52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2019 Week 9 Prompt - At The Courthouse.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

2029

Week 9

Prompt – At The Courthouse

 Personally, the only time I was in a courthouse during an actual trial was during a class trip. I vaguely remember it as boring and wanting to be anywhere but there. I was subpoenaed to a trial in Regina which had to do with a bank fraud case.  However I was  9 plus months pregnant with Jill and when the police came by to discuss the case, they took one look at me and said that I would not likely be needed to testify because of my condition! I also have been summoned to jury duty but again was let off because the jury selection and trial date occurred during the middle of a month long vacation to London and Paris. 
 In past blogs I have spoken about my maternal grandfather who has a rather sordid past with the law. According to family lore Patrick or Robert Sullivan was a bigamist and sent to jail. In past my research has not been able to find the actual documents to verify this. In 2008 I ordered microfiche with the help of a clerk at Manitoba Archives in hopes of finding some records of his court trial or their divorce records. Since bigamy was a prosecutable offense, the clerk suggested I look through the index of Queen's Bench division – Eastern Judicial District. The indexes from 1921 to 1930 or so showed no cases under the name of Sullivan, O'Sullivan either Patrick, Pat or Robert; Krikau, Krikow, Mary or Maria. Another words I tried every combination of names and came up with nothing.

I assumed since my grandmother remarried 11 years later in 1932 she would have gotten a divorce. Divorce pre-1968 had to be a “Statue of Law” by the Federal Government and thus would be recorded. It also had to be publicized in their local newspaper for six months prior to the divorce and / or in The Canadian Gazette. The Library Archives of Canada listed every divorce pre-1968. There is 12,000 plus names listed. Once again I searched every combination of both of their names and did not find their names in the index. I even went to the McKimmie Law Library in Calgary and looked through the Statue books and The Canadian Gazettes from 1921 to 1940 or so. Again their name never came up.

I believe my assumption that they divorced was incorrect. Although on my grandmother's Naturalization Papers she lists herself as Divorced. 

Naturalization Papers For Mary Sollivan(sic).

Due to the fact that they do not show up on the statues, I truly believe they were not divorced. At that time this would have been an easy thing to do. The husband or wife (more likely the husband) could just take off and restart a life in a different location without regards to their past history. Again it seems that this is what Mr. Sullivan did. He was never heard of again. Today multi media and electronics makes it very difficult to get off the grid and disappear like this.

I wonder if my grandmother actually went to Mr. Sullivan's court proceedings. She would have been a very pregnant women. She was only 19 and her first language was German. It must have been very stressful for her. I also wonder if she had family with her for support. We are told that her parents had disowned her for marrying against their wishes. I would like to think that they would be there for her despite the circumstances.

To this end I have looked at several documents to find out where she was living during this time. She married Mr. Sullivan in a home of 609 Herbert Street Winnipeg which according to the Wedding Certificate was the home of her brother, Fred Krikau. 

1921 April 11 Marriage Certificate for Mary Krikau and Bob Sullivan.

The 1921 Canada Census stated that her parents lived at 659 Herbert Street, Winnipeg. After Mary was married she and Mr. Sullivan boarded in a home at 57 Francis Street, Winnipeg according to the 1921 Census. On my mother's (Vivian Sullivan) birth certificate we find out that Mr. Sullivan's is living in the Penitentiary and grandmother lists her abode 659 Herbert Street which his her mother and father's home. 

April 19, 1922 Birth Certificate for Lydia Sullivan.

I feel comforted that she did have her mother and father's support during this incredible stressful time and more than likely helped her at the courthouse.

Wendy