The Remarkable Gouraud Divorce Suit , Part One

Dr. T. Felix Gouraud (also known as Joseph W. Trust, his birth name) was an English-born New Yorker known since the 1840s for his beauty preparations such as Gouraud's Oriental Cream and Italian Medicated Soap. In A Lack of Trust, we looked at his life up until the 1860s. Here is an account of the sensational divorce of Dr. Gouraud and his second wife Mary. In fact, it is so sensational that it will require two posts.

In May 1865 Gouraud's wife, Mary F. Trust, sued for divorce, on grounds of adultery. Mary said that she and Joseph were married "about the 9th day of October, 1839" in New York City. They had had 6 children, 4 of whom were now alive. They had cohabited until about 1856, when they separated due to his "brutal and inhuman" treatment of her. Since then she and the children had lived apart from him, and she supported them all. The adultery, she said, took place partly at his shop (at 67 Walker Street, just off Broadway) - and partly at "the corner of 29th st. and 9th Avenue" and "also at No. 483 Broadway." The latter were addresses at which Martha Tompkins, an assistant in Gouraud's shop, had lived in the early 1860s.

Joseph submitted an affidavit stating that he had married Eliza Southwell in England in 1827, and that Eliza was still alive. Therefore, he wasn't actually married to Mary at all. He did live with Mary between 1839 and 1856, though. Various witnesses followed, some saying that Trust had called Mary his wife, others saying that he had not. One of their boarders stated that Joseph called Mary "mother" and that she sat at the head of the table, which proved that they were married.

Constance Trust said that she was Joseph and Mary's daughter (she was about 25 years old at this time). The couple had had an earlier separation but had reconciled. Constance also told the court that her mother took the name Dampier only after she was released from the Tombs (a prison in lower Manhattan). She was there because Joseph had made a complaint about Mary in 1858 for "breach of the peace."

Andreas Trust, Constance's 23 year old brother, added to the picture of misery and violence that his sister had painted. He said that he had not struck his father the day before. But his father was very cruel to them and had "forfeited all claim to be respected as a father by his children."

Then Martha Tompkins took the stand. Martha had known Joseph Trust for about 5 years (i.e. since 1860). She worked in his shop at 67 Walker Street. She refused to say whether she had ever used any other names, which rather implies that she had. Her mother, "Madame" Tompkins, said that Joseph visited them. She said that Martha had a child called Manfred Garibaldi. There had been another child, who had died. Martha was unmarried, she added.

But mostly, Mme Tompkins said she just didn't know. Didn't know why Joseph came calling. Didn't know if Joseph and Martha were ever in a room alone together. Didn't know "in what capacity he visited at the house." Did Joseph ever say to her and Martha that Manfred and the deceased child were his? "No; not particularly." She also did not know the name of the deceased child or who had given Manfred his striking name. Had Martha ever been married? "I was not present." Mrs. Tompkins was called "an unwilling witness," which is a bit of an understatement.

There were witnesses to come who were more than willing to speak, however. And I think that one of them will surprise you as much as they surprised me.

In Part 2, we'll pick up the story on the second day of the Gouraud divorce trial.

Image of the corner of Walker and Broadway (in 1939, but looking much as it must have done in 1865), from NYPL Digital Gallery.

SOURCES

"A Remarkable Divorce Suit," New York Times, May 24, 1865, p. 2.

Martha Tompkins household, 1860 US Census, New York City Ward 9, New York, NY; p. 45, #176/341, Series M653, Roll 796. [I am still searching for the Trust/Gouraud family in the 1860 census, so will edit this if and when I find them.]

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