New Yorkers in Some Connecticut Divorces

Author

Listed below are New York references in Grace Louise Knox and Barbara B. Ferris, Connecticut Divorces: Superior Court Records for the Counties of New London, Tolland, & Windham 1719-1910 (Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1987). Entries for New London County are at pages 1-154, those for Tolland County are at pages 155-256, and those for Windham County are at pages 257-418. The year given is the year of New York residence in the abstract, although it is not always clear.

This list may be helpful in solving knotty New York-Connecticut genealogical problems. New York references in a second volume by the same authors, Connecticut Divorces: Superior Court Records for the Counties of Litchfield 1752-1922 and Hartford 1740-1849 (Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1989), will be published in a future issue of the Newsletter. [Both books are available at the Milstein Division of the New York Public Library.  Links to catalog entries here: New London, Tolland & Windham and Litchfield and Hartford.]

Connecticut was one of the first colonies to develop legal procedures for divorce, and hundreds of divorces were granted during the colonial period on the grounds of adultery, desertion, fraudulent contract, or seven years’ absence. After the Revolution the same procedures remained in effect, although a three-year residency requirement was added in 1796. For further detail see Henry S. Cohn, “Connecticut’s Divorce Mechanism: 1636-1969,” The American Journal of Legal History 14 (Jan. 1970):35-54. Connecticut’s situation contrasted with that of New York, where a few divorces were granted between 1655 and 1675 and then there is no record of any divorce for the next 112 years. In 1787 the New York legislature authorized divorce but only for adultery, and that restriction remained in effect until 1966 (for more on divorce in New York see Record 129:81-82).

