RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MathewsonvsWakelee_016.jpg

New Haven County Superior Court Judgments - Indigenous Cases Collection

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:12:34 PM

Added description

Description

New Haven County Superior Court Judgments – Indigenous Cases Collection

Overview

This digitized collection comprises court judgments, appeals, and ancillary documents from the New Haven County Superior Court, dated 1909–1910. It focuses on legal disputes involving the Tribe of Turkey Hill Indians, particularly the case of Mathewson vs. Wakelee. The collection is held by the Connecticut State Library and is presented in both JPEG and TIFF formats, with OCR‑extracted text for each page.

Background

The material was compiled by Judge Howard J. Curtis and overseer A. McClellan Mathewson as part of the NHSC BAAI (Black, African American, and Indigenous) case‑papers project. It reflects the court’s handling of trust‑fund and estate matters concerning Indigenous tribes in early twentieth‑century Connecticut. The documents were created in New Haven and Ansonia, Connecticut, and are in the public domain.

Contents

  • Judgment, Mathewson vs. Wakelee (Nov 24 1909) – a ruling that found the complaint insufficient and entered judgment against the defendants.
  • Appeal, Mathewson vs. Wakelee (Jan 19 1910) – the plaintiff’s appeal to the Supreme Court of Errors, including the court’s decision to allow the appeal on condition that the plaintiff pay costs.
  • Judgment, Mathewson vs. Webster – recorded in Volume 62 of the court reporter.
  • Trust‑law commentary – excerpts from Pomeroy’s Equity and Perry on Trusts, discussing the incorporation of trust property.
  • Memorandum, A. W. C. Mathewson – a legal memorandum addressing the nature of the trust fund and its incorporation.
  • Supporting images and metadata for each document, with OCR text for searchable content.

Scope

The collection covers Indigenous legal disputes involving the Turkey Hill Indians, specifically trust‑fund and estate matters arising from the death of Watrous C. Wakelee. It includes judgments, appeals, commentary, and memoranda from 1909–1910, situated in New Haven and Ansonia, Connecticut. The collection does not include cases involving other Indigenous groups or non‑trust‑related matters.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

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

@new_haven:place {state: "Connecticut", country: @united_states}

@ansonian:place {city: "Ansonia", state: "Connecticut", country: @united_states}

@new_haven_county:place {state: "Connecticut", country: @united_states}

@new_haven_superior_court:organization {location: @new_haven, jurisdiction: @new_haven_county}

@turkey_hill_indians:group {type: "Tribe", location: @new_haven_county}

@howard_j_cur:person {full_name: "Howard J. Curtis", role: "Judge", court: @new_haven_superior_court}

@a_mcclellan_mathewson:person {full_name: "A. McClellan Mathewson", role: "Overseer", tribe: @turkey_hill_indians, residence: @new_haven}

@eunice_a_wakelee:person {full_name: "Eunice A. Wakelee"}

@harriet_e_wakelee:person {full_name: "Harriet E. Wakelee"}

@frederick_c_wakelee:person {full_name: "Frederick C. Wakelee"}

@albert_l_wakelee:person {full_name: "Albert L. Wakelee"}

@eli_h_wakelee:person {full_name: "Eli H. Wakelee"}

@eli_h_wakelee_second:person {full_name: "Eli H. Wakelee, Second"}

@david_wakelee:person {full_name: "David Wakelee"}

@edward_a_harriman:person {full_name: "Edward A. Harriman", role: "Attorney"}

@mathewson_vs_wakelee:case:event {date: @date_1909_11_24, court: @new_haven_superior_court, plaintiff: @a_mcclellan_mathewson, defendants: [@eunice_a_wakelee, @harriet_e_wakelee, @frederick_c_wakelee, @albert_l_wakelee, @eli_h_wakelee, @eli_h_wakelee_second, @david_wakelee]}

@judgment_mathewson_vs_wakelee:document {date: @date_1909_11_24, judge: @howard_j_cur, outcome: "Defendants found; complaint insufficient", case: @mathewson_vs_wakelee}

@appeal_mathewson_vs_wakelee:document {date: @date_1910_01_19, appellant: @a_mcclellan_mathewson, court: "Supreme Court of Errors", location: @new_haven, attorney: @edward_a_harriman, amount_conditioned: 100, condition: "Plaintiff must prosecute appeal and pay costs"}

@volume_62:document {type: "Court Reporter Volume", identifier: "62"}

@mathewson_vs_webster:case:event {date: @date_1909_??_??, court: @new_haven_superior_court, plaintiff: @a_mcclellan_mathewson, defendant: @emme_a_webster, role: "Commissioner"}

@judgment_mathewson_vs_webster:document {date: @date_1909_??_??, case: @mathewson_vs_webster, recorded_in: @volume_62}

@trust_law_commentary:document {title: "Trust Law Commentary", references: ["Pomeroy's Eq., 3rd Ed., Vol. 3 p. 2019", "Perry on Trusts Vol. 2 Sec. 89-8", "Davis v. Van Osmond, 145 Ct. 600"]}

@memorandum_mathewson:document {title: "Memorandum", author: @a_w_c_mathewson, date: @date_1909_10_27, subject: "Trust fund incorporation"}

