Samson Case Collection, 1724

Version: 9 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:22:23 PM

Added description

Description

Samson Case Costs and Enlistment Records, 1724

Overview

This digitized collection preserves the financial and military documentation associated with the 1724 legal case of Samson, a Black litigant in New Haven County, Connecticut. It is housed by the Connecticut State Library and forms part of the New Haven County Superior Court Files (NHSC) project, specifically the Black, African American, and Indigenous History (BAAI) retrospective series. The collection contains two primary components: the Samson Case Costs Collection, detailing court‑related fees, and the Samson Post Enlistment Records, documenting Samson’s enlistment in the colonial militia.

Background

The NHSC files constitute Record Group 3 of the Connecticut State Library’s archival holdings, chronicling the operations of the New Haven County Superior Court. The BAAI project, funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, focuses on extracting and contextualizing court records that involve Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals. The Samson case represents an early instance of a Black litigant confronting the colonial legal system, while the enlistment record illustrates participation of an individual from these communities in the colony’s militia.

Contents

  • Samson Case Costs Collection – A single bill (Bill Samson 001) detailing court fees, including examination, clerk signing, sheriff payments, grand jury summons, and attorney fees, accompanied by high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF scans.
  • Samson Post Enlistment Records – A handwritten or printed record stating “Samson C. & Co. Post Enlisted 1724,” reproduced in JPEG and TIFF formats.
  • Metadata – Descriptive fields indicating creator (Samson), date (1724), place (New Haven County, Connecticut), language (English), and subject headings (legal costs, court fees, enlistment, military records, African American history, 18th century).

Scope

The collection is confined to the fiscal aspects of the 1724 Samson case and the single enlistment record, all situated in New Haven County, Connecticut. It does not include the full court docket, pleadings, judgments, or subsequent service records. The material is relevant to scholars of early colonial legal history, African American legal heritage, and the economic conditions of litigants in the 18th century, as well as to researchers of early colonial military participation by Black and Indigenous individuals.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {title: "Samson Case Collection, 1724", type: "Collection", creator: ["Samson, a Negro man", "Samson C. & Co."], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1724, language: "en", subjects: ["Legal costs","Court fees","African American history","New Haven County","18th century","Enlistment","Military Records","Black, African American, and Indigenous History"], description: "Collection of documents related to the case of Samson, a Negro man, in 1724, including legal costs and post‑enlistment records. Part of the New Haven County Superior Court Files - Black, African American, and Indigenous (BAAI) cases and papers.", place: [@new_haven_county, @connecticut]}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @samson_case_costs_collection

@file_pinax -> documents -> @samson_post_enlistment_records

@file_pinax -> held by -> @connecticut_state_library

@file_pinax -> part of -> @baai_project

@samson_case_costs_collection -> related to -> @samson_post_enlistment_records {reason: "both components of the Samson case collection"}

Metadata

Title
Samson Case Collection, 1724
Type
Collection
Creator
Samson, a Negro manSamson C. & Co.
Institution
Connecticut State Library
Created
1724
Language
en
Subjects
Legal costs, Court fees, African American history, New Haven County, 18th century, Enlistment, Military Records, Black, African American, and Indigenous History
Place
New Haven County, Connecticut
Source
PINAX

Version History (9 versions)

  • ✓ v9 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:22:23 PM
    "Added description"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 2:57:44 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 6:42:18 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:25:14 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 2 groups"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:25:12 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0JGHXGP3JHEHM1HFQ4AZK"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:25:11 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0JESV1K84YB41K672HZQT"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:15:43 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 2 files"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:50 AM · View this version
    "Set parent to 01KBKZYT0EBH7DHHGTHX3E5WHG"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:13:35 AM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

The files were grouped into two distinct categories based on their content. The first group contains documents related to the itemized costs of Samson's legal case in 1724, while the second group contains documents referencing Samson's 'Post Enlisted' status from the same year. This separation reflects two different aspects of Samson's historical record in the New Haven County Superior Court files. All files were successfully grouped based on their content or filename patterns when OCR text was unavailable.

## Groups Created

- **Samson_Case_Costs_1724**: Files related to the financial costs and fees associated with the legal case involving Samson, a Black man, in 1724. Includes itemized bills and court fees.
- **Samson_Post_Enlisted_1724**: Files referencing Samson's status as 'Post Enlisted' in 1724. This appears to be a separate record from the case costs.

Parent

↑ 01KBKZYT0EBH7DHHGTHX3E5WHG

Children (2)