New Haven County Superior Court Decrees and Orders: Indigenous Cases Collection
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:19:25 PM
Added description
Description
New Haven County Superior Court Decrees and Orders: Indigenous Cases Collection
Overview
This is a digital collection of court decrees and orders issued by the New Haven County Superior Court during the May Term of 1871. The collection focuses on a single Indigenous land‑sale case, Moses vs. Turkey Hill Indians (Decree No. 585), and includes the decree itself, a bill of cost, and related administrative orders. The materials are presented as high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF images, supplemented by a JSON metadata file that records the case’s docket, parties, and procedural actions.Background
The documents were produced by the New Haven County Superior Court and are now held by the Connecticut State Library as part of the NHSC BAAI (Black, African American, and Indigenous History) project. The case arose from a petition by Roswell Moses & Co. to sell 80 acres of tribal land held by the Turkey Hill Indians, overseen by Watkins C. Wakelee. The court’s decree authorized the sale, required written reporting of the transaction, and mandated the reinvestment of proceeds for the benefit of the tribe. These records illustrate the legal mechanisms used to manage Indigenous land transactions in 19th‑century Connecticut.Contents
- Decree 585 – The primary legal order, dated July 2, 1871, recorded in Volume 27, Page 60 of the court’s journal.
- Bill of Cost – A detailed accounting of the case’s expenses, including attorney fees, travel, and court costs.
- Administrative Orders – Textual excerpts outlining the obligations of the overseer to report sale details, reinvest proceeds, and provide financial support to tribal members.
- Image Files – Eight JPEG and TIFF scans (RG003…007, 003, 005, _004) that capture the full decree and accompanying documents.
- Metadata – JSON records linking each image to its legal context, parties, and procedural actions.
Scope
The collection covers a single case from May 1871, focusing on Indigenous land sales in New Haven County. It includes all official court documents related to the decree, the bill of cost, and the procedural orders governing the sale and reporting of tribal land. The collection does not extend beyond the May Term of 1871 or include other Indigenous cases from the New Haven Superior Court.Entities
(loading...)
Entity Relationships
(loading...)
Raw Cheimarros Data
@indigenous_cases_collection:collection {title: "New Haven County Superior Court Decrees and Orders: Indigenous Cases Collection", creator: [@new_haven_county_superior_court], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1871_05, language: "en", subjects: ["Indigenous cases", "Land sales", "Tribal land", "Legal decrees", "Court orders", "Native American history"], description: "Collection of court decrees and orders from the New Haven County Superior Court, May Term 1871, involving Indigenous cases, specifically the Moses vs. Turkey Hill Indians case regarding the sale of tribal land.", place: [@new_haven_county, @turkey_hill]}
@new_haven_county_superior_court:organization {location: @new_haven_county, type: "Superior Court"}
@new_haven_county:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}
@turkey_hill:place {county: @new_haven_county, state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}
@moses_vs_turkey_hill:case {title: "Moses vs. Turkey Hill Indians", docket_number: "No. 585", term: @superior_court_may_term_1871, decree_date: @date_1871_07_02, recorded_volume: 27, recorded_page: 60}
@superior_court_may_term_1871:event {court: @new_haven_county_superior_court, term: "May Term 1871", start: @date_1871_05, end: @date_1871_05}
@roswell_moses_co:organization {full_name: "Roswell Moses & Co.", role: "Plaintiff"}
@turkey_hill_indians:organization {type: "tribe", name: "Turkey Hill Indians", role: "Defendant"}
@watkins_c_wakelee:person {full_name: "Watkins C. Wakelee", role: "Overseer of Turkey Hill Indians"}
@w_f_t_solicitor:person {initials: "W. F. T.", role: "Solicitor"}
@decree_585:document {type: "Decree", case: @moses_vs_turkey_hill, date: @date_1871_07_02, issued_by: @new_haven_county_superior_court}
@bill_of_cost_585:document {type: "Bill of Cost", case: @moses_vs_turkey_hill}
@new_haven_county_superior_court -> issued -> @decree_585
@decree_585 -> ordered -> @watkins_c_wakelee {action: "sell 80 acres of tribal land", acreage: 80, purpose: "best price"}
@decree_585 -> required -> @watkins_c_wakelee {action: "make return in writing of sale", reporting_term: "next succeeding term"}
@decree_585 -> mandated -> @watkins_c_wakelee {action: "re‑invest proceeds or deposit in state saving bank for tribe's support"}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_007_jpg -> depicts -> @decree_585
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_003_jpg -> depicts -> @decree_585
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_005_jpg -> depicts -> @decree_585
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_004_jpg -> depicts -> @decree_585
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_007_tif -> depicts -> @decree_585
