Part Five of the McQueen divorce is finally getting down to business. The questions for the witnesses, Thomas PC Lott and Robert W Lott (of Alabama, by the way) are written down on these pages.
I assume they knew Elizabeth and Peter through Elizabeth’s brother, George W Freeland, since he, like the Lott brothers, lived in Sumter County, Alabama (which is where the examination occurred).
As with the other pages of the divorce, this is transcribed exactly as it is found on the page.
Interrogatories to be propounded to Robert W. Lott and Thomas P. C. Lott of Sumter County whose State of Alabama whose testimony is required in behalf of the Complaintant in a certain case now pending in the Circuit Court of Lauderdale County, State of Mississippi in chancery wherein Elizabeth McQueen is Complaintant and Peter McQueen is respondent –
Intgy. 1st Do you know the parties to this suit or either of them?
Intgy. 2nd Do you know whether the said parties to this suit were married? If so please state as nearly as you can when and where they were married –
Intgy. 3rd Did or did not the said Peter McQueen and Elizabeth McQueen live and cohabit together as man and wife for a number of years-
Intgy. 4th Do you know whether or not they were generally reputed in the neighbourhood in which they lived to be man and wife and did they not acknowledge each other as such.
Intgy. 5th How many children had they while they lived together?
Intgy. 6th Did or did not the said Peter McQueen desert his said wife and children and leave them in the country? If so (^please state) about what time did he left them and whether he ever returned and lived with said wife after he first left her-
Intgy. 7th How long has it been since he left her? And in what situation did he leave her and what property did he take with him?
Intgy. 8th Do you or do you not know where the said Peter McQueen has lived since he left complaintant? And where does he now live? If so please state and what & what are his circumstances and what property he has if any.
Intgy. 9th Do you know where the Complaintant has lived since her said husband deserted her. If so please state it and where does she now live?
Intgy. 10th Has or not the said Elizabeth the complaintant resided nearly all the time for the last 10 years in the State of Mississippi
Intgy. 11th Do you or do you not know that the said Peter McQueen has obstinately and willfully and constantly deserted and been absent from his said wife the Complaintant for more than 5 years – last past? If so please state it and all you know about it –
Intgy. 12th Do you (^know) whether he took with him any negroses when he left Complaintant? If so how many did he take and from whom did he get said slaves?
Intgy: Please state any thing else you may know that may benefit the complaintant
Peter Doty
Sol. for Complaintant
No 5
Elizabeth McQueen
vs
Peter McQueen
Interrogatories
Filed in office the 18th
day of August 1838
James Keeton Clerk
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