RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_FreemanNewportViolet_004.jpg

Newport Freeman Divorce Petition Documents

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:16:27 PM

Added description

Description

Newport Freeman Divorce Petition Documents (1798) – New Haven County Superior Court

Overview

This collection comprises digitized images of the original divorce petition and summons filed by Newport Freeman against Violet Freeman on September 24, 1798, in the New Haven County Superior Court. The collection includes high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF scans, OCR transcripts, and metadata extracted from the Connecticut State Library’s PINAX system. It is indexed under the NHSC BAAI subject field, indicating its inclusion in the New Haven County Superior Court files concerning Black, African American, and Indigenous cases and papers.

Background

Newport Freeman, a resident of New Haven, filed the petition after marrying Violet Freeman in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on November 20, 1778. After roughly six years of cohabitation, Violet deserted him, prompting the divorce action. The petition was filed in 1798, and the summons was directed to Violet, then residing in Boston, Massachusetts. Justice Oliver Tompkins signed the summons, reflecting the court’s procedural requirements of the period.

Contents

The collection contains two primary documents:
  • Divorce Petition – detailing the marriage, desertion, and request for dissolution
  • Entities

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    Entity Relationships

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    Raw Cheimarros Data

    @file_pinax:document {title: "Newport Freeman Divorce Petition Documents", creator: @newport_freeman, institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1798_09_24, language: "en", subjects: ["Divorce", "Legal documents", "Marriage", "Desertion", "New Haven County Superior Court"], description: "Collection of documents related to the divorce petition of Newport Freeman from Violet Freeman, including the petition and court summons.", place: [@new_haven, @portsmouth_nh, @boston_ma]}
    
    
    @newport_freeman:person {full_name: "Newport Freeman", role: "Petitioner"}
    
    @violet_freeman:person {full_name: "Violet Freeman", role: "Respondent"}
    
    @oliver_tompkins:person {full_name: "Oliver Tompkins", role: "Justice"}
    
    @connecticut_state_library:organization {type: "State Library", location: @connecticut}
    
    @new_haven:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}
    
    @portsmouth_nh:place {state: @new_hampshire, country: @united_states}
    
    @boston_ma:place {state: @massachusetts, country: @united_states}
    
    @new_haven_county_superior_court:organization {type: "Court", location: @new_haven}
    
    
    @marriage_event:event {description: "Marriage of Newport Freeman and Violet Freeman"} 
    
    @newport_freeman -> married -> @violet_freeman {when: @date_1778_11_20, where: @portsmouth_nh}
    
    
    @desertion_event:event {description: "Violet Freeman deserted Newport Freeman after approximately six years of marriage"} 
    
    @violet_freeman -> deserted -> @newport_freeman {duration_years: 6}
    
    
    @petition_document:document {type: "Divorce Petition", petitioner: @newport_freeman, respondent: @violet_freeman, date: @date_1798_09_24, filed_at: @new_haven_county_superior_court}
    
    
    @summons_document:document {type: "Summons", issuer: @newport_freeman, recipient: @violet_freeman, date: @date_1798_09_24, directed_to: @boston_ma, court: @new_haven_county_superior_court}
    
    
    @newport_freeman -> filed -> @petition_document {when: @date_1798_09_24}
    
    @newport_freeman -> issued -> @summons_document {when: @date_1798_09_24}
    
    @oliver_tompkins -> signed -> @summons_document {role: "Justice"}
    
    
    @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemannewportviolet_004_jpg:file {format: "jpg", related_to: @petition_document}
    
    @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemannewportviolet_005_jpg:file {format: "jpg", related_to: @summons_document}
    
    @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemannewportviolet_004_tif:file {format: "tif", related_to: @petition_document}
    
    @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemannewportviolet_005_tif:file {format: "tif", related_to: @summons_document}
    
    
    @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept {description: "Subject-index field for New Haven County Superior Court files concerning Black, African American, and Indigenous cases and papers"}

    Metadata

    Files (4)

    RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_FreemanNewportViolet_004.jpgJPEG
    418.99 KB
    OCR Text

    To the Honourable Inferior Court to be held at New Haven in & for the County of New Haven on the first Tuesday of Janu any next, the Petition of Newport Freeman of St New Haven humbly sheweth, That on the 20th day of November D1778 he was lawfully married to Violet a free woman then of Portsmouth in the County of Rockingham & the State of New Hampshire, & that soon after said marriage your Petitioner with Violet his wife removed into this State, in which he continued to live with sd Violet in the due performance of all the duties required in the marriage covenant till neither about six years last past, when the said Violet without any just cause & contrary to the mind & intent of your Petitioner willfully deserted him, and hath ever since continued to absent herself from your Petitioner, without any just cause as aforesaid; your Petitioner therefore pray your Honours to take his case into your consideration & if upon examination the facts alleged are found to be true that you would grant to your Petitioner a bill of Divorce and thereby release & discharge him from

    RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_FreemanNewportViolet_005.jpgJPEG
    439.2 KB
    OCR Text

    To Violet & from all the duties & obligations he is under to her by force of the marriage covenant, & he as in duty bound will ever pray. New Haven September 24th D1798 Newport Freeman To an indifferent person to serve & return writing By authority of the State of Connecticut you are hereby commanded to summon Violet Freeman formerly of New Haven in New Haven County now residing in Boston in the county of Suffolk & commonwealth of Massachusetts to appear before the Superior Court to be held at New Haven in & for the County of New Haven on the first Tuesday of January next, then to show cause if any she have why the prayer of the foregoing Petition should not be granted & you are to leave a true & attested copy of the foregoing Petition and this citation at least twelve days before said first Tuesday of January. Whereof fail not but due return make with your doing therein. Dated at New Haven the 24th day of September D1798. Rt one Dollar State duty certified & signed by Oliver Tompkins Justice New

    Version History (4 versions)

    • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:16:27 PM
      "Added description"
    • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:37:15 PM · View this version
      "Added knowledge graph extraction"
    • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:38:16 AM · View this version
      "Added PINAX metadata"
    • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:28:03 AM · View this version
      "Reorganization group: Divorce_Petition_Documents"

    Parent

    01KBKZY8APT0HD1YAFDBWVNX58

    No children (leaf entity)