Clark vs. Horton Divorce Case Collection, 1770

Version: 11 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:22:57 PM

Added description

Description

Clark vs. Horton Divorce Case Collection, 1770

Overview

This digitized collection preserves the legal papers of the 1770 divorce proceeding between Daniel Clark and Abigail Horton (later Clark) before the New Haven County Superior Court. The holdings include the original petition, court‑header pages, depositions, and related court records, all rendered as high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF images with OCR‑extracted text. The collection is catalogued by the Connecticut State Library’s NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject index, which tracks court cases involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals.

Background

In colonial Connecticut, divorce petitions were uncommon and required formal court filing. Daniel Clark, a Wallingford resident, filed for dissolution on grounds of infidelity and the birth of a mixed‑race child. The case illustrates early legal attitudes toward marriage, race, and property in New Haven County and aligns with the library’s broader BAAI initiative to document minority‑related court actions.

Contents

  • Petition for Divorce (8 Nov 1770) – the original petition of Daniel Clark, signed by Abigail Horton, alleging infidelity and the birth of a “mulatto” child.
  • Abigail Clark’s Divorce Petition (27 Nov 1770) – a separate petition filed by the wife, signed by Justice of the Peace Ethan Hale.
  • Court‑Header Page (Dec 1770) – the official header of the case file, indicating the court session in New Haven.
  • Deposition of Ruth Merriman (13 Dec 1770) – a sworn statement concerning the childbirth of the mixed‑race child, included as part of the case’s evidentiary record.
  • Reading of the Petition (29 Nov 1770) – transcript of Constable Isaac Cook’s reading of the petition to the court.
  • Metadata – a PINAX JSON file detailing creator names, dates, subjects, and geographic tags.

All documents are available in both JPEG and TIFF formats, with accompanying OCR text for searchable use.

Scope

The collection documents a single legal action in December 1770, confined to New Haven County (court in New Haven, petitioner from Wallingford, spouse from Hartford County). It covers the filing, hearing, and related depositions but does not include subsequent judgments, appeals, or ancillary personal records. The material is pertinent to scholars of colonial law, race relations, and the history of divorce in New England.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {filename: "pinax.json", file_type: "Metadata (PINAX)", title: "Clark vs. Horton Divorce Case Collection, 1770", type: "Collection", creator: [@daniel_clark, @abigail_clark, @new_haven_county_superior_court, @ruth_merriman, @ethan_hale, @isaac_cook], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1770_12, language: "en", subjects: ["Divorce","Marriage","Infidelity","Mulatto","Legal Petitions","Legal Documents","Testimony","Childbirth","18th Century","New Haven County Superior Court","Black, African American, and Indigenous History"], description: "A collection of documents related to the divorce case of Daniel Clark and Abigail Horton, heard by the New Haven County Superior Court in 1770. The collection includes petitions, legal documents, and depositions related to the case, with references to infidelity, the birth of a mulatto child, and testimonies from witnesses.", place: [@wallingford, @new_haven, @new_haven_county, @hartford_county]}

@clark_vs_horton_collection:collection {title: "Clark vs. Horton Divorce Case Collection, 1770", creator: [@daniel_clark, @abigail_clark, @new_haven_county_superior_court, @ruth_merriman, @ethan_hale, @isaac_cook], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1770_12, language: "en", subjects: ["Divorce","Marriage","Infidelity","Mulatto","Legal Petitions","Legal Documents","Testimony","Childbirth","18th Century","New Haven County Superior Court","Black, African American, and Indigenous History"], description: "A collection of documents related to the divorce case of Daniel Clark and Abigail Horton, heard by the New Haven County Superior Court in 1770.", place: [@wallingford, @new_haven, @new_haven_county, @hartford_county]}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @clark_vs_horton_collection:collection

@clark_vs_horton_collection -> includes -> @divorce_petition:document

@clark_vs_horton_collection -> includes -> @abigail_clark_divorce_petition:document

@clark_vs_horton_collection -> includes -> @deposition_of_ruth_merriman_1770:document

@clark_vs_horton_collection -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@clark_vs_horton_collection -> part of -> @divorce_case_clark_horton:event

@daniel_clark -> creator of -> @clark_vs_horton_collection

@abigail_clark -> creator of -> @clark_vs_horton_collection

@ruth_merriman -> creator of -> @clark_vs_horton_collection

@ethan_hale -> creator of -> @clark_vs_horton_collection

@isaac_cook -> creator of -> @clark_vs_horton_collection

@mulatto:concept {description: "Historical term referring to a person of mixed white and Black ancestry"}

@lebulon_potter -> ethnicity -> @mulatto

@divorce_petition -> mentions -> @mulatto

@divorce_petition -> mentions -> @lebulon_potter

@abigail_clark_divorce_petition -> mentions -> @mulatto

@deposition_of_ruth_merriman_1770 -> mentions -> @mulatto

@divorce_case_clark_horton:event -> related to -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@divorce_case_clark_horton:event -> part of -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@divorce_case_clark_horton:event -> occurred {when: @date_1770_12, where: @new_haven}

Metadata

Version History (10 versions)

  • ✓ v11 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:22:57 PM
    "Added description"
  • v10 · 12/4/2025, 2:59:49 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v9 · 12/4/2025, 6:42:41 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 6:27:56 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 4 groups"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 6:27:55 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0QF4M32B0H6E84HZECNAJ"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:27:53 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0QDV3P2BQJ9RKJ69XDNND"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:27:52 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0QCHXT6VHWDAPHRKZSEAP"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:27:51 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0QB8TT1YZFB4V9SB40GXP"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:17:26 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 5 files"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:45 AM · View this version
    "Set parent to 01KBKZYT0E4WN250H1RKB10E89"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

The files were grouped chronologically and thematically around the 1770 divorce case of Daniel and Abigail Clark. Each group represents a distinct document type or event in the legal process: (1) the original petition, (2) the court citation served to Abigail, (3) key deposition testimony, and (4) formal court header documents. Matching .tif/.jpg pairs were kept together as they represent the same document in different formats. The grouping reflects the legal narrative from petition through evidentiary proceedings.

## Groups Created

- **Divorce_Petition_DanielClark_1770**: Files containing Daniel Clark's petition for divorce from Abigail Clark (née Norton) in 1770, including the formal petition and related court documents.
- **Court_Citation_AbigailClark_1770**: Documents related to the court citation served to Abigail Clark in November 1770, notifying her of the divorce proceedings.
- **Deposition_RuthMerriman_1770**: Sworn testimony from Ruth Merriman regarding Abigail Clark's childbirth and the circumstances suggesting infidelity, dated December 1770.
- **Court_Header_Document_1770**: Formal court header document addressed to the Superior Court in New Haven, December 1770.

Parent

01KBKZYT0E4WN250H1RKB10E89

Children (4)