New Haven County Superior Court Files - Black, African American, and Indigenous History - Hannah Costs and Related Documents

Version: 9 (current) | Updated: 12/3/2025, 7:24:01 PM

Added description

Description

New Haven County Superior Court Costs and Notes – Hannah 1731 and Moses Mansfield 1781

Overview

This digital collection comprises two related archival units from the Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County Superior Court (NHSC) files. The first unit, the Hannah Costs 1731 Collection, documents the monetary outlays recorded for the case involving the African‑American woman known as “Negro Hannah.” The second unit, the Moses Mansfield Note Collection, contains a single handwritten legal note dated 1781. Both units are presented in English and include high‑resolution TIFF and JPEG images, machine‑readable OCR text, and descriptive metadata. The collection is part of the library’s “Black, African American, and Indigenous History” (BAAI) project and is indexed under the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject field.

Background

The Hannah Costs ledger was assembled by Major Mansfield, the county sheriff, in 1731, while the Moses Mansfield note was authored by the eponymous legal practitioner in 1781. These documents were digitized under a National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) grant that supports the Connecticut State Library’s effort to preserve court records relevant to minority histories. The collection reflects routine fiscal accounting of colonial Connecticut courts and provides insight into the legal and economic conditions surrounding African‑American litigants in the 18th century.

Contents

* Hannah Costs 1731 Collection – Cost ledger image (TIFF/JPEG), OCR‑derived text listing court expenses (summons, juror fees, horse service, etc.), and metadata (title, creator, date, subjects). * Moses Mansfield Note Collection – Single note image (TIFF/JPEG), OCR‑derived text, and metadata linking the note to the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject index.

Scope

The collection covers two discrete documents dated 1731 and 1781, both situated in New Haven County, Connecticut, during the colonial period. It focuses on legal costs and a brief legal note, and does not include full court dockets, transcripts, or related case files. The material is of particular interest to scholars of colonial legal history, African‑American history, and the historiography of marginalized communities in early United States courts.

Entities

(loading...)

Entity Relationships

(loading...)

Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax -> describes -> @hannah_costs_1731_collection

@hannah_costs_1731_collection -> part of -> @new_haven_county_superior_court_files

@moses_mansfield_note_collection -> part of -> @new_haven_county_superior_court_files

@major_mansfield -> co-creator of -> @hannah_costs_1731_collection

@moses_mansfield -> co-creator of -> @moses_mansfield_note_collection

@hannah_costs_1731_collection -> subjects include -> [@black_history, @african_american_history, @indigenous_history, @negro_hannah]

@moses_mansfield_note_collection -> subjects include -> [@black_history, @african_american_history, @indigenous_history]

Metadata

Title
New Haven County Superior Court Files - Black, African American, and Indigenous History - Hannah Costs and Related Documents
Type
Collection
Creator
Major MansfieldMoses Mansfield
Institution
conneticut state library
Created
1731-1781
Language
en
Subjects
Negro Hannah, Superior Court, Costs, New Haven County, Legal Documents, African American History, Black, African American, and Indigenous History, Notes
Place
New Haven County, Connecticut
Source
PINAX

Version History (9 versions)

  • ✓ v9 (current) · 12/3/2025, 7:24:01 PM
    "Added description"
  • v8 · 12/3/2025, 7:19:09 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v7 · 12/3/2025, 7:15:29 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v6 · 12/3/2025, 7:13:13 PM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 2 groups"
  • v5 · 12/3/2025, 7:13:12 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBJT40YRRN8VC12VC4754Z59"
  • v4 · 12/3/2025, 7:13:10 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBJT3ZNY9VPSEA2R9BS888QB"
  • v3 · 12/3/2025, 7:12:04 PM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 2 files"
  • v2 · 12/3/2025, 7:11:50 PM · View this version
    "Set parent to 01KBJT1ABC66MAMWRVHJQJQN69"
  • v1 · 12/3/2025, 7:11:45 PM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

The files were grouped based on their content and temporal context. The first group contains documents related to court costs involving Hannah in 1731, while the second group pertains to a separate note by Moses Mansfield in 1781. Each group includes both the original image files (TIFF/JPEG) and their corresponding reference JSON files. The grouping ensures that related documents are kept together while maintaining distinct separation between the two historical events.

## Groups Created

- **Hannah_Costs_1731**: Files related to the court costs involving Hannah (a Black/African American individual) in 1731, including expenses for summoning jurors, holding court, and other associated costs.
- **Mansfield_Note_1781**: Files related to Moses Mansfield's note from 1781, which appears to be a separate record from the 1731 Hannah case.

Parent

↑ 01KBJT1ABC66MAMWRVHJQJQN69

Children (2)