Aquilla Wren
Encyclopedia
Aquilla Wren was a store owner in Peoria, Illinois
in the 1830s and 1840s. He came of note as a result of a divorce proceeding in which Abraham Lincoln
was involved.
case in Peoria, Illinois
. After Aquilla Wren, a merchant in Peoria, divorced Clarissa (Jones) Wren, she pursued an alimony payment from him despite significant cultural and legal obstacles. Even after Aquilla Wren died during the course of the proceedings, Clarissa Wren continued the case, which eventually wound up in the Illinois Supreme Court.
Aquilla Wren (1797-1844) and Clarissa Jones (b. 1811) married in Jackson County, Ohio
, in January 1826. In 1830 the Wrens moved to Peoria, where he opened a dry goods store, purchased land, and became one of the town's leading merchants. Abraham Lincoln
came to Peoria in 1844 to get involved in the divorce case. Aquilla Wren was granted a decree after a finding by a jury that his wife Clarissa had been guilty of misconduct. Lincoln seems to have come into the case late in the term of court when he assisted Elihu H. Powell and William F. Bryan in their efforts to obtain a new trial.
During the course of the trial, Clarissa Wren married Amaziah Hart in Peoria. Because of the doctrine of coverture
, in which the wife's legal personality was subsumed into that of her husband, Amaziah Hart became a party to the case.
This case was important because it was one of the first cases in Illinois to challenge the patriarchal system and assert the rights of women.
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
in the 1830s and 1840s. He came of note as a result of a divorce proceeding in which Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
was involved.
Divorce proceedings
Aquilla Wren and Clarissa Wren achieved some fame and notoriety as part of a sensational divorceDivorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
case in Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
. After Aquilla Wren, a merchant in Peoria, divorced Clarissa (Jones) Wren, she pursued an alimony payment from him despite significant cultural and legal obstacles. Even after Aquilla Wren died during the course of the proceedings, Clarissa Wren continued the case, which eventually wound up in the Illinois Supreme Court.
Aquilla Wren (1797-1844) and Clarissa Jones (b. 1811) married in Jackson County, Ohio
Jackson County, Ohio
Jackson County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2010, the population was 33,225. Its county seat is Jackson and is named for Andrew Jackson, a hero of the War of 1812 who was subsequently elected President of the United States....
, in January 1826. In 1830 the Wrens moved to Peoria, where he opened a dry goods store, purchased land, and became one of the town's leading merchants. Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
came to Peoria in 1844 to get involved in the divorce case. Aquilla Wren was granted a decree after a finding by a jury that his wife Clarissa had been guilty of misconduct. Lincoln seems to have come into the case late in the term of court when he assisted Elihu H. Powell and William F. Bryan in their efforts to obtain a new trial.
During the course of the trial, Clarissa Wren married Amaziah Hart in Peoria. Because of the doctrine of coverture
Coverture
Coverture was a legal doctrine whereby, upon marriage, a woman's legal rights were subsumed by those of her husband. Coverture was enshrined in the common law of England and the United States throughout most of the 19th century...
, in which the wife's legal personality was subsumed into that of her husband, Amaziah Hart became a party to the case.
This case was important because it was one of the first cases in Illinois to challenge the patriarchal system and assert the rights of women.