New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Case: Brockway vs. Brockway (1758) Collection

Version: 9 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:15:34 PM

Added description

Description

New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Case: Brockway vs. Brockway (1758) Collection

Overview

This digital collection preserves the full record of the 1758 divorce proceeding between Samuel Brockway and Margaret Smith Brockway in the New Haven County Superior Court. Compiled by the Connecticut State Library as part of its NHSC BAAI (New Haven County Superior Court Black, African American, and Indigenous) project, the collection includes depositions, court documents, and high‑resolution scans of original parchment pages. The materials are in the public domain and are available in both JPEG and TIFF formats with accompanying OCR text.

Background

The case was filed in 1758 and reflects the legal practices of colonial Connecticut, where domestic disputes were adjudicated in the Superior Court. Witnesses and justices of the peace from Farmington, Waterbury, Brantford, and Hartford recorded the depositions. The collection is indexed under the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject heading and is part of the Connecticut State Library’s effort to document Black, African American, and Indigenous experiences in 18th‑century Connecticut.

Contents

The collection comprises:
  • Five depositions concerning Margaret Brockway’s mental state (dates 25 Aug 1758–26 Feb 1759), featuring testimonies from Beck Moses Blackley, Capt. Phineas Royce, Deacon John Warner, and others.
  • Two depositions detailing alleged domestic abuse by Samuel Brockway (30 Aug 1758), including testimony from Timothy Wood and the Pond sisters.
  • Four depositions addressing interracial relations and slavery involving Lot, an enslaved Black man (1758–1798), with contributions from John Warner, Elizabeth Barnes, and Hannah Cook.
  • Scanned images (RG003NHSCBAAIPSDivorceBrockway008–020) and OCR‑extracted text for each deposition.
All documents are in English and provide a comprehensive view of the court’s proceedings and community witnesses.

Scope

The collection covers the period 1758–1798, focusing on the New Haven County Superior Court docket for the Brockway divorce case. It addresses themes of divorce, mental health, domestic abuse, interracial relations, and slavery. The collection does not include court judgments, ancillary correspondence, or other filings. It is a valuable resource for scholars of early American legal history, gender studies, and the social history of slavery and mental health.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

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@brockway_divorce_collection -> related to -> @lot:person {relationship: "enslaved individual mentioned in depositions"}

Metadata

Title
New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Case: Brockway vs. Brockway (1758) Collection
Type
Collection
Creator
Samuel BrockwayMargaret Smith BrockwayJoseph BrockwayElizabeth RoyceBeck Moses BlackleyCapt. Phineas RoyceMr. Jonathan CookMrs. Lydia BarnesMr. Samuel CurtisElizabeth CurtisHenry CookEbenezer CookDeacon John WarnerTimothy WoodMary PondLucy PondJohn WarnerSarah WarnerElizabeth BarnesHannah CookLot (Negro)
Institution
Connecticut State Library
Created
1758-08-25/1758-08-30
Language
en
Subjects
Divorce, Mental health, Domestic abuse, Legal documents, Legal depositions, Interracial Relations, Slavery, Testimonies, 18th Century, Margaret Brockway, Samuel Brockway, Waterbury, New Haven County
Rights
Public Domain
Place
Farmington, Connecticut, Waterbury, Connecticut, New Haven, Connecticut, Brantford, Connecticut, Hartford, Connecticut, New Haven County, Connecticut
Source
PINAX

Version History (9 versions)

  • ✓ v9 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:15:34 PM
    "Added description"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 2:35:17 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 6:37:50 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:28:32 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 4 groups"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:28:30 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0RHEY5C81P0V7B8XCN2PW"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:28:29 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0RG4ZPCE5VT47WXR1N037"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:28:27 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0REP07J51TXP3V22ZGN11"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:28:26 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0RDBVBBG41J0A6CN0H6FS"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:26:41 AM · View this version
    "Alphabetical chunk 1/2 (40 files)"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

The files were grouped based on the content of the depositions and court documents. The primary groupings focus on the key themes of the case: Margaret Brockway's mental state, Samuel Brockway's alleged abuse, and the relations with the Negro Lot. Court documents were grouped separately as they represent the formal legal filings related to the case. Each group is distinct and reflects a coherent thematic or procedural context.

## Groups Created

- **Depositions_Regarding_Margaret_Brockway_Mental_State**: Depositions discussing Margaret Brockway's mental state and behavior, including testimonies about her being 'distracted' or 'distraited'.
- **Depositions_Regarding_Samuel_Brockway_Abuse**: Depositions detailing Samuel Brockway's alleged abusive behavior towards his wife Margaret.
- **Depositions_Regarding_Negro_Lot_Relations**: Depositions concerning Margaret Brockway's relations with the Negro Lot, including testimonies about carnal copulation.
- **Court_Documents**: Documents filed with or delivered to the New Haven Superior Court, including depositions and other legal papers.

Parent

↑ 01KBKZXV1VG457P19T0DSBW8GQ

Children (4)