Charlotte & James Hitchcock Divorce and Land Division in Bledsoe Co. TN (1883)

In the process of looking for more information about my 2 great grandparents Wm  P Hale & Arminda Hitchcock Hale, I found two divorces, neither of which I'd ever heard about.  One for Wm P Hale's sister and her 2nd husband which I blogged about in an earlier post and this document, the divorce of Arminda's parents, James P Hitchcock & Charlotte Hitchcock who were in their 70s.

Included here are is a summary of the entries I found along with a partial transcription from the proceedings which granted the divorce.  There was also a drawing of the land included.

To see the full entries please visit the links given in the sources listed at the end of this post.

Summary

p 158  Image 111

Charlotte Hitchcock complainant

James Hitchcock defendant

James was subpoenaed and failed to come forward and offer a defense.  

Hearing date set.

p  175 Image 119[FamilySearch IGN 8478557]

it appears to the satisfaction of the Court, that the Petitioner Charlotte Hitchcock is entitled to the relief sought. It is therefore ordered, adjudged & decreed by the Court that the bonds of matrimony heretofore subsisting between the petitioner Charlotte Hitchcock and defendant James Hitchcock be and is dissolved and this petitioner Charlotte Hitchcock be restored to all the rights and powers of a single woman And it appearing to the satisfaction of the Court that defendant is the owner of a lot of personal property, set out in the petition in this cause a portion of which is in the possession of petitioner and the Court being of opinion that the Petitioner is entitled to a personal property, as alimony he is pleased to adjudge & decree that Petitioner keep & retain as her absolute property, the personal property shown in her petition to be in her possession, which about one half said property and if further appearing to the Court that the Deft is the owner of the following described real estate, in Bledsoe Co. Term situated in the 1st Civil district in said County, One Two Thousand Tract of land granted by the State of Tenn to James Hitchcock per grant No 11233 Registered in the register 's office Mountain District Book X pages 376 & 377 and Survey is dated 18th day of February 1854.

p 176 Image 120 [FamilySearch IGN 8478557]

Nov 12, 1883

County Surveyor and Commissioners ordered to divide the land

p. 191-193 Images 127-128 [FamilySearch IGN 8478557]

Contains a description of the division and this drawing

Sources:
Bledsoe Co TN Minute Books, Civil & Criminal Oct 1881-Nov 1889, p. 158, Charlotte Hitchcock vs James Hitchcock; image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-CQG9-5 : accessed October 6, 2026), IGN 8478557, Image 111 of 622.

Bledsoe Co TN Minute Books, Civil & Criminal Oct 1881-Nov 1889,p. 175, Charlotte Hitchcock vs James Hitchcock; image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-CQL1-8 : accessed October 6, 2026), IGN 8478557, Image 119-120 of 622.

Bledsoe Co TN Minute Books, Civil & Criminal Oct 1881-Nov 1889, p. 191-193, Charlotte Hitchcock vs James Hitchcock; image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-CQGS-N : accessed October 6, 2026), IGN 8478557, Image 127-128 of 622.