Early TN Cook Divorce--Rutherford Co. TN (1822)

I'd sent off for a copy of this 1822 TN Divorce Petition not only because it is near the area where my Cook(e)s were but because of my interest in Hardy Pope who signs the statement for the petitioner.  There is a Hardy Pope among purchasers at the estate sale of Joseph S Cook(an estate over which my known 2nd Great Grandfather Wm Clifford Cook was appointed administrator)  TSLA sent the images files to me yesterday.  At this time there is no proof what relationship W C Cook was to Joseph S Cook. I can't tell from this document if there is any connection with either Joseph S Cook or Wm C Cook. Below is my attempt at transcribing the files of the petition.  There was pretty much no punctuation and I kept the line breaks of the original documents.

To the Honorable the general Assembly

of the State of Tennessee now in Session

your petitioner Sally Cook humbly

represents to you the honorable body she

was intermarried with John F Cooke on or

about the 4th day of July in the year 1815

they lived together as husband & wife until within

a short period since when the said John F

went off & left your petitioner in a very helpless

situation having two children to support without

any property as means for that purpose except

by her own industry? She upon her intermarriage

had considerable property but it has been all

wasted & squandered by the said John ever since

their intermarriage your petitioner would represent.

She has behaved & conducted herself toward the

said John F Cook as a kind tender affectionate

wife but the said John F seemed to be regardless

of every obligation which binds a husband to his

wife he has been in the habit of wandering

from his family & home  & visiting? houses of ill

fame associating with women of the most loose

and abandoned characters and has been guilty of

repeated acts of adultery as she has been advised

& believes with both black & white females she would

further represent she is now stript of all her property

which has been squandered away upon loose and idle?

women and in taverns & grog shops she is so poor

she is unable to institute a suit in court to obtain 

a divorce she therefore prays your honorable 

body would take her case in consideration and 

divorce her from the bonds of matrimony with 

the said John F Cook as in duty bound she 

will ever pray

Sally Cook

Signed affidavit of Archibald Harris, Thomas Harris, Benjamin Hasteen, Thomas Pettypool, John Nelson and  Hardy Pope

This day appeared before me
Luckett Davis a Justice of the peace for said
county of Rutherford and made oath having
been acquainted with John F Cook since his
intermarriage with his wife they have frequently seen
the said John F Cook frequent houses of ill fame associate
with women of loose & Immoral characters as she 
even caught him messing with black woman their 
negro bitch in the night and they verily believe
he has ben guilty of frequent acts of Adultery. he 
has also squandered a considerable estate which he got 
with his wife Sally and has now gone off and left
his said wife destitute & helpless without property to parts
unknown to these deponents.

Archibald Harris

Thomas Harris

Benjamin Hasteen

Thomas Pettypool

John Nelson 

Hardy Pope

Sworn to & subscribed before me this 18th day of July 1820
Signature of Luckett Davis 

Also on the same day and year above mentioned and personally appeared Sally Cook before me 

Luckett David a justice of he peace for the county of Rutherford and made oath that the said John F Cook has frequently threatened to take her life and has nailed the door post? to keep her from making her escape or to prevent her from any relief from any other person

Sally Cook

Sworn and Subscribed the 10th day of July 1820

Signature of Luckett Davis

Source:  Tennessee Legislative Petitions, Tennessee State Library & Archives(Nashville, TN); Petition of Sally Cook for divorce from John F Cooke, Rutherford Co.TN 1822 Petition #93