New Haven County Inquest Records of Unnamed Black and African American Children

Version: 9 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:25:32 PM

Added description

Description

New Haven County Inquest Records of Unnamed Black and African American Children (1767‑1769)

Overview

This collection comprises the surviving inquest documents from New Haven County, Connecticut, that investigated the deaths of unnamed Black and African American children between 1767 and 1769. The materials include high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF scans of the original jury verdicts, accompanying PINAX‑formatted metadata, and reference files linking each record to the Connecticut State Library’s NHSC BAAI project. The collection is housed in Record Group 3 (New Haven County Superior Court Files) and is part of the library’s effort to digitize and index cases involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals.

Background

In the colonial era, the New Haven County Jury of Justices conducted inquests into sudden or suspicious deaths. These particular inquests are among the earliest extant legal records that document the fate of Black children in Connecticut, offering rare insight into the treatment of enslaved or free Black persons in 18th‑century New England. The collection includes two notable cases: the 18 October 1769 inquest into the death of a Negro child named Lively, belonging to Joshua Moss, and the August 1767 inquest into an unnamed Negro child also associated with Joshua Moss in Waterbury. The records reflect contemporary legal practices and the social status of Black individuals in the colony.

Contents

  • Metadata (PINAX JSON): Structured data describing each inquest’s title, creators, dates, subjects, and place.
  • JPEG images: OCR‑enabled scans of the original verdicts, displaying the jury’s findings and list of jurors.
  • TIFF images: High‑resolution, non‑OCR versions preserving the full detail of the documents.
  • Reference files: Links to the NHSC BAAI project, the subject‑index field for Black, African American, and Indigenous cases, and the broader Record Group 3.
  • Project linkage: Documentation indicating that the collection is part of the Connecticut State Library’s NHSC BAAI initiative.

Scope

The collection covers two inquest events held in 1767 and 1769 in New Haven County (including Waterbury). It focuses exclusively on the death investigations of unnamed Black children and the individuals involved—namely the children, their guardian Joshua Moss, and the jury members. No subsequent court filings, witness statements, or demographic data beyond the inquest records are included. The materials are in English, public domain, and are relevant to scholars of colonial legal history, African American studies, and the historiography of New Haven County.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {type: "metadata", format: "PINAX", title: "New Haven County Inquest Records of Unnamed Black and African American Children", creator: [@new_haven_jury_of_justices, @joshua_moss], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: {start: @date_1767_01, end: @date_1769_12}, language: "en", subjects: ["Inquests","Death Investigation","African American History","Legal Documents","18th Century","Child Death"], description: "A collection of inquest documents from New Haven County detailing investigations into the deaths of unnamed Black and African American children, including one named Lively who died of infirmity and weakness of body.", place: [@new_haven_county, @waterbury]}

@unnamed_black_children_inquests:collection {title: "Unnamed Black and African American Children Inquest Records", description: "Collection of inquest documents from New Haven County (1767‑1769) concerning deaths of unnamed Black children, including Lively.", created_range: {start: @date_1767_01, end: @date_1769_12}, subjects: ["Inquests","African American History","Child Death"], place: [@new_haven_county, @waterbury]}

@file_pinax -> describes -> @unnamed_black_children_inquests:collection

@unnamed_black_children_inquests -> includes -> @inquest_lively:document

@unnamed_black_children_inquests -> includes -> @inquest_unnamed_negro_child:event

@unnamed_black_children_inquests -> part of -> @nhsc_baai:project

@joshua_moss -> involved in -> @inquest_lively:document {role: "owner"}

@joshua_moss -> involved in -> @inquest_unnamed_negro_child:event {role: "parent"}

@inquest_lively:document -> part of -> @nhsc_baai:project

@inquest_unnamed_negro_child:event -> part of -> @nhsc_baai:project

@inquest_lively:document -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

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

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_unnamedgirl_001_jpg:file -> depicts -> @inquest_lively:document

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_unnamedgirl_002_jpg:file -> depicts -> @inquest_unnamed_negro_child:event

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_unnamedgirl_001_tif:file -> related to -> @inquest_lively:document

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_unnamedgirl_002_tif:file -> related to -> @inquest_unnamed_negro_child:event

@new_haven_jury_of_justices -> issued -> @inquest_lively:document {date: @date_1769_10_18}

@new_haven_jury_of_justices -> member of -> @new_haven_county_superior_court:organization

@new_haven_county_superior_court:organization -> contains -> @inquest_unnamed_negro_child:event

@connecticut_state_library -> maintains -> @nhsc_baai_project:concept

@nhsc_baai_project:concept -> includes -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

Metadata

Title
New Haven County Inquest Records of Unnamed Black and African American Children
Type
Collection
Creator
New Haven County Jury of JusticesJoshua Moss
Institution
Connecticut State Library
Created
1767-1769
Language
en
Subjects
Inquests, Death Investigation, African American History, Legal Documents, 18th Century, Child Death
Place
New Haven County, Connecticut, Waterbury, Connecticut
Source
PINAX

Version History (9 versions)

  • ✓ v9 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:25:32 PM
    "Added description"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 3:05:39 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 6:44:46 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:34:31 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 2 groups"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:34:30 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM13H6KB4YZY5GJBV925JQB"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:34:29 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM13FWTKSM7EB1SY5VD3PN2"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:22:59 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 2 files"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:50 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 the distinct inquest cases they document - separating the 1769 case for child 'Lively' from the 1767 case for an unnamed female child. Each group contains all file formats (JPG, TIFF, and their JSON metadata) for their respective case. The grouping preserves the connection between different file formats of the same document while maintaining clear separation between the two historical cases.

## Groups Created

- **1769_Inquest_NegroChild_Lively**: Files related to the 1769 inquest for the Negro child named Lively belonging to Joshua Moss
- **1767_Inquest_NegroChild_Unnamed**: Files related to the 1767 inquest for an unnamed Negro female child belonging to Joshua Moss

Parent

↑ 01KBKZYT0EP3B3FKJHAY6X008T

Children (2)