Clarissa Freeman vs. James H. Freeman Divorce Case Collection

Version: 7 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:23:23 PM

Added description

Description

Clarissa Freeman vs. James H. Freeman Divorce Case Collection

Overview

This is a digitized collection of New Haven County Superior Court documents from 1835‑1836 concerning the divorce of Clarissa Freeman from James H. Freeman. The collection comprises 18 scanned images (8 JPEGs, 10 TIFFs) of original legal papers, court orders, and related correspondence. All items are in the public domain and are housed by the Connecticut State Library as part of the New Haven County Superior Court (NHSC) “Black, African American, and Indigenous History” (BAAI) project.

Background

The case illustrates 19th‑century Connecticut divorce law, where adultery was a ground for dissolution. Clarissa filed a petition on 24 December 1835, alleging that James had deserted her and committed adultery with Roxanna Reid Go. The court held hearings in January and May 1836, ultimately issuing a divorce decree on 4 January 1836. The collection also contains ancillary documents—court notices, a letter from Oliver Freeman, a baptism record for William Lewis’s children, and a death notice for Robert Conklin—providing contextual detail about the parties’ family and community ties.

Contents

  • Petition for Divorce (December 24 1835)
  • Court Order directing publication of the petition in the New Haven Register (December 29 1835)
  • Divorce Decree (January 4 1836)
  • Letter from Oliver Freeman to James H. Freeman (March 4 1836)
  • Baptism and Death Records (March 4 1836)
  • Newspaper Notice of the pending petition (December 30 1835)
  • Bill of Divorce issued to James K. Freeman (January 29 1835)

Each image is a high‑resolution scan of the original paper, preserving the handwritten signatures, marginalia, and printed notices.

Scope

The collection covers the period 1835‑1836, the jurisdiction of New Haven County, Connecticut, and the individuals named in the case. It includes primary legal documents and peripheral correspondence that illuminate the social and familial context of the divorce. The collection does not contain court transcripts or unrelated case files.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@freeman_divorce_collection:collection {title: "Clarissa Freeman vs. James H. Freeman Divorce Case Collection", creator: [@clarissa_freeman, @james_h_freeman], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1835_1836, language: "en", subjects: ["Divorce","Adultery","Legal Documents","New Haven County","19th Century Law"], places: [@new_haven_ct, @waterford_ct, @new_york_ny]}

@clarissa_freeman:person {full_name: "Clarissa Freeman", role: "Petitioner"}

@james_h_freeman:person {full_name: "James H. Freeman", role: "Respondent"}

@james_k_freeman:person {full_name: "James K. Freeman", role: "Respondent (later petition)"}

@james_harvey_freeman:person {full_name: "James Harvey Freeman", role: "Spouse (married 1828)"}

@roxanna_reid_go:person {full_name: "Roxanna Reid Go", role: "Alleged adulterous partner"}

@roxanna_field:person {full_name: "Roxanna Field", role: "Alleged adulterous partner"}

@lilas_mix:person {full_name: "Lilas Mix", role: "Justice of the Peace"}

@noyes_darling:person {full_name: "Noyes Darling", role: "Chief Judge of New Haven County Court"}

@oliver_freeman:person {full_name: "Oliver Freeman", role: "Correspondent"}

@william_lewis:person {full_name: "William Lewis", role: "Father"}

@david_lewis:person {full_name: "David Lewis", role: "Child"}

@sarah_lewis:person {full_name: "Sarah Lewis", role: "Child"}

@robert_conklin:person {full_name: "Robert Conklin", role: "Deceased"}

@samuel_rogers:person {full_name: "Samuel Rogers", role: "Reverend"}

@connecticut_state_library:organization {type: "State Library"}

@superior_court_ct:organization {type: "Superior Court", jurisdiction: @connecticut}

@county_court_nh:organization {type: "County Court", jurisdiction: @new_haven_ct}

@new_haven_register:publication {type: "Newspaper"}

@new_haven_ct:place {city: "New Haven", state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}

@waterford_ct:place {city: "Waterford", state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}

@new_york_ny:place {city: "New York", state: @new_york, country: @united_states}

@new_london_ct:place {city: "New London", state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}

