Depositions Regarding Theophilus Morgan Divorce Case

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:12:09 PM

Added description

Description

Depositions Regarding Theophilus Morgan Divorce Case (1739–1743)

Overview

This is a digitized collection of court depositions from the New Haven County Superior Court concerning the divorce proceedings of Theophilus Morgan and his wife Elizabeth. The documents were compiled by the Connecticut State Library and are part of the “Black, African American, and Indigenous History” (BAAI) initiative. The collection comprises twelve primary depositions (001–020) rendered in 1739–1743, each preserved as high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF images, accompanied by a JSON metadata record (PINAX) that links the images to their corresponding deposition entries and subject index.

Background

Theophilus Morgan, a resident of Guilford, Connecticut, petitioned for divorce amid accusations of marital discord, including claims that Elizabeth sought a “negro wench” and refused to return to her husband unless certain conditions were met. The case reflects early colonial attitudes toward marriage, property, and race, and illustrates how the New Haven Superior Court adjudicated domestic disputes involving African‑American and Indigenous individuals. The BAAI project seeks to highlight such cases to broaden understanding of 18th‑century legal history in Connecticut.

Contents

The collection contains:
  • Twelve deposition transcripts, each with a deponent’s name, date, location, and the justice or clerk who recorded the testimony.
  • Associated images of the original parchment pages (both JPEG for quick viewing and TIFF for archival quality).
  • A JSON metadata file (pinax.json) that catalogs the depositions, links them to the BAAI subject index, and records provenance details.
  • The depositions collectively describe Elizabeth Morgan’s behavior, her interactions with various townspeople, and the court’s procedural context.

Scope

The depositions cover the period 1739–1743, with events recorded in Guilford, Killingsworth, Saybrook, Rhode Island, and New Haven. The collection focuses exclusively on the testimony related to the Morgan divorce case; it does not include the court’s final judgment, ancillary documents, or other unrelated case files. The material is in the public domain, making it freely accessible for research and educational purposes.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@depositions_regarding_morgan_divorce:collection {title: "Depositions Regarding Theophilus Morgan Divorce Case", start: @date_1739, end: @date_1743, institution: @connecticut_state_library, subjects: ["Divorce","Marriage","Domestic relations","Legal testimony","New Haven County Superior Court","Black, African American, and Indigenous History","18th century legal documents","Social history","Family law"]}

@theophilus_morgan_divorce_case:case {start: @date_1739, end: @date_1743, location: @new_haven_county_superior_court}

@theophilus_morgan:person {full_name: "Theophilus Morgan"}

@elizabeth_morgan:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Morgan", role: "Wife of Theophilus Morgan"}

@new_haven_county_superior_court:organization {type: "Court", jurisdiction: @new_haven_connecticut, abbreviation: "NHSC"}

@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:field {description: "Subject index field for New Haven County Superior Court files concerning Black, African American, and Indigenous cases and papers"}

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

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

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

@rhode_island:place {country: @united_states}

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

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

@josiah_hull:person {full_name: "Josiah Hull"}

@experience_buell:person {full_name: "Experience Buell"}

@andrew_edward_jen_tezpfeth:person {full_name: "Andrew Edward Jen Tezpfeth"}

@faith:person {full_name: "Faith"}

@benjamin_morrell:person {full_name: "Benjamin Morrell"}

@samuel_willcocks:person {full_name: "Samuel Willcocks"}

@eben_bishop:person {full_name: "Eben Bishop"}

@abigail_parmole:person {full_name: "Abigail Parmole"}

@jeremiah_douds:person {full_name: "Jeremiah Douds"}

@jeremiah_dowd:person {full_name: "Jeremiah Dowd"}

@john_d_edward:person {full_name: "John D'Edward"}

@sam_hill:person {full_name: "Sam Hill", role: "Justice of Appeal"}

@gideon_chittenden:person {full_name: "Gideon Chittenden"}

@anne_hill:person {full_name: "Anne Hill"}

@abraham_pierson:person {full_name: "Abraham Pierson", role: "Justice of Peace"}

@alfred_paxon:person {full_name: "Alfred Paxon", role: "Justice of Peace"}

@edward_clark:person {full_name: "Edward Clark", role: "Clerk"}

@isle_edward:person {full_name: "Isle Edward", role: "Clerk"}

@samuel_heather:person {full_name: "Samuel Hether", role: "Justice of Peace"}

@deposition_001:document {deponent: @josiah_hull, date: @date_1742_02_04, location: @killingsworth_connecticut, justice: @alfred_paxon, court: @new_haven_county_superior_court, case: @theophilus_morgan_divorce_case}

