Dinah Inquest Collection

Version: 9 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:25:09 PM

Added description

Description

Dinah Inquest Collection

Overview

The Dinah Inquest Collection is a digitized set of primary records from a New Haven County Superior Court inquest held on 16 December 1768. It contains two high‑resolution scans of the original inquest papers, a PINAX metadata record, and descriptive information. The collection is held by the Connecticut State Library and is part of the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers project, which catalogs court files involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals.

Background

In colonial New Haven, inquests were convened to determine the cause of sudden or unexplained deaths. Judge Daniel Upham, a local Judge of the Peace, called a jury of inquest to investigate the death of Dinah, a Black woman. The case is significant as one of the earliest documented deaths of a Black person in Connecticut and illustrates the legal procedures applied to enslaved and free Black individuals in the 18th century.

Contents

  • Two TIFF images (≈47 MB each) of the original inquest documents, including the sworn statement of the jury and the verdict sheet.
  • PINAX metadata in JSON format, listing creators (Jury of Inquest, Daniel Upham, New Haven County Superior Court), date, subjects (Inquests, Death investigation, African American history, New Haven County, Legal documents, Black, African American, and Indigenous History), and place (New Haven, Middlesex County).
  • Supporting entities: names of the twelve jurors (John Hatchhief, Thomas Howell, Francis Brown, James Gilbert, Joseph Munson, Stephen Alling, Edwain Job Smith, John Snowbridge, Abiathar Camp, Elijah Allen, Stephen Browne, Sam'l Priestley) and Judge Upham.
The collection is linked to the NHSCBAAICasesPapersSubject index, indicating its inclusion in a broader database of court records involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals.

Scope

The collection covers a single inquest event dated 16 December 1768, located in New Haven, Middlesex County, Connecticut. It focuses on the legal investigation of Dinah’s death, providing insight into colonial death‑investigation practices and the treatment of African American subjects in the court system. The collection does not include other court filings, correspondence, or subsequent legal actions; it is limited to the inquest documents themselves. All materials are in the public domain, allowing unrestricted use for research, teaching, and public dissemination.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {filename: "pinax.json", type: "Metadata (PINAX)", format: "JSON"}

@death_investigation:concept {description: "Investigation of cause of death, often via inquest"}

@african_american_history:concept {description: "Historical study of African American experiences"}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @dinah_inquest_documents {type: "Metadata (PINAX)"}

@file_pinax -> created by -> [@jury_of_inquest, @daniel_upham, @new_haven_county_superior_court] {when: @date_1768_12_16}

@file_pinax -> associated with -> [@new_haven_connecticut, @middlesex_county_connecticut]

@file_pinax -> subject -> [@inquests, @legal_documents, @baai_history, @death_investigation, @african_american_history]

@dinah_inquest_documents -> related to -> @dinah_inquest_high_res_scans {type: "digital counterpart"}

@dinah_inquest_documents -> part_of -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_project

@dinah_inquest_high_res_scans -> part_of -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_project

@file_pinax -> documents -> @dinah_inquest_high_res_scans {role: "metadata"}

@john_hatchhief -> served on -> @jury_of_inquest

@thomas_howell -> served on -> @jury_of_inquest

@francis_brown -> served on -> @jury_of_inquest

@james_gilbert -> served on -> @jury_of_inquest

@joseph_munson -> served on -> @jury_of_inquest

@stephen_alling -> served on -> @jury_of_inquest

@edwain_job_smith -> served on -> @jury_of_inquest

@john_snowbridge -> served on -> @jury_of_inquest

@abiathar_camp -> served on -> @jury_of_inquest

@elijah_allen -> served on -> @jury_of_inquest

@stephen_browne -> served on -> @jury_of_inquest

@saml_priestley -> served on -> @jury_of_inquest

@dinah_inquest_documents -> subject -> [@inquests, @legal_documents, @baai_history]

@dinah_inquest_high_res_scans -> subject -> [@inquests, @legal_documents, @baai_history]

Metadata

Version History (9 versions)

  • ✓ v9 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:25:09 PM
    "Added description"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 3:04:22 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 6:44:12 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:06 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 2 groups"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:05 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM10Y0CE5G9VT2TR14E60WX"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:03 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM10WKASDHPHV753EQV7ZYA"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:22:17 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 2 files"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:45 AM · View this version
    "Set parent to 01KBKZYT0EP3B3FKJHAY6X008T"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:31 AM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

Files were grouped by both content type (textual documents vs preservation scans) and historical context (specific inquest case). The JPG files with OCR text form one logical group documenting the historical event, while the TIFF scans form a parallel preservation group. All files relate to the same December 1768 inquest case of Dinah, a Black woman in New Haven, making them thematically cohesive while recognizing their different archival purposes.

## Groups Created

- **Dinah_Inquest_Documents**: Documents related to the inquest into the death of Dinah, a Black woman in New Haven in December 1768, including the jury's verdict and sworn statements.
- **Dinah_Inquest_HighRes_Scans**: High-resolution TIFF scans of the original inquest documents for archival preservation (same content as JPG versions but in preservation format).

Parent

01KBKZYT0EP3B3FKJHAY6X008T

Children (2)