New Haven County Superior Court - Black, African American, and Indigenous Cases - Divorce and Tenant Documents

Version: 12 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:24:01 PM

Added description

Description

New Haven County Superior Court – Black, African American, and Indigenous Divorce and Tenant Documents Collection

Overview

This digitized collection comprises court‑record images and associated metadata from the New Haven County Superior Court, assembled by the Connecticut State Library. The materials focus on divorce and tenant cases involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals, and were created in 1853. The collection is part of the library’s New Haven County court project and the broader NHSC BAAI (Black, African American, and Indigenous History) initiative.

Background

The New Haven County Superior Court produced the original paper records, which were later digitized by the Connecticut State Library as part of an effort to preserve 19th‑century court documents that illuminate the legal experiences of marginalized communities. The collection is indexed by the NHSC_BAAI subject index, a controlled‑vocabulary database field that assigns subject terms such as “Divorce,” “Tenant,” “Property valuation,” and “Black, African American, and Indigenous history.”

Contents

  • Scanned images of a single case file (RG003NHSCBAAIPSDivorceTenant011) in both JPEG and TIFF formats.
  • OCR‑extracted text revealing the parties’ names (e.g., David A. Howard, W. Henry D. Howard) and key terms such as “Retirement benefits.”
  • Metadata in JSON format that records the collection’s title, creators (Sarah A. Tenant, Henry J. Tenant, New Haven County Superior Court), institution, date, language, subjects, and places.
  • Subject‑index linkage to the NHSC_BAAI subject index, ensuring discoverability through controlled vocabulary searches.

Scope

The collection covers a single 1853 divorce and tenant case from New Haven County, Connecticut, involving Black, African American, and Indigenous parties. It includes only the original case file, property‑valuation records, and legal‑cost documents directly related to the divorce proceeding. Ancillary court filings, docket entries, or unrelated case records are not part of this collection. The materials are in English, public domain, and are suitable for research in 19th‑century family law, race relations, and African‑American legal history.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@meriden:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}


@middletown:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}


@connecticut:place {country: @united_states}


@adultery:concept {description: "Ground for divorce involving sexual relations with a third party"}


@intemperance:concept {description: "Excessive consumption of alcohol, often cited in 19th‑century divorce cases"}


@cruelty:concept {description: "Physical or mental abuse, a common allegation in historic divorce petitions"}


@marriage:concept {description: "Legal union between two individuals"}


@legal_documents:concept {description: "Official papers produced by courts or legal authorities"}


@property_valuation:concept {description: "Assessment of the monetary value of personal or real property"}


@divorce_proceedings:concept {description: "Legal processes surrounding the dissolution of marriage"}


@file_pinax:file {id: "01KBM1KXK1CYYK2EYXYA56YGT6", title: "New Haven County Superior Court - Black, African American, and Indigenous Cases - Divorce and Tenant Documents", type: "Collection", created: @date_1853, language: "en", description: "Collection of documents from the New Haven County Superior Court related to divorce and tenant cases involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals, including divorce petition documents, property valuation records, legal cost documents, and miscellaneous documents.", access_url: "PLACEHOLDER", source: "PINAX", rights: "Public Domain"}


@file_pinax:file -> created by -> [@sarah_a_tenant, @henry_j_tenant, @new_haven_county_superior_court]


@file_pinax:file -> institution -> @connecticut_state_library


@file_pinax:file -> places -> [@new_haven_county, @meriden, @middletown, @new_haven, @connecticut]


@file_pinax:file -> subjects -> [@divorce, @adultery, @intemperance, @cruelty, @marriage, @legal_documents, @new_haven_county, @black_african_american_and_indigenous_history, @property_valuation, @divorce_proceedings, @personal_property, @legal_costs, @tenant, @court_records, @retirement_benefits]


@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_collection:document -> includes -> @tenant_divorce_collection:collection


@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_collection:document -> includes -> @property_valuation_records:collection


@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_collection:document -> includes -> @nhsc_legal_costs_collection:collection


@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_collection:document -> uses -> @nhsc_baai_subject_index:concept


@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept -> indexes -> @tenant_divorce_collection:collection


@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept -> indexes -> @property_valuation_records:collection


@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept -> indexes -> @nhsc_legal_costs_collection:collection


@new_haven_county_superior_court -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baa_i_cases_papers_subject:concept


@sarah_a_tenant -> appears in -> @tenant_divorce_collection:collection


@henry_j_tenant -> appears in -> @tenant_divorce_collection:collection


@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_collection:document

Metadata

Version History (10 versions)

  • ✓ v12 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:24:01 PM
    "Added description"
  • v11 · 12/4/2025, 3:02:34 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v10 · 12/4/2025, 6:43:27 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v9 · 12/4/2025, 6:30:06 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 4 groups"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 6:30:04 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0VD1G819GQFKWYC0B6XVS"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 6:30:01 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0VA1E5ARA3WG3J17WVEQV"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:29:59 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0V8KGP69ST77QFWK65935"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:29:57 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0V6WTZTPVFJ6Z3D7JWWTQ"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:20:22 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 6 files"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:20:12 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 8 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 within the divorce case of Sarah A. Tenant vs. Henry J. Tenant. The primary group contains all legal documents related to the divorce petition, including allegations and court filings. A separate group was created for property valuation documents, another for legal costs, and a final group for miscellaneous documents that did not fit into the main categories. This strategy ensures that each document is placed in a contextually relevant group while maintaining clarity and avoiding unnecessary duplication.

## Groups Created

- **Divorce_Petition_Documents**: Legal documents related to Sarah A. Tenant's divorce petition against Henry J. Tenant, including the main petition, allegations, and court filings.
- **Property_Valuation**: Documents detailing the valuation and division of property in the divorce case, including household items and personal belongings.
- **Legal_Costs**: Documents related to the legal costs and fees associated with the divorce proceedings.
- **Miscellaneous_Documents**: Miscellaneous documents that do not fit into the main thematic groups but are part of the case file.

Parent

01KBKZYT0E4WN250H1RKB10E89

Children (4)