Clara Freeman vs. Samuel Freeman Divorce Case Collection

Version: 8 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:23:04 PM

Added description

Description

New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Case Collection: Clara Freeman vs. Samuel Freeman (1850)

Overview

This digitized collection comprises primary court documents from the New Haven County Superior Court, filed in 1850. It includes scanned images (JPEG and TIFF) of the petition for divorce, the order of notice, the final court decree, and ancillary materials. The collection is housed by the Connecticut State Library and is part of the New Haven County Superior Court (NHSC) digitization program, specifically the Black, African American, and Indigenous (BAAI) subset. A subject‑index field from the NHSC BAAI database accompanies the documents, tagging them with terms such as divorce, adultery, desertion, legal documents, and New Haven County Superior Court.

Background

Clara Freeman filed the petition on August 24, 1850, alleging desertion, adultery, and breach of marital duties by her husband, Samuel Freeman. The petition was served by Sheriff’s Deputy David F.C. Carr on September 12, 1850, and the court held the proceeding on October 25, 1850. The court granted the divorce, issuing a decree that released Clara from marital obligations. The documents were originally produced in New Haven, Connecticut, and preserved in the county’s superior court archives before being digitized for public access.

Contents

  • Petition for Divorce (filed 24 Aug 1850) – the petitioner’s statement, allegations of desertion and adultery, and a request for dissolution.
  • Order of Notice – a notice served to Samuel Freeman, published in the local press, and a copy delivered by the sheriff’s deputy.
  • Court Decree – the final judgment, dated 25 Oct 1850, granting the divorce and declaring Clara single.
  • Ancillary materials – court clerk’s certification, fee receipts, and a copy of the petition’s citation.
All items are provided as high‑resolution scans in both JPEG and TIFF formats, accompanied by metadata (dates, parties, court, and subject headings).

Scope

The collection covers a single civil proceeding (divorce) in the New Haven County Superior Court during 1850. It includes all extant primary documents related to the case but does not contain any subsequent appeals, related civil or criminal actions, or personal correspondence of the parties. The collection is relevant to researchers of 19th‑century Connecticut family law, gender studies, and local legal history.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@baai:concept {full_name: "Black, African American, and Indigenous History", description: "Focus on court records involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals"}

@file_pinax -> subject -> @baai

@rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarasamuel:collection {title: "NHSC BAAI Divorce Freeman Clara Samuel", description: "Subject index for New Haven County Superior Court divorce case of Clara and Samuel Freeman, part of the BAAI project"}

@rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarasamuel -> includes -> @file_pinax

@rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarasamuel -> includes -> [@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarasamuel_001_jpg, @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarasamuel_002_jpg, @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarasamuel_003_jpg, @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarasamuel_004_jpg]

@nhsc_baai_project:project {description: "Connecticut State Library initiative to digitize, describe, and index New Haven County Superior Court records concerning Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals"}

@nhsc_baai_project -> includes -> @rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarasamuel

@nhsc_baai_project -> focuses on -> @baai

@nhsc_baai_project -> jurisdiction -> @new_haven_county_superior_court

@file_pinax -> held at -> @connecticut_state_library

@file_pinax -> subject terms -> [@divorce, @adultery, @desertion, @legal_documents, @new_haven_county_superior_court, @baai]

Metadata

Title
Clara Freeman vs. Samuel Freeman Divorce Case Collection
Type
Collection
Creator
Clara FreemanSamuel Freeman
Institution
Connecticut State Library
Created
1850
Language
en
Subjects
Divorce, Adultery, Desertion, Legal Documents, New Haven County Superior Court, Black, African American, and Indigenous History
Place
New Haven, New Haven County
Source
PINAX

Version History (8 versions)

  • ✓ v8 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:23:04 PM
    "Added description"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 3:00:47 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:42:46 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:27:45 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 4 groups"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:27:44 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0Q4KN5ZNVG2GRXG1GED2P"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:18:22 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 4 files"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:45 AM · View this version
    "Set parent to 01KBKZYT0E4WN250H1RKB10E89"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:13:40 AM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

The files were organized based on their content and purpose in the divorce case of Clara Freeman vs. Samuel Freeman. The primary groupings reflect the chronological and procedural stages of the case: (1) initial petition documents, (2) court decree documents, and (3) case summary documents. A separate group was created for all reference/metadata files. This structure maintains the legal narrative flow while keeping related document types together.

## Groups Created

- **Divorce_Petition_Documents**: Documents related to Clara Freeman's petition for divorce from Samuel Freeman, including the original petition and related legal filings.
- **Court_Decree_Documents**: Documents containing the court's final decree granting Clara Freeman's divorce from Samuel Freeman.
- **Case_Summary_Documents**: Summary documents showing the parties involved in the divorce case (Clara Freeman vs. Samuel Freeman Deere).
- **Reference_Files**: JSON reference files containing metadata about each document.

Parent

↑ 01KBKZYT0E4WN250H1RKB10E89

Children (1)