@sturbridge_ma:place {city: "Sturbridge", state: @massachusetts, country: @united_states}

@union_church:place {type: "Church", location: @sturbridge_ma}

@cedar_hill_ct:place {district: "Cedar Hill", city: @new_haven_ct}

@freeman_divorce_case:event {description: "Divorce proceeding of Clarissa Freeman vs. James H. Freeman", start: @date_1828_01_21, end: @date_1836_01_04, location: @new_haven_ct}

@petition_freeman:document {type: "Petition", title: "Petition for Divorce", date_filed: @date_1835_12_24, filed_by: @clarissa_freeman}

@order_freeman:document {type: "Court Order", title: "Order to Publish Notice", date_issued: @date_1835_12_29, issued_by: @noyes_darling, directed_to: @james_h_freeman}

@divorce_decree_freeman:document {type: "Divorce Decree", title: "Decree of Divorce", date_issued: @date_1836_01_04, issued_by: @superior_court_ct}

@letter_freeman:document {type: "Letter", author: @oliver_freeman, recipient: @james_h_freeman, date_written: @date_1836_03_04, content: "Family news, baptisms, and death notice"}

@baptism_lewis:event {type: "Baptism", date: @date_1836_03_04, location: @union_church, officiant: @samuel_rogers, participants: [@david_lewis, @sarah_lewis]}

@death_robert_conklin:event {type: "Death", date: @date_1836_03_02, location: @new_haven_ct, deceased: @robert_conklin}

@freeman_divorce_collection -> contains -> @petition_freeman

@freeman_divorce_collection -> contains -> @order_freeman

@freeman_divorce_collection -> contains -> @divorce_decree_freeman

@freeman_divorce_collection -> contains -> @letter_freeman

@freeman_divorce_collection -> contains -> @baptism_lewis

@freeman_divorce_collection -> contains -> @death_robert_conklin

@clarissa_freeman -> plaintiff -> @freeman_divorce_case

@james_h_freeman -> defendant -> @freeman_divorce_case

@james_k_freeman -> defendant -> @freeman_divorce_case

@james_h_freeman -> alleged_adulterer_with -> @roxanna_reid_go

@james_h_freeman -> alleged_adulterer_with -> @roxanna_field

@james_h_freeman -> committed -> adultery {date: @date_1835_01_10, partner: @roxanna_field}

@james_h_freeman -> committed -> adultery {date: @date_1835_07_10, partner: @roxanna_field}

@james_h_freeman -> committed -> adultery {date: @date_1835_08_10, partner: @roxanna_field}

@lilas_mix -> issued -> @order_freeman

@noyes_darling -> issued -> @order_freeman

@superior_court_ct -> issued -> @divorce_decree_freeman

@petition_freeman -> filed_by -> @clarissa_freeman

@petition_freeman -> mentions -> @james_h_freeman

@petition_freeman -> mentions -> @roxanna_field

@order_freeman -> directed_to -> @james_h_freeman

@order_freeman -> published_in -> @new_haven_register

@letter_freeman -> author -> @oliver_freeman

@letter_freeman -> mentions -> @david_lewis

@letter_freeman -> mentions -> @sarah_lewis

@letter_freeman -> mentions -> @robert_conklin

@baptism_lewis -> officiated_by -> @samuel_rogers

@baptism_lewis -> location -> @union_church

@death_robert_conklin -> location -> @new_haven_ct

@file_pinax -> documents -> @freeman_divorce_collection

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarissajames_001_jpg -> documents -> @divorce_decree_freeman

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarissajames_003_jpg -> documents -> @petition_freeman

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarissajames_004_jpg -> documents -> @order_freeman

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarissajames_005_jpg -> documents -> @petition_freeman

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarissajames_006_jpg -> documents -> @order_freeman

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarissajames_007_jpg -> documents -> @order_freeman

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanclarissajames_008_jpg -> documents -> @letter_freeman

Metadata

Version History (7 versions)

Additional Components (16)

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RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_FreemanClarissaJames_008.jpg.ref.json
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Parent

01KBKZYT0E4WN250H1RKB10E89

No children (leaf entity)