New Haven County Superior Court Costs Collection - Black, African American, and Indigenous History

Version: 6 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:25:44 PM

Added description

Description

New Haven County Superior Court Costs Collection – Black, African American, and Indigenous History

Overview

This digital collection, held by the Connecticut State Library, aggregates court‑cost documents from the New Haven County Superior Court that pertain to Black, African American, and Indigenous litigants. The materials span the colonial and early‑American period (1690‑1790) and include bills of costs, examination records, court fees, and related financial statements. The collection is part of the library’s NHSC BAAI (Black, African American, and Indigenous History) project and is indexed under the Nhsc Baai Cases Papers Subject field.

Background

The New Haven County Superior Court was the principal judicial body for the region during the 17th and 18th centuries. The BAAI initiative, funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, seeks to preserve and make accessible court records that involve marginalized communities. The cost documents in this collection were digitized by the Connecticut State Library to provide researchers with insight into the financial dimensions of early Connecticut legal proceedings involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals.

Contents

  • Bills of Costs – Detailed accounts of expenses incurred in a variety of cases, including fees for summonses, juror payments, attorney services, and court clerk charges.
  • Examination Records – Transcripts of examinations conducted before the court, often involving individuals identified as “Negro” or “Indigenous.”
  • Court Fees and Certifications – Documents recording the payment of court fees, certifications of attendance, and other administrative costs.
  • Metadata – Each item is accompanied by PINAX JSON metadata that records creator, date, subjects (e.g., “Gaol Breakers,” “Slavery,” “Legal Costs”), and provenance.

Representative examples include the 1709 “Gaol Breakers” bill, the 1731 costs sheet for “Negro Hannah,” and the 1790 costs for the case involving “Negro Prince, Tom, and Zadock.”

Scope

The collection covers the period 1690‑1790, geographically confined to New Haven County, Connecticut. It focuses exclusively on financial documentation related to court proceedings and does not include full case files, pleadings, or trial transcripts. The materials are in English and are relevant to scholars of colonial legal history, African‑American and Indigenous studies, and the economics of early American justice.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@date_1690 {year: 1690}

@john_riggs:person {full_name: "John Riggs"}

@jos_trobridge:person {full_name: "Jos Trobridge"}

@jos_weed:person {full_name: "Jos Weed"}

@negro:concept {description: "Historical term for people of African descent"}

@costs:concept {description: "Financial charges associated with legal proceedings"}

@superior_court:concept {description: "Court of general jurisdiction in a state"}

@indigenous_people:concept {description: "Native peoples of the region"}

@criminals:concept {description: "Individuals accused or convicted of crimes"}

@jail_costs:concept {description: "Expenses related to incarceration"}

@legal_expenses:concept {description: "Costs incurred in legal matters"}

@court_fees:concept {description: "Fees charged by the court"}

@slavery:concept {description: "System of forced labor based on race"}

@crime:concept {description: "Acts prohibited by law"}

@historical_documents:concept {description: "Documents of historical significance"}

@indictments:concept {description: "Formal accusations of crimes"}

@forgery:concept {description: "Crime of falsifying documents"}

@false_bills:concept {description: "Fraudulent financial instruments"}

@enlistment:concept {description: "Process of joining the military"}

@military_records:concept {description: "Documents related to military service"}

@probate:concept {description: "Legal process dealing with a deceased's estate"}

@board:concept {description: "Administrative group overseeing prison matters"}

@prisoners:concept {description: "Incarcerated individuals"}

@apprehension_of_individuals:concept {description: "Capture and detention of persons"}

@eighteenth_century_legal_documents:concept {description: "Legal documents from the 1700s"}

@prisoner_board:concept {description: "Committee managing prisoner affairs"}

@eighteenth_century:concept {description: "The 18th century period"}

@samson_c_co:organization {description: "Entity associated with the Samson case"}

@file_pinax -> creator -> [@new_haven_county_superior_court, @william_post, @william_hoadly, @samson_ashfield, @matthews_w, @sam_tyler, @matthew_mciere, @samuel_tyler, @mccune, @state_of_connecticut, @moner_bishop, @eber_kelsey, @abraham_augur, @jas_wolcott, @breulier, @jos_fisher, @clerk_of_superior_court_colb, @timothy_wooster, @samson, @samson_c_co] {role: ["metadata creator","court"]}

