfather at some point between their marriage on May 5th, 1909 and their divorce on February 7, 1913.

In the CIRCUIT COURT, KANE COUNTY, February Term, 1913. Jessie Green vs Albert Green. IN CHANCERY.

At a term of the Circuit court of Kane County, For the February Term, A. D. 1913, held on the seventh day of the February of said Term. Present Hon. Mazzini Slusser, Judge, Charles T. McBriarty, Sheriff. Justus L. Johnson, Clerk.

JESSIE GREEN vs ALBERT GREEN | IN CHANCERY. No 32793.

This cause having come on to be heard upon the bill of complaint herein, and it appearing to the Court here that the bill of complaint filed in the Clerk’s office of this Court, on November 25th, A. D. 1912 together with an affidavit made by the complainant herein, showing that the said defendant was then a non resident of the State of Illinois, and that summons was duly issued on said day and returned, “Defendant not found in my county”, and it further appearing to the Court that due and lawful service has been had upon the defendant by publication in the Elgin Daily Courier, a regularly issued and secular newspaper, with general circulation throughout said Kane County, and that said newspaper has been published for many years to the filing of said bill of complaint herein and that the certificate of the publisher and Clerk’s certificate of mailing having also been duly issued and filed herein according the law, and the parties to this cause being now properly before this Court, and the said defendant having been three times called in open Court to plead, answer of demur to the Complainant’s bill of complaint herein, came not nor anyone for him and having herein made default and the court having ordered that the said bill of complaint and the matters and things therein stated and contained be taken as confessed, and the Court having heard the oral testimony of witnesses, sworn and examined in open Court and having heard the arguments of counsel and being fully advised in the premises, and on consideration thereof, DOTH FIND. That all the material facts alleged in the said bill of complaint are true, and that the defendant has willfully and wrongfully deserted and absented himself from the complainant without any reasonable cause whatever for a period of more than two years prior to the filing of said bill of complainant herein and the Court further finds that the defendant, Albert Green is a person wholly unfit to have the care, custody, control of education of the minor child of said parties, Walter T. Green, mentioned in said bill of complaint, and that said child is the only child born of said marriage and is now about the age of two and one-half years, and the Court finds that the complainant, Jessie Green, is a person wholly fit to have such care and custody of said minor child.

IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED by the Court, that the marriage between the complainant and the defendant be dissolved and the same is hereby dissolved accordingly, and the parties are and each of them is freed from the obligations thereof.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED by the Court that the complainant have the care, custody and control and education of the said minor child, Walter T. Green, without any interference on the part of the defendant, Albert Green, until the further order of this Court.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the defendant pay the costs of this suit, and the sum of Fifty ($50.00) Dollars Solicitor’s fees to the complainant for her solicitor within thirty days from the date of this decree, and that the execution may issue therefor, and this Court reserves the consideration of alimony for a future order and decrees to be entered herein on a proper showing made at this or any other term hereafter by said complainant.

Enter — Mazzini Slusser, Judge

February 7, 1913

New Blog: A Complete Library of Entertainment, Amusement and Instruction

Another item I brought back from my mom’s house is a book called A Complete Library of Entertainment, Amusement, and Instruction. This book is all one needed in 1903 to be entertained, amused and instructed. For instance, it gives detailed instructions on how to throw dozens of socials, from an advertisement social to a bird social to a beheading social. It also provides guidance on throwing parties including a progressive soap bubble party, a children’s Valentine party and a brownie party. It gives instruction on how to play ping-pong, how to do various exercises and explains both American football and English football rules. Several of the socials, parties, and instructions are accompanied with “full-page half-tone images” and others are paired with simple line drawings.

Three women dressed in warm clothes for a "Northern Social"
An example of the images from the book

I remember looking at this book various times in my life, but it never caught my attention until I took a closer look at the images and some of the content.

So, thought I, what a great idea for a NEW BLOG! Maybe I will actually keep this one going beyond a few posts!

I’m slowly adding content to the new blog, with little, if any commentary. So far you can learn how to put on a Carnival of Nations or a Reunion of Characters from Charles Dickens’ novels. You can also learn how to host a Cat Social, a Bird Social, an All Fools’ Social and a Broken Hearts Social.

Jessie Tyler’s Ivanhoe

Several years ago I wrote about my connection to my great-grandmother, Jessie Tyler Green Harris and mentioned a book that I had in my bedroom that bore her name. I thought it was in a copy of Ivanhoe, but it was not in either of our old books with that title.

I finally found the book in the attic at my mom’s house. It was, as I recalled, in Ivanhoe. I was wrong about her age being written the book though.