New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Case: Tine vs. Dick Collection

Version: 10 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:24:13 PM

Added description

Description

New Haven County Superior Court Divorce and Marriage Records – Tine vs. Dick (1772‑1789)

Overview

This collection comprises digitized court documents from the New Haven County Superior Court that document a single legal proceeding involving a Black woman, Tine, and her husband, Dick. The material includes the 1789 divorce petition, summons, and court order, as well as a 1772 marriage certificate issued to the enslaved couple Dick and Time (Tine). All items are presented as high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF scans with accompanying OCR text for searchable access. The collection is part of the Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County Superior Court (NHSC) holdings and is indexed under the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject field, which catalogs cases involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals.

Background

The documents were produced by the New Haven County Superior Court during the late 18th century, a period when court records were essential for legal and property matters. The Connecticut State Library acquired the collection as part of its effort to preserve and make accessible historical legal documents, particularly those relating to African American and Indigenous communities. The NHPRC grant to the library supported the digitization and indexing of these records under the Black, African American, and Indigenous History (BAAI) project.

Contents

  • Divorce Petition (Feb 2 1789) – Tine’s written request citing abandonment and adultery.
  • Summons to Respondent – Directed to the constable of Cheshire.
  • Court Order – Decision granting the divorce, dated the same day.
  • Marriage Certificate (Oct 16 1772) – Documenting the union of Dick and Time, examined by Clerk Elisha Whittlesey on Feb 10 1789.
  • Supporting Excerpts – References to individuals such as Capt. Miers Mier and attorney Woodruff.
Each item is accompanied by OCR metadata and is linked to the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject index entry.

Scope

The collection covers the period 1772‑1789 and is geographically confined to New Haven County, Connecticut, specifically the towns of Wallingford and Cheshire. It focuses on marital and divorce records involving enslaved or free Black individuals and does not include ancillary court filings or unrelated civil records. The material is valuable for scholars of early American legal history, slavery in Connecticut, and the intersection of race, law, and gender in colonial New England.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {id: "01KBM1KXGF59B4XF9MWQHE94SW", title: "New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Case: Tine vs. Dick Collection", type: "Collection", language: "en", description: "Collection of divorce petition documents and marriage records from the New Haven County Superior Court involving Tine, a Black woman, and Dick, her husband. Includes petition for divorce and marriage certificate of enslaved individuals Dick and Time, dated 1772‑1789.", access_url: "PLACEHOLDER", source: "PINAX", rights: ""}

@file_pinax -> creator -> @tine

@file_pinax -> creator -> @new_haven_county_superior_court

@file_pinax -> institution -> @connecticut_state_library

@file_pinax -> subject -> @divorce

@file_pinax -> subject -> @african_american_history

@file_pinax -> subject -> @legal_documents

@file_pinax -> subject -> @new_haven_county

@file_pinax -> subject -> @wallingford

@file_pinax -> subject -> @cheshire

@file_pinax -> subject -> @marriage

@file_pinax -> subject -> @slavery

@file_pinax -> metadata for -> @tine_vs_dick_collection

@file_pinax -> metadata for -> @marriage_record_collection

@tine_vs_dick_collection -> related collection -> @marriage_record_collection {reason: "shared subject index and overlapping parties"}

@dick -> appears in -> @petition_of_tine_vs_dick

@dick -> appears in -> @marriage_certificate_1772

@tine_vs_dick_collection -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@marriage_record_collection -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

Metadata

Title
New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Case: Tine vs. Dick Collection
Type
Collection
Creator
TineNew Haven County Superior Court
Institution
Connecticut State Library
Created
1772-1789
Language
en
Subjects
Divorce, African American history, Legal documents, New Haven County, Wallingford, Cheshire, Marriage, Slavery
Place
New Haven County, Wallingford, Cheshire, Connecticut
Source
PINAX

Version History (10 versions)

  • ✓ v10 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:24:13 PM
    "Added description"
  • v9 · 12/4/2025, 3:02:35 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 6:43:27 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 6:29:59 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 2 groups"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:29:57 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0V6K6YYNHZ85W85HFVV4M"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:29:56 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0V58Y3X5GJSX4GR1YPE6J"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:20:32 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 2 files"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:20:23 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 4 files"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:50 AM · View this version
    "Set parent to 01KBKZYT0E4WN250H1RKB10E89"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:10 AM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

The files were grouped into two distinct categories based on their content and purpose. The first group, 'Divorce_Petition_Documents,' includes all files related to the divorce petition filed by Tine against Dick, such as the petition itself, legal summons, and related court documents. The second group, 'Marriage_Record_Certificate,' contains documents that certify the original marriage record of Dick and Time, including the marriage record and Elisha Whittlesey's certification. This organizational strategy ensures that documents are logically grouped by their role in either the divorce proceedings or the marriage record certification, providing clear and meaningful categorization.

## Groups Created

- **Divorce_Petition_Documents**: Documents related to the divorce petition filed by Tine (Time) against Dick, including the petition itself and supporting legal documents.
- **Marriage_Record_Certificate**: Documents certifying the marriage record of Dick and Time, including the original marriage record and Elisha Whittlesey's certification.

Parent

↑ 01KBKZYT0E4WN250H1RKB10E89

Children (2)