Freeman Divorce Petition Documents
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:16:19 PM
Added description
Description
Freeman Divorce Petition Documents Collection
Overview
This collection comprises the complete set of legal documents related to the 1850 divorce petition filed by John Freeman against his wife, Augusta Freeman, in the New Haven County Superior Court. The materials include the original petition, citation, order of notice, and accompanying copies attested by Sheriff’s Deputy David H. Can. The collection is housed by the Connecticut State Library and is available in both JPEG and TIFF formats, providing high‑resolution scans of the original pages.Background
John Freeman, a resident of New Haven, filed the petition on 24 August 1850, alleging desertion by Augusta on 7 May 1847 and repeated acts of adultery beginning 1 February 1850. The case was represented by attorney Charles Nettleton. The court scheduled a hearing for the third Tuesday of October 1850. The documents reflect the legal procedures of mid‑19th‑century Connecticut, including the requirement to serve notice to the respondent and the sheriff’s role in attesting copies.Contents
- Petition for Divorce (pages 1–2): Written in legal prose, the petition details the marriage date (19 March 1846), desertion, and adultery allegations.
- Citation: Summarizes the grounds for divorce and requests the court’s judgment.
- Order of Notice: Issued by the Superior Court, instructing the sheriff to serve notice to Augusta and publish the notice in a local newspaper.
- Attestation: Sheriff’s Deputy David H. Can’s signature confirms delivery of the petition to Augusta.
- Scanned Images: Two JPEG files (RG003NHSCBAAIPSDivorceFreemanJohnAugusta001.jpg and _002.jpg) and their corresponding TIFF files provide detailed reproductions of the original pages, including OCR‑extracted text.
Scope
The collection is limited to the documents directly associated with the Freeman divorce case, covering the period from the filing in August 1850 through the court’s notice issuance. It does not include subsequent court proceedings, judgments, or ancillary docket entries. The materials are relevant to researchers of 19th‑century Connecticut legal history, marital law, and social practices surrounding divorce, desertion, and adultery.Entities
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Entity Relationships
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Raw Cheimarros Data
@freeman_divorce_collection:document {title: "Freeman Divorce Petition Documents", creator: [@john_freeman, @charles_nettleton], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1850_08_24, subjects: ["Divorce","Legal Documents","Adultery","Desertion","New Haven County"], description: "Collection of divorce petition documents from John Freeman against Augusta Freeman, filed in New Haven County Superior Court in 1850."}
@john_freeman:person {full_name: "John Freeman"}
@augusta_freeman:person {full_name: "Augusta Freeman"}
@charles_nettleton:person {full_name: "Charles Nettleton", role: "Attorney"}
@david_h_can:person {full_name: "David H. Can", role: "Sheriff's Deputy"}
@new_haven:place {city: "New Haven", county: @new_haven_county, state: @connecticut}
@new_haven_county:place {state: @connecticut}
@new_haven_county_superior_court:organization {type: "Superior Court", jurisdiction: @new_haven_county}
@petition_freeman_augusta:document {date: @date_1850_08_24, petitioner: @john_freeman, respondent: @augusta_freeman, attorney: @charles_nettleton, filed_in: @new_haven_county_superior_court, subject: "Divorce"}
@order_of_notice_freeman_augusta:document {date: @date_1850_08_27, related_to: @petition_freeman_augusta, issuer: @new_haven_county_superior_court}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanjohnaugusta_001_jpg:file {type: "image", description: "Petition page 1", related_document: @petition_freeman_augusta}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanjohnaugusta_002_jpg:file {type: "image", description: "Petition page 2", related_document: @petition_freeman_augusta}
@john_freeman -> filed -> @petition_freeman_augusta
@charles_nettleton -> represented -> @john_freeman {in: @petition_freeman_augusta}
@david_h_can -> attested copy to -> @augusta_freeman {date: @date_1850_08_27}
@new_haven_county_superior_court -> scheduled hearing -> @petition_freeman_augusta {date: @date_1850_10, description: "3rd Tuesday of October 1850"}
@marriage_freeman_augusta:event {date: @date_1846_03_19, parties: [@john_freeman, @augusta_freeman], location: @new_haven}
@desertion_freeman_augusta:event {date: @date_1847_05_07, deserter: @augusta_freeman, spouse: @john_freeman, location: @new_haven}
@adultery_freeman_augusta:event {date: @date_1850_02_01, participant: @augusta_freeman, description: "Committed adultery with another person"}
@freeman_divorce_collection -> contains -> [@petition_freeman_augusta, @order_of_notice_freeman_augusta, @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanjohnaugusta_001_jpg, @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_freemanjohnaugusta_002_jpg]Metadata
Files (4)
OCR Text
Petition for Divorce. Sold by Croswell & Jewett, No. 2 Street's Building, New Haven. To the Hon. Superior Court to be held at New Haven in and for New Haven County on the 3rd Tuesday of October A.D. 1850 The Petition of John Freeman of the Town of New Haven in New Haven County, humbly showeth that on or about the 19th day of March A.D. 1846, your petitioner was lawfully married to Augusta Freeman of said Town of New Haven with whom your petitioner lived in the performance of all the duties of the marriage covenant on his part to be performed, until on or about the 7th day of May A.D. 1847 when the said Respondent wilfully deserted your petitioner, and has continued said desertion with total neglect of all the duties of the marriage covenant on her part to be performed, from thence hitherto, and for a period of more than three years last past. And your petitioner further showeth that the said Respondent has at divers times during said period, on or about the 1st day of February A.D. 1850, committed adultery with another person, and has continued said adultery in the presence of your petitioner, and with total neglect of all the duties of the marriage covenant on her part to be performed, and with divers other lawful persons. Wherefore your petitioner prays the Court to inquire into the truth of the allegations aforesaid, and on finding them true, to grant him a divorce pursuant to the statute in such cases provided. Dated at New Haven this 24th day of August A.D. 1850. John Freeman By Charles Nettleton his Attorney To the Sheriff of New Haven County, his Deputy, or either Constable of New Haven in said County—GREETING: BY AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT you are hereby commanded to summon said Augusta Freeman to appear before the Superior Court to be held at New Haven in and for New Haven county, on the 3rd Tuesday of October A.D. 1850, then and there to show cause if any she have why the prayer of the foregoing petition should not be granted. Hereof fail not, &c. Dated at New Haven this 24th day of August A.D. 1850 Charles Nettleton Justice of Peace. vs. ORDER OF NOTICE. State of Connecticut, ss. COUNTY. A.D. 184 Upon the petition of said praying for reasons therein set forth for a divorce, now pending before the Superior Court in and for County, to be holden on the Tuesday of A.D. 184 It appearing to, and being found by, the subscribing authority, that the said Respondent, is residing in and absent from this State—Gone to parts unknown Therefore, ordered, that notice of the pendency of said petition be given said respondent by publishing this order in the newspaper printed in weeks successively commencing on or before the day of A.D. 184 by leaving a copy of said petition, citation, and order of notice with the respondent on or before the day of A.D. 184, by depositing a copy of said petition, citation, and order of notice in the Post Office, postage paid, at respondent, at day of A.D. 184 directed to said on or before the Judge of Court.
OCR Text
New Haven County, State of Connecticut August 27th, 1850 I then placed in the hands of the within named Respondent a true and attested copy of this Petition and Citation, Attest: David H. Can. Sheriff's Deputy. Filed. Ravel of miles .20 Copy (4th page) .37 .47
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:16:19 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:37:17 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:38:17 AM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:29:00 AM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Divorce_Petition_Documents"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)