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To the Hon. the Council and House of Representatives of Wisconsin Territory

Your Petitioners would humbly represent to your Honorable Body that his true and proper name is Peter Howard that he was Born in the State of South Carolina and is now about Fifty two years Old That on the [illegible] day of April AD 1812 he married Sarah Yarbrough in said South Carolina, now Sarah Howard, who is aged about Forty four years that your Petitioner migrated from South Carolina to the State of Tennessee where he lived with his said wife Sarah treating her with the utmost affection up to the year 1827 when your Petitioner then for the first time became acquainted with repeated and long continued acts of incontinency and adultery on the part of his said wife Sarah by which fact coming to the knowledge of your petitioner he seperated from the said Sarah and has never since lived with her still continuing up to this time to hope for her reformation but that hope can no longer reasonably be indulged. And your petitioner now prays your Honourable body to disolve the Bonds of Matrimony between him and the said Sarah and your Petitioner as in duty bound will ever prey &c.

Minl. Point W.T. Dec 6th 1840
Peter Howard