New Haven County Superior Court Inquest Records - Peter Negro Case, 1718

Version: 9 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:25:18 PM

Added description

Description

New Haven County Superior Court Inquest Records – Peter Negro, 1718 (BAAI Collection)

Overview

This digital collection comprises high‑resolution TIFF scans of the New Haven County Superior Court inquest documents concerning the death of Peter Negro, an African American man found dead in Wallingford, Connecticut, in 1718. The materials are part of the Connecticut State Library’s “New Haven County Superior Court Files” record group and are specifically curated for cases involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals (the BAAI subset). The collection is in the public domain, written in English, and is intended for scholarly research, genealogy, and public history projects.

Background

In the early 18th‑century Connecticut colony, inquests were convened to determine causes of death and to record findings for legal and administrative purposes. The Peter Negro case is notable for its documentation of an African American individual’s death in a period when such records were rare. The inquest was administered by Justice of the Peace Thomas Yale and heard by a jury of twelve local men, whose names are recorded in the first image. The event took place on May 24, 1718, on the land of Moses Maxwellman in Wallingford, within New Haven County.

Contents

  • RG003NHSCBAAIPSInquestsPeter001.tif – OCR‑extracted text of the jury list and oath administered by Thomas Yale.
  • RG003NHSCBAAIPSInquestsPeter002.tif – OCR‑extracted text of the formal report dated May 1, 1718, titled “Report of a Jury of Inquiry.”
The report concludes that Peter Negro died a natural death. The collection also contains a PINAX metadata file that describes the collection’s provenance, subjects, and institutional affiliation.

Scope

The collection covers a single inquest event (May 24, 1718) in Wallingford, Connecticut, and the associated report dated May 1, 1718. It focuses on the death investigation of an African American individual and includes legal documentation such as jury composition and procedural details. The material is relevant to scholars of early colonial legal history, African American history, and the administrative practices of New Haven County in the early 1700s. The collection does not include any additional case files or subsequent legal actions related to Peter Negro.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {title: "New Haven County Superior Court Inquest Records - Peter Negro Case, 1718", type: "metadata", format: "PINAX"}

@pinax_metadata:document {id: "01KBM1NXNYMVTB10NBR6KKJ64D", created: @date_1718_05_24, language: "en", rights: "Public Domain", source: "PINAX", access_url: "PLACEHOLDER"}

@file_pinax -> has metadata -> @pinax_metadata

@file_pinax -> creator -> [@thomas_yale, @james_munson, @william_frederick, @jacob_johnson, @james_donham, @theophilus_yall, @daniel_hall, @moses_maxwellman, @thomas_beach, @isaac_cuttof, @caleb_lewis, @john_miles, @lumbert_johnson, @new_haven_county_superior_court]

@file_pinax -> subject -> [@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject, @black_african_american_and_indigenous_history, @inquest_event_1718_05_24]

@file_pinax -> describes -> @inquest_documents_collection

@nhsc_baai_inquest_collection -> described by -> @file_pinax

@inquest_documents_collection -> equivalent to -> @nhsc_baai_inquest_collection

@inquest_documents_collection -> contains -> @inquest_event_1718_05_24

@inquest_documents_collection -> contains -> @inquest_report_1718_05_01

@inquest_event_1718_05_24 -> part of -> @nhsc_baai_inquest_collection

@inquest_report_1718_05_01 -> part of -> @nhsc_baai_inquest_collection

@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject -> abbreviation -> "NHSC_BAAI_Cases_Papers_Subject"

@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject -> related to -> @peter_negro

@peter_negro -> mentioned in -> @file_pinax

@thomas_yale -> administered oath at -> @inquest_event_1718_05_24

@james_munson -> juror at -> @inquest_event_1718_05_24

@new_haven_county_superior_court -> creator of -> @nhsc_baai_inquest_collection

@connecticut_state_library -> holds -> @inquest_documents_collection

@connecticut_state_library -> holds -> @nhsc_baai_inquest_collection

Metadata

Title
New Haven County Superior Court Inquest Records - Peter Negro Case, 1718
Type
Collection
Creator
Thomas YaleJames MunsonWilliam FrederickJacob JohnsonJames DonhamTheophilus YallDaniel HallMoses MaxwellmanThomas BeachIsaac CuttofCaleb LewisJohn MilesLumbert JohnsonNew Haven County Superior Court
Institution
Connecticut State Library
Created
1718-05-24
Language
en
Subjects
Inquest, Death investigation, African American history, Legal documents, Wallingford (Conn.), Inquests, Legal Documents, Black History, African American History, Indigenous History, New Haven County, Connecticut
Rights
Public Domain
Place
Wallingford (Conn.), New Haven County (Conn.), New Haven County, Connecticut
Source
PINAX

Version History (9 versions)

  • ✓ v9 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:25:18 PM
    "Added description"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 3:05:21 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 6:44:33 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:41 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 2 groups"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:40 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM11ZT8KYDV7BQ49E0T1FE8"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:38 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM11YGMWA9CJENNC0BTSD2E"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:22:33 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 thematically by content (the 1718 inquest into Peter's death) and by format (high-resolution preservation copies). The JPEG and TIFF versions represent the same documents in different formats, so they were separated into distinct groups based on use-case while maintaining content coherence. All files were successfully grouped without overlap since each format serves a distinct archival purpose.

## Groups Created

- **Inquest_Documents_Peter_Negro_1718**: Files related to the inquest into the death of Peter (a Negro) in Wallingford in 1718, including jury reports and findings.
- **High_Resolution_TIFF_Copies**: High-resolution TIFF versions of the inquest documents (preservation copies), matching the content of the JPEG files.

Parent

↑ 01KBKZYT0EP3B3FKJHAY6X008T

Children (2)