Divorce and Domestic Strife in 1890s Seattle
Three women are granted divorces in the local superior court, revealing stories of abandonment, habitual drunkenness, and domestic cruelty.
Mrs. Elva D. Blackburn was granted a divorce yesterday by Judge Langley from her husband, Charles F. Blackburn, who was convicted of sending threatening postal cards through the mails and is now serving a term for that offense at McNeil’s Island. Mrs. Minnie Schroeffer was also granted a divorce from her husband, Henry F. Schroeffer, on account of the latter’s habitual drunkenness and violence toward her. The testimony showed that the couple quarreled over a dog, the husband objecting to his wife keeping one. Olive A. Davison was also released from galling matrimonial bonds, her husband, Arthur J. Davison, having been shown to be a drunkard and to have habitually used vile, obscene and abusive language toward the plaintiff and finally deserted her two years ago.
“Olive A. Davison was also released from galling matrimonial bonds.”
While divorce law has changed significantly, the intimate struggles of early Seattle residents—from domestic cruelty to disputes over pets—remain a mirror to the timeless challenges of personal relationships and the judicial system's role in dissolving them.
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