Moses vs. Turkey Hill Indians Petition Documents

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:19:26 PM

Added description

Description

Moses vs. Turkey Hill Indians Petition Documents Collection

Overview

This collection comprises the full set of petition documents filed in May 1871 by Roswell Moses, Eliza Franklin, Larivina Breckenridge, Elizabeth Moses, and Gerijanna Moses—descendants of the Turkey Hill Indians of Derby, Connecticut. The petition was presented to the New Haven County Superior Court and seeks the sale of a seven‑acre parcel of land formerly owned by the tribe, now held by Sidney J Downs (or Selma A. Dewey in some copies). The collection includes the original petition, court summons, affidavits, and related correspondence, all digitized in high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF formats.

Background

The documents are part of the Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County Superior Court files, specifically the “Black, African American, and Indigenous History” (BAAI) retrospective project. The case reflects 19th‑century legal efforts by Indigenous descendants to secure economic benefits from tribal land while navigating state court procedures. Key figures include overseer Watrous C Wakelee, Justice of the Peace Wm B Norton, and local officials such as the Sheriff of New Haven County.

Contents

  • Petition: Full text detailing the petitioners’ lineage, the land’s location at Turkey Hill, and the request for sale to generate income for tribe members.
  • Court Summons: Notice to the overseer and the court, dated April 10‑18 1871, calling for appearance at the May term.
  • Affidavits & Witness Statements: Statements by the petitioners and overseer confirming tribal ownership and intent.
  • Supporting Documents: Maps and land descriptions referencing the Whitney Farm and surrounding acreage.
The collection is represented by 13 JPEG images and 13 corresponding TIFF scans, each annotated with OCR text for searchable access.

Scope

The collection covers legal filings and related documents from the May 1871 New Haven Superior Court term concerning the sale of Turkey Hill land. It is limited to materials directly associated with the Moses‑vs‑Turkey Hill case and does not include unrelated court records or ancillary correspondence. The collection is available through the Connecticut State Library’s digital archives and is indexed under the NHSCBAAICasesPapersSubject field.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@moses_vs_turkey_hill_collection:document {title: "Moses vs. Turkey Hill Indians Petition Documents", creator: [@roswell_moses, @eliza_franklin, @larivina_breckenridge, @elizabeth_moses, @gerijanna_moses], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1871_05, language: "en", subjects: ["Indigenous peoples", "Land ownership", "Legal petitions", "New Haven County", "Turkey Hill Indians"], description: "Collection of petition documents from the case of Roswell Moses and others vs. The Tribe of Turkey Hill Indians, presented to the New Haven County Superior Court in May 1871."}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_collection

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_001_jpg -> depicts -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition:document {title: "Petition of Roswell Moses & others vs. The Tribe of Turkey Hill Indians"} {date: @date_1871_05}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_002_jpg -> depicts -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_010_jpg -> depicts -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_011_jpg -> depicts -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_008_jpg -> depicts -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_009_jpg -> depicts -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition

@moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition -> presented to -> @new_haven_superior_court:organization {when: @date_1871_05, where: @new_haven}

@moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition -> created by -> [@roswell_moses, @eliza_franklin, @larivina_breckenridge, @elizabeth_moses, @gerijanna_moses]

@moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition -> concerns -> @turkey_hill_indians:organization

@moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition -> seeks -> @sale_of_turkey_hill_land:concept {object: @turkey_hill_land, purpose: "land sale to generate income for tribe members"}

@turkey_hill_land:place {size_acres: 7, location: @derby, known_as: "Turkey Hill"} -> owned by -> @turkey_hill_indians

@turkey_hill_land -> currently owned by -> @sidney_j_downs:person {role: "owner of Whitney Farm"}

@c_wakelee:person {full_name: "Watrous C. Wakelee"} -> overseer of -> @turkey_hill_indians

@c_wakelee -> witness to -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition

@wm_b_norton:person {full_name: "Wm B. Norton", role: "Justice of the Peace"} -> signed -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition

@roswell_moses:person {full_name: "Roswell Moses"} -> signer of -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition

@eliza_franklin:person {full_name: "Eliza Franklin"} -> signer of -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition

@larivina_breckenridge:person {full_name: "Larivina Breckenridge"} -> signer of -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition

@elizabeth_moses:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Moses"} -> signer of -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition

@gerijanna_moses:person {full_name: "Gerijanna Moses"} -> signer of -> @moses_vs_turkey_hill_petition

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

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

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

@connecticut_state_library:organization {location: @hartford, country: @united_states}

@moses_vs_turkey_hill_collection -> held by -> @connecticut_state_library

@moses_vs_turkey_hill_collection -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baaicasespapers_subject:concept {description: "Subject-index field for New Haven County Superior Court Files – Black, African American, and Indigenous cases and papers"}

Metadata

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:19:26 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:48:59 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:40:13 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:32:37 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Petition_Documents"

Additional Components (12)

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RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MosesvsTurkeyHill_B_001.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MosesvsTurkeyHill_B_002.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MosesvsTurkeyHill_B_002.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MosesvsTurkeyHill_B_008.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MosesvsTurkeyHill_B_008.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MosesvsTurkeyHill_B_009.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MosesvsTurkeyHill_B_009.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MosesvsTurkeyHill_B_010.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MosesvsTurkeyHill_B_010.tif.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MosesvsTurkeyHill_B_011.jpg.ref.json
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MosesvsTurkeyHill_B_011.tif.ref.json

Parent

01KBKZYGGDPYWYMZJSPSTVQEEY

No children (leaf entity)