New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Case Documents Related to Joseph Knevel and Hannah Los

Version: 12 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:23:19 PM

Added description

Description

Joseph Knevel and Hannah Los Divorce Case Documents (1792)

Overview

This collection gathers the complete set of legal papers from a 1792 divorce proceeding in the New Haven County Superior Court involving Joseph Knevel and Hannah Los (also recorded as Hannah Howell). The materials include the original marriage certificate, the divorce petition, a formal citation, and four witness depositions. Each item is preserved as high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF scans, accompanied by OCR‑extracted text and structured PINAX metadata. The collection is held by the Connecticut State Library and is indexed under the New Haven County Superior Court (NHSC) subject field for Black, African American, and Indigenous (BAAI) cases and papers.

Background

The case reflects late‑18th‑century Connecticut court practice and the intersection of family law and race relations. The marriage certificate, officiated by Minister Elizur Goodrich in Durham, confirms the union in December 1791. The divorce petition, filed July 4, 1792, alleges an interracial relationship and a pregnancy involving a “negro servant.” The Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County project digitizes such records to support research on African American and Indigenous legal history in the region.

Contents

  • Marriage Certificate (RG003NHSCBAAIPSDivorceKnevel001) – a scanned copy of the July 23, 1792 certificate.
  • Divorce Petition (RG003NHSCBAAIPSDivorceKnevel013) – the petition filed by Joseph Thomas.
  • Citation (RG003NHSCBAAIPSDivorceKnevel012) – the formal citation dated July 9, 1792.
  • Witness Depositions (RG003NHSCBAAIPSDivorceKnevel004, 006, 008, 002) – four depositions recorded by court clerks, documenting alleged interactions between Knevel and a “negro man.”
  • Metadata and OCR – PINAX JSON files and machine‑readable transcriptions for each document.

All images preserve the original ink, signatures, and court stamps, while the OCR text facilitates quick reference.

Scope

The collection covers the legal filings and witness testimony from the 1792 divorce case in Durham and New Haven, Connecticut. It includes the marriage certificate, petition, citation, and four depositions but does not contain subsequent court rulings, judgments, or later correspondence. The materials are relevant to scholars of 18th‑century Connecticut law, African American and Indigenous legal history, and the social dynamics of interracial relationships in colonial New England.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

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Metadata

Title
New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Case Documents Related to Joseph Knevel and Hannah Los
Type
Collection
Creator
Elizur GoodrichJoseph ThomasHannah Howell alias HannahSarah HinmanSarah CampMiranda CraneJoseph CampDan Carmel Jnr. DeanDan Darvelle Jurt. SeawDan Parmelet Just-PracDan Barwell Jt Secr
Institution
Connecticut State Library
Created
1791-12-01/1792-07-23
Language
en
Subjects
Divorce, Marriage, Legal Petitions, Witness Depositions, Interracial Relationships, Legal Testimony, 18th Century, 18th Century Legal Documents, 18th Century Legal Cases, New Haven County Court Records, African American History
Place
Durham, Connecticut, New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven County, Connecticut, So. Durham
Source
PINAX

Version History (10 versions)

  • ✓ v12 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:23:19 PM
    "Added description"
  • v11 · 12/4/2025, 3:00:48 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v10 · 12/4/2025, 6:42:59 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v9 · 12/4/2025, 6:28:33 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 4 groups"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 6:28:31 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0RJTJZ1YD1B97QBYMGG8V"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 6:28:29 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0RGQW3GF3MG9ABH2ACPVD"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:28:28 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0RFAXXY2CD7JMGG8FX561"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:28:26 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0RE0ANQ909JNCDH8EQM5J"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:18:56 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 8 files"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:18:47 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 5 files"

More versions available (pagination not yet implemented)

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

The files were organized into four distinct groups based on their content and purpose: 1) Marriage Certificate documents, 2) Divorce Petition and related legal summons, 3) Witness Depositions regarding the alleged infidelity, and 4) Court Procedural Documents related to the legal process. This organization reflects the natural progression of the case from marriage through divorce proceedings, with clear separation between evidentiary documents (witness statements) and procedural court documents.

## Groups Created

- **Marriage_Certificate**: Files related to the marriage certificate of Joseph Knevel and Hannah Los
- **Divorce_Petition**: Files containing the petition for divorce and related legal summons
- **Witness_Depositions**: Depositions from witnesses regarding the alleged infidelity
- **Court_Procedural_Documents**: Documents related to court procedures and filings

Parent

↑ 01KBKZYT0E4WN250H1RKB10E89

Children (4)