Pearl was the 10th of 12 children born to Joseph Henry and Sarah Jane Johnson in Pope County, Arkansas. Areas mentioned in records are Retta and Hector. (notice Zola's writing in the left side of the picture "pops family")
Top Row: Jesse (1892) Clint (Zola's Dad 1887) Arminda (1887) Wiley (1889) Pearl (1893)
Bottom Row: McKinley (called Mack or Max in some records 1897) holding hands with Joseph, and Myrtle (1900) leaning on Sarah.
James (1872), Martha (1874), Sarah Frances (1875), John (1878) and Mary Alice (1881) are not pictured. Sarah Frances died at 6 years old and Martha was 6 months old when she died. James, John, and Mary Alice had probably left home by the time this picture was taken.
I'm bad at guessing ages, but Myrtle looks 3 or 4? That would mean picture was taken around 1904 or 1905 and the oldest, James, would have been 33.
Yes, it is also true that Sarah was 48 when Myrtle was born. Myrtle is the grandmother of the cousin (technically my 3rd cousin, once removed) I've been in contact with in Arkansas. She confirmed that poor Sarah was having babies for almost 30 years.
With that background y'all buckle up for this. Pearl married Monroe Bohanan in 1911, in 1913 she sued Monroe for divorce. The following is the transcript:
Pearl Bohanan, Plaintiff
vs.
Monroe Bohanan, Defendant
Comes Pearl Bohanan, plaintiff in the above entitled cause and after being duly sworn deposes as follows: I am the plaintiff in the suit pending in the Pope chancery Court, in the case of Pearl Bohanan vs. Monroe Bohanan. I live in Pope County, Arkansas where I have resided all my life and my cause of divorce occurred and existed in this State.
Monroe Bohanan and I were married in Pope County, Arkansas on the 8th day of October 1911 and we lived together as husband and wife until on or about April 1912.
That during that time we lived together as husband and wife I tried to be a faithful and dutiful wife to the defendant and did all I could as the wife to make my husband happy and comfortable, and at all times treated him with kindness and affection, and was anxious to live with him. But the defendant disregarded every duty as a husband and failed to provide a home for us and tried to force me to live with him round about with his relatives. He treated me with studied neglect and offered such insults and indignities as to make it impossible for me to live with him in peace.
I tried to persuade the defendant to provide a home for us where we could live in peace and happiness but he absolutely refused saying he never intended to live anywhere but except with his mother.
During the time that I tried to live with the defendant at his mother's home we were continually in a fuss and uproar, and his mother would abuse and insult me in various ways, and the defendant would join his mother and take sides with her and treat me with such contempt that i could not continue in life with the defendant.
Oh my, you go Pearl. I love that she wasn't having it, in the picture she appears a bit feisty. I actually see a bit of Danielle in her eyes. Couple thoughts come to mind. One, men get your own place and don't ever admit you don't plan on living with anyone but your mama. Second, always take your wife's side.
#lovethehenryfamily
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