Joseph Mountain Execution Documents Collection

Version: 10 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:24:24 PM

Added description

Description

Joseph Mountain Execution Documents Collection (1790)

Overview

This collection comprises the official legal instruments documenting the execution of Joseph Mountain, a traveling African‑American man convicted of rape in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1790. It includes the execution warrant issued on 13 August 1790, the execution return dated 20 October 1790, and the execution receipt. All items are held by the Connecticut State Library and are part of the New Haven County Superior Court (NHSC) files, specifically the Black, African American, and Indigenous History (BAAI) subset. The materials are available as scanned JPEGs, high‑resolution TIFFs, and accompanying metadata in JSON format.

Background

Joseph Mountain was tried on 1 August 1790 for raping a thirteen‑year‑old girl and was found guilty. The New Haven County Superior Court, under Judge Ephraim Dyer, issued the execution warrant. Sheriff Jno W. Smith carried out the execution on 20 October 1790, and Joseph Mannheim prepared the receipt. The collection is indexed in the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject database, a project funded by the National Heritage Preservation and Research Center to digitize and catalog court records involving Black, African‑American, and Indigenous individuals.

Contents

  • Execution Warrant – Text record, scanned JPEG, and TIFF of the original warrant, dated 13 August 1790.
  • Execution Return – Text record, scanned JPEG, and TIFF of the sheriff’s report confirming the hanging, dated 20 October 1790.
  • Execution Receipt – Still‑image record (JPEG/TIFF) of the formal receipt signed by the executor, Joseph Mannheim.
Each item is accompanied by metadata that links the image, OCR text, and institutional provenance, and all are cross‑referenced in the NHSC BAAI subject index.

Scope

The collection covers a single execution event in New Haven County, Connecticut, in 1790. It is limited to the warrant, return, and receipt; no ancillary court filings, transcripts, or personal correspondence are included. The materials focus on the procedural aspects of capital punishment for a convicted rapist and provide insight into late‑18th‑century criminal‑justice practices and the treatment of African‑American defendants in New England. The collection is relevant to scholars of early American legal history, African‑American studies, and the historiography of capital punishment.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@joseph_mountain_execution_documents_collection:collection {title: "Joseph Mountain Execution Documents Collection", creator: [@ephraim_dyer, @jno_w_smith, @joseph_mannheim], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created_range: {start: @date_1790_08_13, end: @date_1790_10_20}, language: "en", subjects: ["Execution","Legal documents","Crime","Rape","African American history","New Haven County","Superior Court","Crime and Punishment","Black, African American, and Indigenous History"], description: "Collection of documents related to the execution of Joseph Mountain, a traveling African American man, convicted of rape in New Haven, Connecticut, 1790. Includes execution warrant, execution return, and execution receipt.", access_url: "PLACEHOLDER", source: "PINAX", place: [@new_haven, @new_haven_county]}

@joseph_mountain_execution_documents_collection -> includes -> [@execution_warrant, @execution_return_joseph_mountain, @mountain_joseph_execution_receipt]

@file_pinax -> documents -> @joseph_mountain_execution_documents_collection

@execution_warrant -> creator -> @ephraim_dyer

@execution_return_joseph_mountain -> creator -> @jno_w_smith

@mountain_joseph_execution_receipt -> creator -> @joseph_mannheim

@execution_warrant -> concerns -> @joseph_mountain

@execution_return_joseph_mountain -> concerns -> @joseph_mountain

@mountain_joseph_execution_receipt -> depicts -> @joseph_mountain

@joseph_mountain -> appears in -> [@execution_warrant, @execution_return_joseph_mountain, @mountain_joseph_execution_receipt]

@execution_warrant -> indexed in -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@execution_return_joseph_mountain -> indexed in -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@mountain_joseph_execution_receipt -> indexed in -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@joseph_mountain_execution_documents_collection -> indexed in -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@joseph_mountain_execution_documents_collection -> part of -> @new_haven_county_superior_court_files

@new_haven_county_superior_court_files -> focuses on -> @baai

@new_haven_county_superior_court_files -> includes -> @cases_papers

@cases_papers -> has subject field -> @subject_field

@subject_field -> used in -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_executions_mountainjoseph_001_jpg -> depicts -> @execution_warrant

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_executions_mountainjoseph_002_jpg -> depicts -> @execution_return_joseph_mountain

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_executions_mountainjoseph_003_jpg -> depicts -> @mountain_joseph_execution_receipt

Metadata

Title
Joseph Mountain Execution Documents Collection
Type
Collection
Creator
Ephraim DyerJno W. SmithJoseph Mannheim
Institution
Connecticut State Library
Created
1790-08-13/1790-10-20
Language
en
Subjects
Execution, Legal documents, Crime, Rape, African American history, New Haven County, Superior Court, Crime and Punishment, Black, African American, and Indigenous History
Place
New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven County, Connecticut
Source
PINAX

Version History (10 versions)

  • ✓ v10 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:24:24 PM
    "Added description"
  • v9 · 12/4/2025, 3:02:50 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 6:43:40 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 6:30:45 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 3 groups"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:30:43 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0WKQ2CACZHG9QBXEPGM8H"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:30:42 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0WJ17FC97CP2Q9TFQ56T3"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:30:40 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM0WGJ160SEJDX02PMRA2G5"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:20:47 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 3 files"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:46 AM · View this version
    "Set parent to 01KBKZYT0E29FBBG0R8Z4RQWC2"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:05 AM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

Files were grouped into three distinct categories based on their content and filename patterns: (1) The execution warrant documents detailing Joseph Mountain's sentencing, (2) The execution return confirming the hanging was carried out, and (3) A third category for the truncated document that appears to be related to execution administration. Each group contains both the original image files and their JSON reference files. The grouping reflects the chronological and procedural stages of an 18th-century execution process.

## Groups Created

- **Execution_Warrant_Joseph_Mountain**: Documents related to the official execution warrant for Joseph Mountain, including the court order and sentencing details.
- **Execution_Return_Joseph_Mountain**: Documents confirming the completion of Joseph Mountain's execution, including the sheriff's return.
- **Execution_Receipt_Joseph_Mountain**: Brief document possibly related to execution expenses or acknowledgments (content is truncated but filename suggests execution context).

Parent

↑ 01KBKZYT0E29FBBG0R8Z4RQWC2

Children (3)