She quickly found that her husband's inability to readjust to civilian life and her inability to understand what he had gone through caused troubles in their marriage. He successfully made a run for governor of Maine, which again left her at home for long periods of time since there was no official governor's residence until 1917. The Chamberlain marriage became so strained by 1868 that Fanny was secretly talking amongst friends about seeking a divorce lawyer; even going so far as to making accusations that her husband had a history of physical violence toward her. Lawrence lived with neighbors for almost a year before the couple managed to patch up their relationship by 1870.