'Til Divorce Do Us Part: Marriages and Divorces from Cheshire County, New Hampshire from 1776-1899

From the Cheshire County courthouse, New Hampshire, comes a book compiled from records not available to the general public until now. Each book of justice of the peace records, docket books and bundle of records was combed through for marriages performed and divorce proceedings recorded in Cheshire County from the late 1700s through 1899. In 2007, these records were transferred from Keene’s courthouse to the state archives in Concord, New Hampshire. Often the marriages performed by a justice of the peace were merely noted with only bride’s and groom's names. The depositions included herein give great insight into daily life of the urban environment of Keene, New Hampshire and the rural areas surrounding it. Intimate details of the marriages behind closed doors are given as the plaintiffs plead their cases and the defendants try to explain away the charges.

In addition to the records, readers will find examples of the handwriting of the justices from their private record books; illustrations of divorce libels, marriage licenses, and handwritten letters; a unique petition from Alstead, New Hampshire; oddities in the justice of the peace records; short biographies of each justice of the peace; and an index to every name mentioned in the records.

Milli S. Knudsen

2007, 5.5" x 8.5", paper, index, 418 pp.

ISBN: 9780788444845

101-K4484