Leta and Ralph's divorce

Leta married Ralph on April 19, 1913. She had just turned 19, and he was 21. They had two children: Vivian (1913) and Dale (1916), but this marriage was not successful, and subsequently, they legally separated on February 15, 1922.

On June 23, 1922, she filed for divorce.

In her petition, Leta claimed that she was subjected to “extreme cruelty,” that included a death threat, being called “vile and indecent names, unfit to be set forth herein,” and a declaration that she was unchaste. This put her in “great fear and causing [her] great mental and physical suffering and anguish.” She also included declarations that when she was sick, he wouldn’t get her medical treatment, and he struck her more than once when he was in a violent rage.

Leta claims specifically that Ralph was “possessed of a vicious and ungovernable temper, and that on many occasions without just cause [he] became enraged, striking [her], calling [her] vile and indecent names, charging [her] with unchastity.” This behavior occurred not only when they were alone, but also when she had “lady friends” visit.

Neither my father nor his siblings recall a time when Ralph expressed any kind of temper, even though they didn’t spend a lot of time with him. In his later years, he was always temperate. Although many people mellow with age, over time or after a big life instance, it is highly likely that Ralph was not did not have a “vicious and ungovernable temper” and Leta needed to utilize a certain amount of hyperbole in order to give her divorce petition the proper weight.

Leta’s claim is extensive. She accused Ralph of consorting with other women, neglecting his husbandly and fatherly responsibilities by refusing to work, which required her to take in boarders, and contracting a “skin disease” that he refused to have treated and somehow subjected her to.

To conclude her petition, Leta asks for divorce, custody of their two children (ages 8 and 5) and “such other and further relief to which she may be entitled in the premises.”

The divorce was granted on November 8, 1922. Leta retained custody of Vivian and Dale. She was charged the court costs of $1,870.65.

In a later, unexplained development, Ralph filed a motion for custody of Vivian and Dale on September 9, 1925. At the time, Leta and the children were living with her husband Albert Mohr. However, two weeks later (September 22), Ralph withdrew his motion.