Surname Place in New York Year Page
Adams New York 1824 155
Aldrich Riverhead 1853 2
Allen Southold 1771 334
Ames Greenport 1865 3
Avery Auburn 1852 261
Babcock New York City 1849 7
Baker Rochester 1873 249
Bartlett Plattsburgh 1873 159
Bassett New York City 1855 10
Baxter Schenectady 1900 160
Beck Sag Harbor 1833 11
Bellows Livingston Co. 1834 13
Benson Staten Island 1863 269
Blood Le Roy 1880 274
Brownell Hamilton 1827 281
Buck Brooklyn 1863 284
Bullard New York City 1860 23
Burdick Staten Island 1828 23
Burgess New York City 1845 283
Burgiss West Winfield 1886 283
Campbell Williamsburgh 1851 30
Capron Utica 1819 30
Case Sag Harbor 1849 150
Chapman New York City 1865 26
Chapman Hallett’s Cove 1837 27
Chase Newburg [NY?] 1720 29
Chase Greenport 1839 163
Cherry New York 1859 27
Clark Spencertown 1777 292
Clark Norwich 1814 32
Collins New York City 1862 379
Comstock Alfred 1860 34
Connell Syracuse 1871 295
Crandall Fishers Island 1829 38
Davis New York City 1850 42
Dawe New York City 1886 179
Day Saratoga 1871 301
De Castro New York 1848 44
Decker New York City 1850 45
Doubleday New York 1867 46
Downs Oswego 1867 47
Erskine New York City 1817 51
Evetts New York City 1763 51
Fargo Erie Co. 1845 52
Fargo Genesee Co. 1845 51
Ferris Hillsdale 1841 255
Ferry New York City 1841 344
Fisk New York City 1869 185
Flynt Hampton 1838 312
Forbes New York State 1855 53
Foster New York City 1881 223
Foster Madison 1854 54
Franklin The Oblong 1747 313
Furth Jamaica 1751 52
Gangler College Point 1873 52
Gardiner Groton Co. [sic] 1831 56
Gilbert Poughkeepsie 1891 327
Gillespie Sing Sing 1869 190
Green Germantown 1864 62
Greene New York City 1854 61
Hadley New York 1844 63
Hakes Dutchess Co. 1834 152
Hallett Queens Co. 1770 66
Hallett Hallett’s Cove 1770 66
Halsey Southampton 1827 208
Hanna New York 1865 194
Hart Chautauqua Co. 1840 66
Haughton New York City 1844 67
Havemyer New York 1874 327
Hebbard Amenia 1767 72
Henry Buffalo 1830 71
Hewett Albany 1866 71
Hinde New York 1887 402
Hiscox New York City 1860 70
Horton Southold 1771 334
Horton New York City 1876 334
Horton Southold 1724 73
Hunt Tioga Co. 1846 199
Huntington New York City 1824 75
Jennings Bethany 1856 338
Jones New York 1773 339
Kelley Sag Harbor 1856 81
Lewis Brooklyn 1876 347
Lies New York City 1845 88
Loper East Hampton 1766 90
Maine Troy 1865 94
Mains Sag Harbor 1849 150
Mann New York City 1852 355
Maples Ogden 1874 356
Marcellus Westfield 1852 355
Marsh Poughkeepsie 1857 97
Mass New York City 1897 168
Mather Tarrytown 1842 98
Maxson Sag Harbor 1842 98
McGuiness New York City 1847 93
Meyers Williamsburgh, Kings 1850 96
Middleton Baldwinsville 1847 99
Miller Poughkeepsie 1866 100
Mills Brooklyn 1851 359
Moore Livonia 1836 102
Morrell Rye 1793 95
Morton New York City 1876 361
Murdock New York City 1898 363
Myers Duanesburgh 1801 220
Newman Brooklyn 1838 364
Norcross New York 1869 219
Oakley New York 1862 366
Ogden New York 1857 366
Osborn Troy 1802 104
O’Connell New York 1864 104
O’Connor Brooklyn 1881 158
Parsons New York City 1849 107
Parsons Buffalo 1861 107
Patty Southold 1749 107
Peck New York 1853 369
Pepper New York City 1765 112
Phillips New York City 1855 372
Piatt New York City 1859 110
Popple New York State 1802 108
Pratt Homer 1817 376
Prescott Cayuga Co. 1848 114
Queen Brooklyn 1857 145
Rich Vernon 1812 228
Richmond New York 1861 380
Rising New York 1843 118
Rockwell New York City 1861 120
Rouse Beekman’s Patent 1752 121
Rushby New York City 1882 383
St. John New York State 1849 122
Sauer New York City 1852 133
Saxton New York State 1816 123
Schermerhorn New York City 1844 124
Schonewald Buffalo 1854 124
Scovil Pittsfield 1797 376
Sears Buffalo 1894 328
Sergeant New York 1802 233
Seymour Rome 1856 349
Shaffer New York 1897 234
Sharps New York 1865 234
Sheldon Livingston 1848 236
Sibley Port Chester 1873 235
Sisson Cooperstown 1823 128
Skinner Brooklyn 1867 389
Skinner New York City 1787 128
Slaine New York City 1841 128
Smith Sing Sing 1866 389
Spencer Sag Harbor 1842 131
Squires Milford 1837 335
Stinel New York 1894 205
Strong Buffalo 1878 396
Sweetland Elba 1820 242
Taft Albion 1863 242
Taylor New York City 1873 242
Tedcastle New York City 1842 136
Tedcastle Brooklyn 1852 136
Tennant Groton 1866 243
Thompson New York 1866 138
Tiel Athens 1885 244
Tremper Rockland 1867 201
Waldron New York State 1857 143
Ward Brooklyn 1847 144
Ward New York City 1843 144
Weed Norwich 1884 173
Westgate New York City 1856 409
Wheeler West Winfield 1886 283
Wiggins New York State 1847 145
Wightman New York State 1818 152
Wilcox Dutchess Co. 1834 152
Williams Berkshire 1851 413
Willis New York 1873 414
Winslow New York 1828 253
Wright Hillsdale 1841 255
Wynn Ross [Rouses?] Pt. 1882 416
Youngs New York State 1852 154

 

Sample Entries from Connecticut Divorces

(locations are in Connecticut if not otherwise indicated)

HORTON
Martha of Killingworth m. 23 July 1724 Joshua Horton of Southold, Long Island — physically incapable — appl. Killingworth 22 Feb. 1726/7.

HALLETT
James W. formerly of Queen’s County, New York, now of Stonington m. 13 Nov. 1770 Mary Hallett daughter of Jacob of Hallett’s Cove — while he was in the service for two years she was seduced by British Refugee (James Keeller) and had a child that died soon after birth — appl. Stonington 15 Feb. 1785 — granted.

HORTON
Theodamy (Allen) — Southold, Long Island m. David Horton — Southold, Long Island 24 Oct. 1771 — cruelty (horsewhipped her) — 3 Apr. 1788.

HUNTINGTON
Charles W. of Norwich m. 10 Nov. 1824 Sarah F. Spear of New York City — adultery appl. Norwich 1 Aug. 1850 — granted.

BECK
William of Stonington, a mariner m. 14 June 1831 Hannah C. Leshure. He went on a sailing voyage and meanwhile she committed adultery. She is now in Sag Harbor, New York — appl. Stonington 28 Aug. 1833 — divorce granted.

BELLOWS
William of Thompson m. 28 Jan. 1834 in Wheatland Co. of Livingston New York Almira Ladd of that town — adultery — appl. Norwich 1 Jan. 1841 — divorce granted.

 

by Henry B. Hoff, CG, FASG, FGBS

Originally published in The NYG&B Newsletter, Spring/Summer 2001

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