@a_w_c_mathewson:person {full_name: "A. W. C. Mathewson", role: "Overseer"}

@indigenous_cases_collection:document {title: "New Haven County Superior Court Judgments - Indigenous Cases Collection", type: "Collection", creators: [@howard_j_cur, @a_mcclellan_mathewson], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1909, language: "en", subjects: ["Indigenous cases", "Turkey Hill Indians", "New Haven County Superior Court", "Judgments", "Legal disputes", "Trust funds"], description: "Collection of court judgments and related documents from the New Haven County Superior Court involving Indigenous cases, specifically the Mathewson vs. Wakelee case regarding the Tribe of Turkey Hill Indians.", places: [@new_haven, @ansonian]}

@file_pinax -> describes -> @indigenous_cases_collection

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mathewsonvswakelee_016_jpg -> depicts -> @judgment_mathewson_vs_wakelee

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mathewsonvswakelee_017_jpg -> depicts -> @appeal_mathewson_vs_wakelee

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mathewsonvswakelee_018_jpg -> depicts -> @judgment_mathewson_vs_webster

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mathewsonvswakelee_019_jpg -> contains -> @trust_law_commentary

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_indigenouscases_mathewsonvswakelee_020_jpg -> contains -> @memorandum_mathewson

@nhsc_baaI_cases_papers_subject:concept {definition: "Subject terms for New Haven County Superior Court files involving Black, African American, and Indigenous cases"}

Metadata

Files (10)

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MathewsonvsWakelee_016.jpgJPEG
279.75 KB
OCR Text

At a Superior Court held at New Haven in and for New Haven county on the fifth day of November, A.D. 1909. Present, Hon. Howard J. Curtis, Judge. A. McClellan Mathewson, of New Haven, Overseer of the Tribe of Turkey Hill Indians, residing in New Haven county vs Eunice A. Wakelee, Harriet E. Wakelee, Frederick C. Wakelee, Albert L. Wakelee, Eli H. Wakelee, known as Eli H. Wakelee, Second, and David Wakelee, all of Ansonia. New Haven county, Superior Court, November 24, 1909. JUDGMENT. This action by complaint claiming a decree ascertaining the amount due from the estate of Watrous C. Wakelee, late of Ansonia, deceased, to the plaintiff, by reason of the failure of said Watrous C. Wakelee to account for the sum of $960 received by him as Overseer of said Tribe of Turkey Hill Indians; and requiring each of the defendants to account for said sum to the extent that each defendant has received any portion of said Watrous C. Wakelee's estate by inheritance, devise or gift; and judgment against each defendant for the amount found due from him to the plaintiff on such accounting, came to this court on the first Tuesday in September, 1909, and thence to the present time when the parties appeared and were at issue upon the demurrer to the plaintiff's complaint, as on file. The court having heard the parties found for the defendants and that said complaint was insufficient.

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MathewsonvsWakelee_017.jpgJPEG
208.32 KB
OCR Text

And said case 2 having come to the present time, and whereupon the plaintiff, having refused to amend his complaint, it is adjudged that the defendants recover of the plaintiff their costs taxed at thirty six dollars. By the court, [signature] Clerk. From this judgment the plaintiff appeals to the Supreme Court of Errors to be held at New Haven on the Third Tuesday of January, 1910, and Edward A. Harriman, Esq. of New Haven is recognized in the sum of $100 conditioned that the said plaintiff shall prosecute said appeal to effect, and pay all costs therein if he shall fail to do so.

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MathewsonvsWakelee_018.jpgJPEG
166.67 KB
OCR Text

6346. A. McClellan Mathewson, Com'r vs Emmie A. Webster, Sta's Judgment Judgment Recorded in Volume 62

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MathewsonvsWakelee_019.jpgJPEG
319.45 KB
OCR Text

In the Com. v. Co. Adviser, 649 Ct. 445 the ruling of the Court is based on the assumption that the trust property although not capable of identification in specie was incorporated in the property held by the defendant Adviser. Pomeroy's Eq., 3rd Ed., Vol. 3 p. 2019 Perry on Trusts Vol. 2 Sec. 89-8 The facts alleged do not bring the claim in my judgment under the ruling of Davis v. Van Osmond, 145 Ct. 600. The original Overseer when he died was either the holder of trust property or the debtor to the trustee, the trust beneficiaries. If there was a claim against the estate it was in existence at his death. The demurrer is sustained upon the third and fourth grounds. Custer J.

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_IndigenousCases_MathewsonvsWakelee_020.jpgJPEG
369.33 KB
OCR Text

A. W. C. Mathewson Overseer Superior Court New Haven County Ernice A. Walker et al. October 27th, 1909 Memorandum If the allegations of this complaint were equivalent to an allegation that the specific trust fund had become incorporated in any specific property held by volunteers (by gift or inheritance) from the original overseer, the question of such would be left for the decision of the trial court under all the facts that might be developed. I do not find the complaint to contain the allegation above referred to. The claim as presented there and in the argument appears to be that of the original overseer left any property it was necessarily charged with the trust in the hands of any volunteer who might receive it. That I think is a mistaken view of the law.

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:12:34 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:27:13 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:36:07 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:58 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Court_Judgments"

Parent

01KBM0ZAQNBWQDM4MQM4MY3A5X

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