RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_004.jpg

New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Records Collection

Version: 8 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:16:58 PM

Added description

Description

New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Records Collection

Overview

This digitized collection, held by the Connecticut State Library, comprises a comprehensive set of 18th‑century divorce‑related documents from the New Haven County Superior Court. It includes court depositions, proceedings, certifications, evidence pages, and family‑recorded legal filings that collectively document the marital disputes of the Morgan family (Theophilus, William, and their spouses) between 1724 and 1783. The materials are presented as high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF scans, accompanied by OCR text and JSON metadata (PINAX) that link each item to the NHSC BAAI subject index.

Background

The collection is part of the Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County Superior Court (NHSC) Black, African American, and Indigenous History (BAAI) initiative, which seeks to highlight legal cases involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals in colonial Connecticut. The Morgan family, a prominent local lineage, appears in multiple court actions—including divorce petitions, evidentiary filings, and marriage certificates—providing insight into early colonial legal practices, domestic relations, and race‑related dynamics.

Contents

  • Depositions (1739‑1743): Twelve transcripts of testimony concerning Theophilus Morgan’s divorce, each with a scanned image and metadata record.
  • Proceedings and Certifications (1742‑1747): Marriage certificate (27 June 1743), divorce proceeding, and eight evidence pages opened by court clerks, all scanned in JPEG/TIFF.
  • Morgan Family Records (1724‑1783): Divorce record Morgan 007 (May 17 1783) and evidence record Morgan 015 (1724), plus ancillary family documents.
  • Metadata: PINAX JSON files provide dates, parties, locations, and subject‑index links for every item.
  • OCR Text: Available for all JPEG scans, facilitating keyword searches.

Scope

The collection covers the period 1724–1783, focusing on New Haven County and adjacent Rhode Island locales. It is limited to divorce‑related legal documents involving the Morgan family and related parties; it does not include unrelated court cases or broader civil records. All materials are in the public domain and freely accessible for scholarly, genealogical, and educational use.

Entities

(loading...)

Entity Relationships

(loading...)

Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {type: "Metadata", format: "json", source: "PINAX", title: "New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Records Collection", creator: [@josiah_hull, @experience_buell, @andrew_edward_jen_tezpfeth, @faith, @benjamin_morrell, @samuel_willcocks, @eben_bishop, @abigail_parmole, @jeremiah_douds, @anne_hill, @james_honeyman, @charles_barrin, @jr_edwards, @david_i_clerk, @edward_clark, @n_edward, @morgan_family_records_collection], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1724_1747, language: "en", subjects: ["Divorce","Marriage","Domestic relations","Legal testimony","Legal Proceedings","Certifications","Family Records","Legal Documents","New Haven County Superior Court","Black, African American, and Indigenous History","18th century legal documents","Social history","Family law"], description: "Collection of divorce records from the New Haven County Superior Court, including depositions, court proceedings, certifications, and family records related to the divorce case of Theophilus Morgan and other legal documents from the Morgan family.", place: [@guilford_connecticut, @killingsworth_connecticut, @saybrook_connecticut, @rhode_island, @newport_ri, @new_haven_ct, @new_haven_connecticut, @connecticut]}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @pinax_collection

@pinax_collection -> includes -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_004_jpg

@pinax_collection -> includes -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_004_tif

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_004_jpg:file {format: "jpg", ocr: true, ocr_text: "Founding year 1850 Location Leith & Chattle"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_004_tif:file {format: "tif", ocr: false}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_004_jpg -> subject index -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_004_tif -> subject index -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@leith_chattle:place {description: "Location referenced in OCR text of file RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_004"} 

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_004_jpg -> depicts location -> @leith_chattle

# SYNTHESIS: linking creators across subdirectories
@josiah_hull -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@experience_buell -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@andrew_edward_jen_tezpfeth -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@faith -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@benjamin_morrell -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@samuel_willcocks -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@eben_bishop -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@abigail_parmole -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@jeremiah_douds -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@anne_hill -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@james_honeyman -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@charles_barrin -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@jr_edwards -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@david_i_clerk -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@edward_clark -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@n_edward -> contributed to -> @pinax_collection

@theophilus_morgan -> subject of -> @pinax_collection

@elizabeth_morgan -> subject of -> @pinax_collection

@theophilus_morgan_divorce_case -> recorded in -> @new_haven_county_superior_court

@theophilus_morgan_divorce_case -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@divorce_certificate_1743_06_27 -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_subject

@divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27 -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_subject

@divorce_record_morgan_007 -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@evidence_record_morgan_015 -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@pinax_collection -> concerns -> @theophilus_morgan

@pinax_collection -> concerns -> @morgan_family_records_collection

@pinax_collection -> held by -> @connecticut_state_library

@pinax_collection -> subject index -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@new_haven_county_superior_court -> abbreviation -> "NHSC"

@new_haven_county_superior_court -> jurisdiction -> @new_haven_connecticut

@new_haven_county_superior_court -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_004_jpg -> part of -> @depositions_regarding_morgan_divorce

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_004_tif -> part of -> @depositions_regarding_morgan_divorce

@depositions_regarding_morgan_divorce -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@pinax_collection -> includes -> @depositions_regarding_morgan_divorce

@pinax_collection -> includes -> @court_proceedings_and_certifications

@pinax_collection -> includes -> @morgan_family_records_collection

@court_proceedings_and_certifications:collection {title: "Court Proceedings and Certifications"} 

@court_proceedings_and_certifications -> includes -> @divorce_certificate_1743_06_27

@court_proceedings_and_certifications -> includes -> @divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27

@court_proceedings_and_certifications -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_subject

@morgan_family_records_collection -> includes -> @divorce_record_morgan_007

@morgan_family_records_collection -> includes -> @evidence_record_morgan_015

@morgan_family_records_collection -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_004_jpg -> depicts -> @leith_chattle

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_004_jpg -> date -> @date_1850

@date_1850 -> description: "Founding year mentioned in OCR text of file 004"

@leith_chattle -> related to -> @date_1850

Metadata

Files (2)

Version History (8 versions)

  • ✓ v8 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:16:58 PM
    "Added description"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 2:40:51 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:38:38 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:31:13 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 3 groups"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:31:11 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0XF08Y7HZ8J67MFM9FMGX"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:31:10 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0XDFVHKV1RRW2KAY1QT2Z"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:31:08 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0XC64NJ2KBWR4A9F62HV5"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:29:13 AM · View this version
    "Alphabetical chunk 1/2 (40 files)"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

Files were grouped based on their content into three primary categories: depositions regarding the Morgan divorce, court proceedings and certifications, and Morgan family records. The depositions group includes testimonies about the marital conflict, while the court proceedings group contains formal legal documents. The family records group includes personal documents like birth records. Two files were left ungrouped due to unclear or truncated content that didn't fit these categories.

## Groups Created

- **Depositions_Regarding_Morgan_Divorce**: Depositions and testimonies from witnesses about the marital conflict between Theophilus Morgan and his wife Elizabeth, including her demands for a 'Negro wench' and refusal to reconcile.
- **Court_Proceedings_and_Certifications**: Documents certifying the opening of evidence in court, marriage certificates, and other formal legal proceedings related to the Morgan divorce case.
- **Morgan_Family_Records**: Records pertaining to the Morgan family, including birth records and other personal documents.

Parent

01KBKZYPY7ESND9E16DN61TQQA

Children (3)