RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_FreemanNewportViolet_002.jpg

Violet Freeman Divorce Summons and Certification Documents

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:16:37 PM

Added description

Description

Violet Freeman Divorce Summons and Certification Documents Collection

Overview

This collection comprises the legal documents related to the 1790 divorce case of Violet Freeman, a resident of Boston, Massachusetts. The core items are a summons and a certification of summons issued by the Middlesex & Cambridge court on 14 December 1790. The documents are held by the Connecticut State Library and are part of the New Haven County Superior Court Files (NHSC) under the Black, African American, and Indigenous History (BAAI) research focus. The collection includes scanned images (JPEG and TIFF) of the original parchment, as well as metadata and provenance information.

Background

Divorce in colonial New England was a rare and socially significant legal proceeding. The case of Violet Freeman is notable for its documentation by Abiel Holmes, a local attorney, and its certification by Justice of the Peace Samuel Bartlett. The documents were produced in the Middlesex & Cambridge region, a jurisdiction that encompassed Boston at the time. The Connecticut State Library’s BAAI project seeks to recover and digitize court records that involve Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals; this case is included because of its relevance to that demographic focus.

Contents

  • Summons: A parchment summons dated 14 December 1790, addressed to Violet Freeman, detailing the petition for divorce.
  • Certification of Summons: A signed statement by Abiel Holmes certifying that Violet Freeman was notified and that she had no objection to the petition. The certification is witnessed by Samuel Bartlett, Justice of the Peace.
  • Scanned Images: A high‑resolution JPEG and a TIFF copy of the original documents, preserving the text and marginalia.
  • Metadata: JSON files providing descriptive fields (creator, date, subjects, place) and relational links to the NHSC BAAI subject index.

Scope

The collection covers a single legal proceeding—Violet Freeman’s divorce—dated 14 December 1790 and situated in Middlesex & Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is limited to the summons and certification documents and their digital reproductions. The collection does not include other court filings, correspondence, or subsequent legal actions related to the case. It is intended for researchers interested in colonial divorce law, the role of Black and Indigenous individuals in early American legal history, and the archival practices of the Connecticut State Library.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@abiel_holmes:person {full_name: "Abiel Holmes"}

@connecticut_state_library:organization {type: "State Library"}

@massachusetts:place {country: @united_states}

@boston:place {state: @massachusetts}

@middlesex_cambridge:place {state: @massachusetts, description: "Middlesex & Cambridge region"}

@violet_freeman:person {full_name: "Violet Freeman"}

@summons_document:document {title: "Divorce Summons", type: "Summons", date: @date_1790_12_14, location: @boston, subject: @violet_freeman}

@certification_document:document {title: "Certification of Summons", type: "Certification", date: @date_1790_12_14, location: @boston, subject: @violet_freeman, signer: @abiel_holmes}

@violet_freeman_divorce_collection:document {title: "Violet Freeman Divorce Summons and Certification Documents", creator: @abiel_holmes, institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1790_12_14, language: "en", subjects: ["Divorce","Legal Documents","Summons","Certification","Black, African American, and Indigenous History"]}

@file_pinax:file {title: "Violet Freeman Divorce Summons and Certification Documents", creator: @abiel_holmes, institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1790_12_14, language: "en", subjects: ["Divorce","Legal Documents","Summons","Certification","Black, African American, and Indigenous History"], description: "Collection of documents related to the divorce case of Violet Freeman, including a summons and certification from Middlesex & Cambridge, Massachusetts, dated December 14, 1790.", place: ["Middlesex & Cambridge, Massachusetts","Boston, Massachusetts"]}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemannewportviolet_002_jpg:file {type: "Image", format: "jpg", ocr_text: "Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Middlesex & Cambridge December 14th AD 1790 I, the subscriber do hereby certify, that on the thirteenth day of December instant, I, read in the hearing of Violet Freeman, the person mentioned in the summons, the whole of the said summons at her dwelling in Boston—and I do further certify that the said Violet Freeman replied, that she had no objection to the annexed petition being granted. Abiel Holmes. Middlesex & Cambridge 14th December 1790 Then personally appeared the above named Abiel Holmes and made solemn oath to the truth of the foregoing certificate by him subscribed, before me Sam'l Bartlett Jus Peace"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemannewportviolet_002_tif:file {type: "Image", format: "tif"}

@sam_l_bartlett:person {full_name: "Samuel Bartlett", title: "Justice of the Peace"}

@new_haven_county_superior_court_files:concept {abbreviation: "NHSC", description: "New Haven County Superior Court Files (Record Group 3, Connecticut State Library)"}

@black_african_american_and_indigenous_history:concept {description: "Black, African American, and Indigenous History focus within the New Haven County court records"}

@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept {description: "Subject-index field for BAAI cases and papers within NHSC", related_to: @black_african_american_and_indigenous_history}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @violet_freeman_divorce_collection

@violet_freeman_divorce_collection -> includes -> [@summons_document, @certification_document]

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemannewportviolet_002_jpg -> depicts -> @summons_document

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemannewportviolet_002_jpg -> depicts -> @certification_document

@sam_l_bartlett -> witnessed -> @certification_document

@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject -> part_of -> @new_haven_county_superior_court_files

@violet_freeman_divorce_collection -> subject -> @black_african_american_and_indigenous_history

Metadata

Files (2)

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_FreemanNewportViolet_002.jpgJPEG
439.79 KB
OCR Text

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Middlesex & Cambridge December 14th AD 1790 I, the subscriber do hereby certify, that on the thirteenth day of December instant, I, read in the hearing of Violet Freeman, the person mentioned in the summons, the whole of the said summons at her dwelling in Boston—and I do further certify that the said Violet Freeman replied, that she had no objection to the annexed petition being granted. Abiel Holmes. Middlesex & Cambridge 14th December 1790 Then personally appeared the above named Abiel Holmes and made solemn oath to the truth of the foregoing certificate by him subscribed, before me Sam'l Bartlett Jus Peace

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:16:37 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:37:58 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:38:26 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:28:06 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Summons_and_Certification_Documents"

Parent

01KBKZY8APT0HD1YAFDBWVNX58

No children (leaf entity)