Johnson v. Cook Court Appeals Collection, 1779-1780

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

Added description

Description

Johnson v. Cook Court Appeals Collection, 1779‑1780

Overview

This collection comprises digitized legal documents from the New Haven County Superior Court that document the assault case of Joseph Johnson against Thomas Cook and the subsequent judgment and appeal proceedings that took place between 1779 and August 1780. The materials are held by the Connecticut State Library and are indexed under the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject, reflecting the library’s focus on Black, African American, and Indigenous history in Connecticut court records.

Background

The case arose in colonial Connecticut, a period when slavery was still practiced in the state. Johnson, a free man, sued Cook for assaulting an enslaved servant named Cesar. The court action was initiated in December 1779, and the judgment was rendered the same year, with an appeal heard in August 1780. The documents illustrate the legal procedures of the time and provide insight into the treatment of enslaved persons and the participation of Black individuals in the colonial legal system.

Contents

  • Summons (writ) – A printed document dated 16 December 1779, ordering Johnson to appear before the Adjacent County Court.
  • Judgment (1779) – A true copy of the court’s decision, examined by Chief Examiner John Whiting.
  • Appeal (August 1780) – The appellate decision confirming the original judgment.
  • High‑resolution images – JPEG and TIFF scans of the summons, judgment, and appeal, preserving signatures, stamps, and marginalia.
  • OCR‑extracted text – Transcriptions of the judgment and appeal documents.
  • Metadata – Includes the collection’s ID, title, creators, dates, language, subjects (Assault, Slavery, African American History, Court Judgment, Appeals), and place (Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut).

Scope

The collection covers the specific legal proceeding of Johnson v. Cook from its initiation in December 1779 through the appellate decision in August 1780. It does not contain trial transcripts, docket entries, or unrelated court records. The materials are relevant to scholars of colonial legal history, the history of slavery in New England, and the experiences of Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals in early American courts.

Entities

(loading...)

Entity Relationships

(loading...)

Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {title: "Johnson v. Cook Court Appeals Collection, 1779-1780", creator: [@joseph_johnson, @thomas_cook, @new_haven_county_superior_court], created: @date_1779_1780, language: "en", subjects: [@assault, @legal_documents, @slavery, @african_american_history, @new_haven_county, @court_judgment, @appeals, @black_african_american_and_indigenous_history], description: "Collection of legal documents and court judgments related to the Johnson v. Cook assault case and subsequent appeals in the New Haven County Superior Court, involving an enslaved man named Cesar.", place: [@wallingford, @new_haven]}

@court_judgment:concept {}

@appeals:concept {}

@black_african_american_and_indigenous_history:concept {}



@file_pinax -> documents -> @johnson_v_cook_assault_collection

@file_pinax -> documents -> @johnson_case

@johnson_case -> documented in -> @file_pinax

@johnson_v_cook_assault_collection -> documented in -> @file_pinax



@joseph_johnson -> appears in -> @file_pinax

@thomas_cook -> appears in -> @file_pinax

@new_haven_county_superior_court -> appears in -> @file_pinax



@file_pinax -> has subject index -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject



@johnson_v_cook_assault_case -> linked to -> @johnson_case {relationship: "same underlying dispute"} 

@johnson_v_cook_assault_case -> subject -> @assault

@johnson_case -> subject -> @court_judgment



@johnson_v_cook_assault_collection -> subject -> [@assault, @slavery, @african_american_history, @new_haven_county]

@johnson_case -> subject -> [@court_judgment, @appeals, @black_african_american_and_indigenous_history]

Metadata

Title
Johnson v. Cook Court Appeals Collection, 1779-1780
Type
Collection
Creator
Joseph JohnsonThomas CookNew Haven County Superior Court
Institution
Connecticut State Library
Created
1779-1780
Language
en
Subjects
Assault, Legal Documents, Slavery, African American History, New Haven County, Court Judgment, Appeals, Black, African American, and Indigenous History
Place
Wallingford, Connecticut, New Haven, Connecticut
Source
PINAX

Version History (9 versions)

  • ✓ v9 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:22:23 PM
    "Added description"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 2:57:34 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, 6:25:55 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 2 groups"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:25:54 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0KRTED7DR3EK0XH4YPXAD"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:25:52 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0KQGKZAAS8H7C0P29SB0Q"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:15:46 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 2 files"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:46 AM · View this version
    "Set parent to 01KBKZYT0ESBTCDV4NRQZV5ES5"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:13:35 AM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

Files were grouped into two distinct categories based on their content and chronological sequence in the legal proceedings. The first group contains the initial assault complaint/writ from December 1779, while the second group contains the court judgment documents spanning 1779-1780. Each group maintains both the original image files and their reference JSON files together. The organization preserves the legal narrative flow while keeping related document versions (JPG/TIFF) together by content.

## Groups Created

- **Johnson_v_Cook_Assault_Case_1779**: Documents related to the 1779 assault case of Joseph Johnson vs. Col. Thos. Cook regarding the beating of Cook's enslaved man Cesar
- **Johnson_Case_Court_Judgment_1779-1780**: Documents containing the court judgment and related proceedings from 1779-1780 in the Johnson case

Parent

↑ 01KBKZYT0ESBTCDV4NRQZV5ES5

Children (2)