Mathewson vs. Wakelee Legal Case Collection

Version: 7 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:19:11 PM

Added description

Description

Mathewson vs. Wakelee Legal Case Collection

Overview

This collection comprises the legal filings and appeal documents from the 1909 case A. McClellan Mathewson, Overseer of the Tribe of Turkey Hill Indians v. Eunice A. Wakelee, et al., heard in the Superior Court of New Haven County. The material includes six digitized images (three JPEGs and three TIFFs) and accompanying OCR text, representing the plaintiff’s appeal statement, notice of appeal, and a certification of filing. All items are in English and were digitized by the Connecticut State Library as part of its New Haven County Superior Court digitization program.

Background

The dispute arose when the defendants’ demurrer was sustained in October 1909. Mathewson, acting as overseer of the Turkey Hill Indians, filed an appeal on November 6, 1909, represented by attorney Edward A. Harriman. The appeal was heard by the Supreme Court of Errors (Third Judicial District) on January 18, 1910. The case is catalogued under the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject index, which tracks New Haven County Superior Court files involving Black, African American, and Indigenous peoples.

Contents

  • Appeal Statement (022) – Formal appeal with arguments and prayer for relief.
  • Notice of Appeal (025) – Brief notice of intent to appeal to the Supreme Court of Errors.
  • Certification of Filing (023) – Clerk’s certification that the appeal was filed on November 6, 1909.
  • Supporting Documents – Additional filings and correspondence related to the case.
  • Metadata & OCR Text – Machine‑readable text accompanying each scanned image.

The collection is held by the Connecticut State Library and is accessible through its digital archives portal.

Scope

The collection covers the period from the original filing on October 27, 1909 through the appeal hearing on January 18, 1910. It is geographically focused on New Haven County, Connecticut, and thematically on legal matters involving Indigenous peoples, specifically the Turkey Hill Indians. The collection includes only the documents directly related to the appeal process and does not contain subsequent judgments, oral arguments, or ancillary court records.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

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@legal_appeal:concept {description: "Legal process of requesting a higher court to review a decision"}

@legal_documents:concept {description: "Official written records pertaining to legal proceedings"}

@court_filings:concept {description: "Documents submitted to a court as part of a case"}

@mathewson_vs_wakelee_collection:document {title: "Mathewson vs. Wakelee Legal Case Collection", creator: [@a_mc_clellan_mathewson, @edward_a_harriman, @tuttle_morehouse_taylor_co], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1909, language: "en", subjects: ["Indigenous cases", "Turkey Hill Indians", "Legal appeal", "Superior Court", "New Haven County", "Legal documents", "Court filings"], description: "Collection of legal documents and appeal documents from the case of A. McClellan Mathewson vs. Eunice A. Wakelee.", place: [@new_haven_county, @turkey_hill_indians]}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @mathewson_vs_wakelee_collection:document

@mathewson_vs_wakelee_collection -> contains -> @mathewson_vs_wakelee:event

@mathewson_vs_wakelee_collection -> subject -> [@indigenous_cases, @legal_appeal, @legal_documents, @court_filings]

@mathewson_vs_wakelee_collection -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@mathewson_vs_wakelee_collection -> stored at -> @connecticut_state_library

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@edward_a_harriman -> creator of -> @mathewson_vs_wakelee_collection:document

@tuttle_morehouse_taylor_co:organization {full_name: "The Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Co.", location: @new_haven_county_superior_court}

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@new_haven_county -> location of -> @mathewson_vs_wakelee_collection:document

@turkey_hill_indians -> location of -> @mathewson_vs_wakelee_collection:document

@mathewson_vs_wakelee:event -> filed in -> @superior_court_new_haven_county {when: @date_1909_10_27}

@mathewson_vs_wakelee:event -> appealed to -> @supreme_court_of_errors {when: @date_1909_11_06}

Metadata

Version History (7 versions)

  • ✓ v7 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:19:11 PM
    "Added description"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 2:47:35 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:40:01 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:13 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 2 groups"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:12 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM114YBE14P4SNC1R7G9DVJ"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:11 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM113N3N143XSC1878QHTBM"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:32:13 AM · View this version
    "Alphabetical chunk 2/2 (12 files)"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

Files were grouped based on their content and purpose in the legal case. The 'Appeal_Documents' group contains all materials specifically related to the appeal process, while the 'Court_Filings' group contains documents showing official submission to the court. Each reference file (.tif.ref.json) was paired with its corresponding content file (.jpg.ref.json) since they represent the same document in different formats. The organizational strategy prioritizes the legal function of documents over format or sequence.

## Groups Created

- **Appeal_Documents**: Documents related to the plaintiff's appeal process in the Mathewson vs. Wakelee case, including the appeal notice, reasons for appeal, and clerk certifications.
- **Court_Filings**: Official court filings and stamps documenting the submission of documents to the New Haven County Superior Court.

Parent

01KBKZYPNR67224010NP76XG52

Children (2)