RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Brockway_022.jpg

Brockway Divorce Court Petitions Collection

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:11:53 PM

Added description

Description

Brockway Divorce Court Petitions Collection

Overview

The Brockway Divorce Court Petitions Collection is a digitized set of two 18th‑century legal petitions filed in the New Haven County Superior Court. The documents, dated February 27, 1759 and February 24, 1769, were submitted by members of the Brockway family and are preserved in both JPEG and TIFF formats. The collection is part of the Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County court records project, which focuses on cases involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals.

Background

The New Haven County Superior Court was the primary judicial body for the county during the colonial and early statehood periods. In the mid‑1700s, divorce petitions were rare and typically required a formal court proceeding. The Brockway family, a prominent local lineage, sought dissolution of marriage under the court’s jurisdiction. The Connecticut State Library acquired these records through the NHSC BAAI (Black, African American, and Indigenous History) initiative, which aims to highlight the legal experiences of marginalized communities in Connecticut’s history.

Contents

  • Petition 1759 – A handwritten request for divorce, dated 1759‑02‑27, addressed to the Superior Court. The JPEG (RG003NHSCBAAIPSDivorceBrockway022.jpg) and TIFF (RG003NHSCBAAIPSDivorceBrockway022.tif) images capture the original script, including the court’s formal salutation and the petitioner’s name. OCR text reproduces the opening line: “To the Honorable Superior Court to Sit att. Newhaven on ye 27th of Instant February A. 1759.”
  • Petition 1769 – A second divorce request, dated 1769‑02‑24, similarly addressed to the court. The JPEG (RG003NHSCBAAIPSDivorceBrockway024.jpg) and TIFF (RG003NHSCBAAIPSDivorceBrockway024.tif) images show the petition’s wording, with OCR capturing the line: “To y Honorable Supr: Court To Sit att Newharen in February 24th 1769.”
The collection also includes a subject‑index file (Nhsc Baai Cases Papers Subject) that tags the petitions with controlled terms such as “Divorce,” “Legal Petitions,” “Brockway Family,” and “Black, African American, and Indigenous History.”

Scope

The collection covers two discrete divorce petitions from the 18th‑century New Haven County Superior Court, specifically involving the Brockway family. It is geographically limited to New Haven County, Connecticut, and temporally confined to the years 1759 and 1769. The collection focuses on legal documentation and does not include court transcripts, judgments, or ancillary correspondence. It is intended for researchers studying early colonial legal practices, family history, and the representation of Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals in Connecticut’s judicial archives.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@brockway_divorce_court_petitions:collection {title: "Brockway Divorce Court Petitions Collection", creator: @new_haven_county_superior_court, institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1759_1769, language: "en", subjects: ["Divorce","Legal Petitions","Brockway Family","New Haven County","Black, African American, and Indigenous History"], description: "Collection of divorce court petitions from the New Haven County Superior Court involving the Brockway family, dated 1759 and 1769.", place: [@new_haven, @new_haven_county]}

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

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

@new_haven_county_superior_court:organization {type: "Superior Court", jurisdiction: @new_haven_county}

@connecticut_state_library:organization {type: "State Library", location: @connecticut}

@brockway_family:organization {type: "Family"}

@date_1759:date_1759

@date_1769:date_1769

@date_1759_02_27:date_1759_02_27

@date_1769_02_24:date_1769_02_24

@petition_1759:document {title: "Divorce Petition (1759)", date: @date_1759_02_27, addressed_to: @new_haven_county_superior_court, petitioner: @brockway_family, ocr_text: "To the Honorable Superior Court to Sit att. Newhaven on ye 27th of Instant February A. 1759"}

@petition_1769:document {title: "Divorce Petition (1769)", date: @date_1769_02_24, addressed_to: @new_haven_county_superior_court, petitioner: @brockway_family, ocr_text: "To y Honorable Supr: Court To Sit att Newharen in February 24th 1769"}

@file_pinax:file {type: "Metadata"}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @brockway_divorce_court_petitions

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_brockway_022_jpg:file {type: "Image"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_brockway_022_jpg -> depicts -> @petition_1759

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_brockway_022_tif:file {type: "Image"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_brockway_022_tif -> depicts -> @petition_1759

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_brockway_024_jpg:file {type: "Image"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_brockway_024_jpg -> depicts -> @petition_1769

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_brockway_024_tif:file {type: "Image"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_brockway_024_tif -> depicts -> @petition_1769

@brockway_divorce_court_petitions -> contains -> @petition_1759

@brockway_divorce_court_petitions -> contains -> @petition_1769

@brockway_divorce_court_petitions -> subject_index -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept {description: "Subject terms for New Haven County Superior Court files involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals"}

Metadata

Files (4)

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Brockway_022.jpgJPEG
274.57 KB
OCR Text

To the Honorable Superior Court to Sit att. Newhaven on ye 27th of Instant February A. 1759

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Brockway_024.jpgJPEG
311.4 KB
OCR Text

To y Honorable Supr: Court To Sit att Newharen in February 24th 1769 1 9 8 10:10 1 G:2 3 C 1:9:8

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:11:53 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:24:51 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:35:37 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:27:59 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Brockway_Divorce_Court_Petitions"

Parent

01KBM0N8K9Z57WB446GY55RX41

No children (leaf entity)