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_005_tif -> depicts -> @decree_585
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_003_tif -> depicts -> @decree_585
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mosesvsturkeyhill_b_004_tif -> depicts -> @decree_585Metadata
Files (8)
OCR Text
overseer of said tribe to appear before this court to answer to said petition and show cause if any he had why the prayer thereof should not be granted. And now at the present term of this court the said petitioners by their counsel Worcester Terrance appear to prosecute and the said overseer Watkins C. Wakelee personally appeared in court and was examined touching the matters in said petition, and the court finds the allegations in said petition proved and true, and that said petitioners are the sole survivors of said tribe entitled to any portion of said land known to said overseer and that they all have an equal interest in the same. The court further finds that a sale of said real estate will be beneficial to the said owners and not injurious to the interest of said tribe. It is therefore ordered by this court that said overseer Watkins C. Wakelee shall have liberty to sell said pieces of land 80 acres by said tribe for the best price.
OCR Text
to be obtained for the same and on such terms and conditions, and in such manner as shall seem to him to be for the best interest of the sale of said lands and the proceeds thereof, and to re-invest the proceeds of such sale or any part thereof for the benefit of those entitled to the same or to deposit the whole or any part thereof not re-invested in real estate in some saving bank of this State, and to apply the use interests and income arising therefrom for the comfort and support of said tribe in proportion that the individual members thereof shall be entitled to care of from necessitous circumstances, if any one or more of said tribe being portion of the principal to which needy member shall be entitled shall be required to support and sustain him or her, then said overseer shall be authorized and empowered to sell such part of the principal sum of said needy members as shall be necessary to relieve him, her or their necessities—and thus
OCR Text
Court further orders that said overseer shall make due return in writing of said sale to the term of the Superior Court for New Haven County at the term next succeeding such sale, specifying the date and terms of such sale, to whom made and the price received and the expenses of said sale including this application (which said overseer said overseer is authorized and directed to pay) and shall also state how the proceeds of said sale have been re-invested or used, and shall annually thereafter make return pursuant to the statute in such case provided.
OCR Text
No. 585 Superior Court, May Term, 1871 Roswell Moses &c. Co. vs. Turkey Hill Indians W. F. T., Solicitor. IN CHANCERY. Decree passed 7/2 Recorded Vol. 27, Page 60. Bill of Cost. <table> <tr> <th>Petition</th> <td>2.00</td> <th>NAMES</th> <th>Miles</th> <th>Days</th> <th>Amount.</th> </tr> <tr> <td>Stamp</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Order of Notice</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Officer's Fees</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Attorney</td> <td>2.68</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Travel</td> <td>10 miles, .30</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Attendance</td> <td>3 days, .75</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Court & Clerk</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>T. Trav. & Attend.</td> <td>days</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>187</td> <td>Court & Clerk</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>T. Trav. & Attend.</td> <td>days</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>187</td> <td>Court & Clerk</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>T. Trav. & Attend.</td> <td>days</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>187</td> <td>Court & Clerk</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>T. Trav. & Attend.</td> <td>days</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>187</td> <td>Court & Clerk</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Bill in form</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td>1.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Recording</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td>1.00</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Subpoena</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Service</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Witnesses</td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td></td> <td>1.73</td> </tr> </table> Taxed by Stone, Clerk
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:19:25 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:47:20 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:40:12 AM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:32:38 AM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Court_Decree_and_Orders"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)