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To the Honorable the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina} The Petition of NANCY BALLANCE of the County of Currituck respectfully sheweth that your Petitioner intermarried with a certain CHARLES BALLANCE in the year 1802 and in seven months after their marriage he unfortunately became deranged and remained so nine months, when he suddenly come to his understanding and continued of sane mind for two and an half months when he again became deranged began to buy and sell and make bargain used all kinds of violence towards your Petitioner making many and repeated attempts to take away her life destroyed every vistage of his property and continued distracted for about twelve months when he became helpless and after continuing in this state for the space of three years, he again come to his understanding, was prudent and economical, and we lived together for the space of five years, and accumulated property sufficient to live in with care and industry. When your Petitioners Husband again became deranged was raving distracted spent and wasted the whole of his property set fire to his house and repeatedly endeavored to kill your petitioner, your Petitioner then left him and went home to her Father where she continued four years when her Father died and some property hath fell to her by her said Fathers death: Your Petitioners unfortunate Husband has remained insane and entirely helpless, he may be said to be in a state of Idiotism Your Petitioner has kept her unfortunate Husband from being at any expense since she had property of her own to support him with and is willing to do so so long as he is peaceable and can be managed. Your Petitioner beg leave to represent to your Honorable body that if her unfortunate Husband CHARLES BALLANCE should again become a lunatic of which there is strong probability he will destroy the property of your Petitioner and reduce her and himself to want and misery. Your Petitioner pray your Honorable body to pass a law securing to her such property as has or may fall to her by descent or that which she may acquire and grant her such other or further relief as you in your wisdom shall deem such and your Petitioner as in duty bound will ever pray &c. NANCY (her X mark) BALLANCE [Cover page]: Granted as to property yet to be Acquired} The Petition of NANCY BALLANCE of Currituck County In Senate Dec. 14th 1816 Read and refered to The Committee of Propositions & Grieveances By Order ROBT. WILLIAMS Clk In House of Commons 16 Dec. 1816 read and refered as by the Senate Pr. Order Henderson Clk [Paragraph Xd out]: In Senate Dec. 18th 1816 Read and refered as by the House of Commons By order THOS. WILLIAMS [Source: NC State Archives, Research Libraries Group: Women, Marriage and the Law, 1815-1914 Project; Selected petitions to the General Assembly, Session 1816, Nov.-Dec./Box #3 [1816]; Nancy Ballance, Currituck Co., Petition for law securing inherited property; Insanity, Right of Property, Inheritance and succession. MARS ID: 504.4.2.6]. |
This document was contributed by Judy Merrell Brickhouse. No part of this document may be used for any commercial purposes. However, please feel free to copy any of this material for your own personal use and family research.
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