In this cause Petitioner having filed his Petition, in the Worshipful Court, askiing to adopt and Legitimate Robert E. Speer, an illegitimate child, born to one Orminia Speer, and which was charged to him, under oath which petition is in words and figures, following, towit:
Your Petitioner Isaac A. Shoun a citizen of Johnson County, Tennessee Would most respectfully represent to your Worships that he is the reputed father of an illegitimate male child born upon the body of one Ormenia Speer on or about the ____ day of August 1866. That said Ormenia accused your Petitioner Under Oath of begetting said Child upon her body, which fact he ? and has never denied. That the County Court of said County charged your Petitioner with the maintainence of said child for three years. Which Maintanence he furnished. That he is informed said child, who was named Robert E. was at a former term of the Court bound to John Speer grandfather of said child, but who your Petioner would show to the Court is an improper person to keep said child and have the case [care?] of its morals because he keeps lewd base women at his house and permits acts of Lewdness that tend to corrupt the Morals of the neighborhood as well as the members of his own family and his bond is now void the security being insolvent Your Petioner Shows to your Worships that he feels an affection for said child as he verily believes himself the father of it by natural generation - and comes to your Worshipful Court and asks that said Child be given to him and to the end he proposes to legitimate and adopt said Child as his own heir and make it equel to all intents & purposes his lawful heir & child and promises to do such part by him as his other children and that his name be changed to that of Robert A. Shoun instead of Speer. And to hence dismissed with reasonable Cost.
John P. Smith, Sol [Solicitor]
State of Tennessee}
Johnson County} Personally came Isaac A. Shoun and made oath that the facts herein states are true to the best of his knowledge information & belief.
Isaac A. Shoun
Sworn & subscribed before}
Me Oct 7, 1872}
R.H. Butler, Clerk}
The Court therefore orders ajudges and decrees that the Petition of the said Isaac A. Shoun herein before Spread upon the MInutes of this Court be made a part of this Decree. That said child be and is hereby given to said Isaac A. Shoun as his adopted child, with all the rights privilidges & capacitis [sic] to inherit and succeed to a proportinat part of the real and personal Estate of said Isaac A. Shoun as heir and next of Kin With the other children of said Shoun. and said I.A. Shoun agrees with the Court to treat said Child as his other children and give him equal advantage of Education and Moral training. The Court further orders that the name of said Child be changed to that of Robert E. Shoun and said I.A. Shoun entitled to the Custody of said Child and the parties now in Custody of him are hereby required to deliver him up to Said Shoun upon application. From ? judgment of the Court, Armenia Speer the mother and John Speer Grandfather of the child Robert E. & mentioned in the pleadings, prayed and obtained an appeal to the next term of the Circuit Court for Johnson County to be held at the Court House in Taylorsville Tenn. on the 3rd Monday of Nov. 1872. And entered into Bond in the sum of Five hundred dollars with __________ as Sureties. (The clerk is hereby ordered to transmit a transcript of the Record in this cause to the Circuit Court for Said County, as aforesaid.)
Copyright © 2000 Mary Floy Katzman