New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Proceedings and Certifications for Theophilus Morgan

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:11:55 PM

Added description

Description

New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Proceedings and Certifications for Theophilus Morgan (1742‑1747)

Overview

This digital collection comprises the court‑recorded divorce proceedings and related certifications concerning Theophilus Morgan and his wife, Elizabeth Shearman, in the New Haven County Superior Court during the mid‑18th century. The materials include a marriage certificate dated 27 June 1743, the corresponding divorce proceeding, and a series of evidence pages opened by court clerks. They are presented as scanned images (JPEG and TIFF) and are part of the Connecticut State Library’s Pinax archival system.

Background

The documents were produced in the jurisdiction of the New Haven County Superior Court, with key clerical figures—Jr. Edwards, David I Clerk, Edward Clark, and N. Edward—recording the proceedings. The marriage certificate was signed by Reverend James Honeyman of the Church of England in Newport, Rhode Island, and witnessed by Charles Barrin, a justice of the peace. The collection reflects the legal practices of colonial Connecticut and Rhode Island, where church officials often officiated marriages and court clerks maintained civil records.

Contents

  • Marriage Certificate (27 June 1743) – Signed by James Honeyman, witnessed by Charles Barrin, confirming the marriage of Theophilus Morgan and Elizabeth Shearman in Newport.
  • Divorce Proceeding (27 June 1743) – Recorded in the New Haven County Superior Court, detailing the parties and the court’s action.
  • Evidence Pages – Eight pages of court evidence opened by clerks: Jr. Edwards (1742/3), David I Clerk (July 1847), Edward Clark (August 1743), and N. Edward (20 August 1743). Each page is accompanied by notes indicating the clerk’s name and the date opened.
  • Image Files – High‑resolution JPEG and TIFF scans of each document, preserving the original ink, signatures, and marginalia.

Scope

The collection covers the period 1742‑1747, focusing on a single divorce case within the New Haven County Superior Court. It is geographically bound to New Haven, Connecticut, and Newport, Rhode Island. The materials are relevant to scholars of colonial legal history, genealogists tracing the Morgan family, and researchers studying the intersection of church and civil authority in early America. The collection excludes broader court records beyond this specific case and is not a comprehensive view of all 18th‑century New Haven County proceedings.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@connecticut_state_library:organization {full_name: "Connecticut State Library"}

@new_haven_ct:place {city: "New Haven", state: "Connecticut", country: @united_states}

@new_haven_county_superior_court:organization {location: @new_haven_ct, abbreviation: "NHSC"}

@newport_ri:place {city: "Newport", state: "Rhode Island", country: @united_states}

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

@elizabeth_shearman:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Shearman"}

@james_honeyman:person {full_name: "James Honeyman", role: "Minister of the Church of England"}

@charles_barrin:person {full_name: "Charles Barrin"}

@jr_edwards:person {full_name: "Jr. Edwards", role: "Clerk"}

@david_i_clerk:person {full_name: "David i Clerk"}

@edward_clark:person {full_name: "Edward Clark"}

@n_edward:person {full_name: "N. Edward"}

@pinax_collection:document {title: "New Haven County Superior Court Divorce Proceedings and Certifications for Theophilus Morgan", creator: [@james_honeyman, @charles_barrin, @jr_edwards, @david_i_clerk, @edward_clark, @n_edward], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1742_1747, language: "en", subjects: ["Divorce", "Marriage", "Legal Proceedings", "Certifications", "New Haven County Superior Court"], description: "Collection of divorce proceedings and related certifications from the New Haven County Superior Court involving Theophilus Morgan, including marriage certificates and court documents.", place: [@newport_ri, @new_haven_ct]}

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

@divorce_certificate_1743_06_27:document {type: "Marriage Certificate", date: @date_1743_06_27, parties: [@theophilus_morgan, @elizabeth_shearman], location: @newport_ri, signed_by: @james_honeyman}

@divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27:event {type: "Divorce Proceeding", date: @date_1743_06_27, parties: [@theophilus_morgan, @elizabeth_shearman], location: @newport_ri, related_document: @divorce_certificate_1743_06_27}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_005_jpg:file {type: "image", format: "jpg", related_to: @divorce_certificate_1743_06_27}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_006_jpg:file {type: "image", format: "jpg", related_to: @divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27, note: "Contains acknowledgment by Reverend James Honeyman and signature of Charles Barrin"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_009_jpg:file {type: "image", format: "jpg", related_to: @divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27, note: "Court evidence opened by Jr. Edwards Clerk"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_011_jpg:file {type: "image", format: "jpg", related_to: @divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27, note: "Court evidence opened by David i Clerk in July 1847"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_013_jpg:file {type: "image", format: "jpg", related_to: @divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27, note: "Court evidence opened by Edward Clark in August 1743"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_019_jpg:file {type: "image", format: "jpg", related_to: @divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27, note: "Court evidence opened by N. Edward Clerk on Aug 20 1743"}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @pinax_collection

@pinax_collection -> held by -> @connecticut_state_library

@pinax_collection -> concerns -> @theophilus_morgan

@pinax_collection -> includes -> [@divorce_certificate_1743_06_27, @divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27]

@divorce_certificate_1743_06_27 -> signed by -> @james_honeyman

@divorce_certificate_1743_06_27 -> witnessed by -> @charles_barrin

@divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27 -> recorded in -> @new_haven_county_superior_court

@divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27 -> subject index -> @nhsc_baai_subject

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_005_jpg -> depicts -> @divorce_certificate_1743_06_27

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_006_jpg -> depicts -> @divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_009_jpg -> depicts -> @divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_011_jpg -> depicts -> @divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_013_jpg -> depicts -> @divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_divorce_morgan_019_jpg -> depicts -> @divorce_proceeding_1743_06_27

Metadata

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:11:55 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:25:38 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:35:39 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:31:09 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Court_Proceedings_and_Certifications"

Additional Components (12)

Click to expand and load individual components

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RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_006.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_006.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_009.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_009.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_011.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_011.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_013.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_013.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_019.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Divorce_Morgan_019.tif.ref.json

Parent

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No children (leaf entity)