@deposition_002:document {deponent: @experience_buell, date: @date_1742_02_18, location: @killingsworth_connecticut, justice: @abraham_pierson, court: @new_haven_county_superior_court, case: @theophilus_morgan_divorce_case}

@deposition_003:document {deponent: @andrew_edward_jen_tezpfeth, date: @date_1743_08, location: @new_haven_connecticut, justice: @john_d_edward, court: @new_haven_county_superior_court, case: @theophilus_morgan_divorce_case}

@deposition_008:document {deponent: @benjamin_morrell, date: @date_1742_02_18, location: @killingsworth_connecticut, justice: @abraham_pierson, court: @new_haven_county_superior_court, case: @theophilus_morgan_divorce_case}

@deposition_010:document {deponent: @samuel_willcocks, date: @date_1742_02_18, location: @killingsworth_connecticut, justice: @abraham_pierson, court: @new_haven_county_superior_court, case: @theophilus_morgan_divorce_case}

@deposition_012:document {deponent: @eben_bishop, date: @date_1743_03_30, location: @guilford_connecticut, justice: @sam_hill, court: @new_haven_county_superior_court, case: @theophilus_morgan_divorce_case}

@deposition_014:document {deponent: @abigail_parmole, date: @date_1742_02_21, location: @guilford_connecticut, justice: @samuel_heather, court: @new_haven_county_superior_court, case: @theophilus_morgan_divorce_case}

@deposition_016:document {deponent: @jeremiah_douds, location: @guilford_connecticut, court: @new_haven_county_superior_court, case: @theophilus_morgan_divorce_case}

@deposition_017:document {deponent: @jeremiah_dowd, date: @date_1743, location: @new_haven_connecticut, justice: @edward_clark, court: @new_haven_county_superior_court, case: @theophilus_morgan_divorce_case}

@deposition_018:document {deponent: @anne_hill, date: @date_1743_03_04, location: @saybrook_connecticut, justice: @sam_hill, court: @new_haven_county_superior_court, case: @theophilus_morgan_divorce_case}

@deposition_020:document {deponent: @gideon_chittenden, date: @date_1743, location: @new_haven_connecticut, justice: @isle_edward, court: @new_haven_county_superior_court, case: @theophilus_morgan_divorce_case}

@file_pinax:document {type: "Metadata", format: "json", linked_collection: @depositions_regarding_morgan_divorce}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_001_jpg:file {type: "Image", format: "jpg", linked_document: @deposition_001}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_002_jpg:file {type: "Image", format: "jpg", linked_document: @deposition_002}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_003_jpg:file {type: "Image", format: "jpg", linked_document: @deposition_003}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_008_jpg:file {type: "Image", format: "jpg", linked_document: @deposition_008}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_010_jpg:file {type: "Image", format: "jpg", linked_document: @deposition_010}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_012_jpg:file {type: "Image", format: "jpg", linked_document: @deposition_012}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_014_jpg:file {type: "Image", format: "jpg", linked_document: @deposition_014}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_016_jpg:file {type: "Image", format: "jpg", linked_document: @deposition_016}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_017_jpg:file {type: "Image", format: "jpg", linked_document: @deposition_017}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_018_jpg:file {type: "Image", format: "jpg", linked_document: @deposition_018}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_020_jpg:file {type: "Image", format: "jpg", linked_document: @deposition_020}

@depositions_regarding_morgan_divorce -> contains -> [@deposition_001, @deposition_002, @deposition_003, @deposition_008, @deposition_010, @deposition_012, @deposition_014, @deposition_016, @deposition_017, @deposition_018, @deposition_020]

@depositions_regarding_morgan_divorce -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@theophilus_morgan_divorce_case -> involves -> @theophilus_morgan

@theophilus_morgan_divorce_case -> involves -> @elizabeth_morgan

Metadata

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:12:09 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:27:00 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:35:57 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:31:08 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Depositions_Regarding_Morgan_Divorce"

Additional Components (22)

Click to expand and load individual components

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_001.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_001.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_002.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_002.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_003.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_003.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_008.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_008.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_010.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_010.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_012.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_012.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_014.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_014.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_016.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_016.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_017.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_017.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_018.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_018.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_020.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_020.tif.ref.json

Parent

01KBM0SVMRC3ZXAJYPYD3K45AD

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