@file_pinax -> institution -> @connecticut_state_library

@file_pinax -> created -> {start: @date_1690, end: @date_1790}

@file_pinax -> subject -> [@gaol_breakers:concept, @legal_costs:concept, @examinations:concept, @john_riggs, @jos_trobridge, @jos_weed, @negro, @prison_breaks:concept, @legal_documents:concept, @black_african_american_and_indigenous_history:concept, @costs:concept, @court_costs:concept, @negro_hannah, @black_history:concept, @african_american_history:concept, @new_haven_county, @superior_court, @notes:concept, @moses_mansfield, @hoadly_vs_pond:event, @indigenous_people, @criminals, @jail_costs, @legal_expenses, @travel_expenses, @attorney_fees, @certifications, @court_cases, @colonial_america, @prince_negro, @tom_negro, @zadock_negro, @board, @prisoners, @apprehension_of_individuals, @eighteenth_century_legal_documents, @prisoner_board, @eighteenth_century, @court_fees, @court_records, @slavery, @crime, @historical_documents, @indictments, @forgery, @false_bills, @enlistment, @military_records, @probate]

@file_pinax -> uses -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

@file_pinax -> documents -> @gaol_breakers_collection

@file_pinax -> documents -> @nhsc_baai_ps_costs_hannah

@file_pinax -> documents -> @hoadly_vs_pond_costs_documents:collection

@file_pinax -> documents -> @hoadly_vs_pond_costs_entry_record:collection

@file_pinax -> documents -> @bill_of_costs

@file_pinax -> documents -> @examination_record

@file_pinax -> documents -> @mansfield_bill_of_costs_collection:collection

@file_pinax -> documents -> @mixes_vs_oxx_case_costs_1741

@file_pinax -> documents -> @bill_of_lotts_approval

@file_pinax -> documents -> @prince_negro_costs_collection

@file_pinax -> documents -> @tom_negro_costs_collection

@file_pinax -> documents -> @zadok_negro_costs_1790

@file_pinax -> documents -> @negro_prince_tom_zadock_costs_1790

@file_pinax -> documents -> @oxxvsmix_collection

@file_pinax -> documents -> @oxx_vs_mix:case

@file_pinax -> documents -> @costs_collection

@file_pinax -> documents -> @rex_vs_negro_cuff:case

@file_pinax -> documents -> @rex_vs_negro_zadock_collection

@file_pinax -> documents -> @samson_case_costs_collection

@file_pinax -> documents -> @samson_post_enlistment_records

@file_pinax -> documents -> @costs_records_1733

@william_hoadly -> appears in -> @hoadly_vs_pond_costs_documents:collection

@samson_ashfield -> appears in -> @mansfield_bill_of_costs_collection:collection

@sam_tyler -> appears in -> @mccure_vs_tylers_case_costs_collection

@matthews_w -> appears in -> @mccure_vs_tylers_case_costs_collection

@mccune -> appears in -> @mccure_vs_tylers_case_costs_collection

@timothy_wooster -> appears in -> @costs_records_1733

@prince_negro -> appears in -> @prince_negro_costs_collection

@tom_negro -> appears in -> @tom_negro_costs_collection

@zadock_negro -> appears in -> @zadok_negro_costs_1790

@negro_hannah -> appears in -> @nhsc_baai_ps_costs_hannah

@moses_mansfield -> appears in -> @nhsc_baai_ps_costs_hannah

@rex_vs_negro_cuff:case -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

@rex_vs_negro_zadock_collection -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

@hoadly_vs_pond:event -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

@mixes_vs_oxx_case_costs_1741 -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

@prince_negro_costs_collection -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

@tom_negro_costs_collection -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

@zadok_negro_costs_1790 -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

@samson_case_costs_collection -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

@costs_records_1733 -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

@file_pinax -> part of -> @new_haven_county_superior_court_files:collection

@new_haven_county_superior_court_files:collection -> has subject index -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

@new_haven_county_superior_court_files:collection -> includes -> @nhsc_baai_ps_collection:collection

@nhsc_baai_ps_collection:collection -> includes -> @file_pinax

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Metadata

Version History (6 versions)

  • ✓ v6 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:25:44 PM
    "Added description"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 3:09:26 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:45:14 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:54 AM · View this version
    "Set parent to 01KBKZZ7VHHY9D5YXJX4400CQW"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:43 AM · View this version
    "Added children"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:26 AM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Parent

01KBKZZ7VHHY9D5YXJX4400CQW

Children (12)