What can a woman do if she has been abandoned by her husband and he can not be located? This happened to one of my ancestors after about 10 years of marriage and 4 children. He left in about December 1814 and I can't find him after that (I don't think he wants to be found). The lægdsruller confirm that he left his wife and his residence is unknown.
I learned this from the police records. In September 1818, Birthe Marie Hansdatter (in Bredsten sogn, Tørrild herred, Vejle amt) asks Vejle amt to locate her husband Johan Daniel Reisky/Reische, and the order goes to the Nørvang-Tørrild herred Politimester where I found this, bottom of right page
https://www.sa.dk/ao-soegesider/billedviser?bsid=307472#307472,63053905 (https://www.sa.dk/ao-soegesider/billedviser?bsid=307472#307472,63053905)
At about that same time, Christen Mikkelsen began to live with her. They had 2 sons, born in 1820 and 1822, and married in 1822. Everything is good after that. I learned more from the police records again, right page starting with the 8th line of text
https://www.sa.dk/ao-soegesider/billedviser?bsid=307473#307473,63054181 (https://www.sa.dk/ao-soegesider/billedviser?bsid=307473#307473,63054181)
So if her first husband was never found, could she get a divorce (without him)? If she could not get a divorce, would she have to wait some years to prove he would not return in order to be free to remarry? Would there be a record of that, among the normal divorce records or in another place? I assume that divorce records are still in Viborg Landsarkiv. What other records should I look for about the first marriage (and divorce?)? I don't mind looking online at hundreds of pages where there is no index — that is how I found these police records.
På forhånd tak.
Lisa Petersen
near Washington, D.C.
Hej Lisa
See here in Danske Lov 1683 http://bjoerna.dk/DL-1683-internet.pdf - search on desertio
When 3 years have gone, the left person shall summon the other part to Herredsting and later to Landsting and prove the desertio. Then have a testimony from the vicar and a character from the parish authority to have lived a decent life.
mvh Ole
I have had the same problem. And my ancestor 1846 had her marriage suspended by sentence, I found the sentence in "justitsporotokollen" in the actual "Viborg byfoged", and she had to make a division of the property because of the common children .
Maybe you could find it in the actual "herredsret" or "byfoged"
She got the allowance after 5 years.
Hej Ole & Grethe
Thank you for the replies! Very interesting about the desertio procedure. I will try the justitsprotokoller and skifter too. I never would have thought to look for a skifte in this case. Good, now I have more records to look for!
mvh
Lisa Petersen
near Washington, D.C.