John Sheedy and Mary's Life

John Sheedy met Mary in the 1880s. He was living in a hotel and she was employed as a housekeeper. Her first marriage was to a man who went to prison, but he is not someone who would have been considered a suspect. But her second marriage was to an ex-convict named George Merrill. Their divorce was finalized nine years before this happened. Is there like an expiration date for anger over divorced? I think nine years seems like a long time to hold a grudge.