New Haven County Superior Court Inquest Records, 1748

Version: 9 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:25:34 PM

Added description

Description

New Haven County Superior Court Inquest Records, 1748

Overview

This collection comprises digitized legal documents from the New Haven County Superior Court, preserved by the Connecticut State Library. It contains the formal inquests into the deaths of two Black men—Quommong (also spelled Quenmaney) and the pair Suddon & Coeke—conducted in Milford, Connecticut, in July 1748. The material is presented as high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF scans of the original court records, including writs of summons, jury lists, and sworn findings.

Background

The records are part of the NHSC BAAI (Black, African American, and Indigenous History) project, which seeks to digitize and index New Haven County court files that involve Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals. In the colonial legal system, a jury of twelve “able and discreet” men was convened to determine the cause of death. The writs were issued by Justice of the Peace John Fawler and addressed to the constables of Wilford, directing them to summon the jury and report the findings. The inquests concluded that Quommong was accidentally drowned in a dock in Wilford, while the Suddon & Coeke record details the proceedings concerning two Negro men.

Contents

  • Writ of Summons (original, dated July 9 1748, addressed to Wilford constables).
  • Jury List (names of the twelve jurors, including William Pickett, Tho Gibb, Samuel Ouattamens, and others).
  • Inquest Findings (sworn statements declaring accidental drowning; dated July 9 1748).
  • Supporting Documents (high‑resolution scans of the writ and findings in both JPEG and TIFF formats).
  • Metadata (creator list, subjects, place, provenance information).
The collection also includes a single digitized file for the Suddon & Coeke inquest, preserving the original handwritten record.

Scope

The collection covers two separate inquest events held in Milford, Connecticut, in July 1748. It is relevant to scholars of colonial legal history, African American history, slave records, and local history of New Haven County. The material provides insight into 18th‑century inquest procedures and the treatment of Black individuals in colonial courts. It does not contain subsequent legal actions, personal records of the deceased beyond the inquest, or broader court files.

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, 1748", type: "Collection", creator: [@william_pickett, @tho_gibb, @samuel_ouattamens, @stephen_caldwell, @cl_bennet, @james_davidson, @john_miles, @john_mervin_jnr, @leslie_mallib, @joshua_conwell, @joseph_bryan, @miles_mervin, @john_fawler, @new_haven_county_superior_court], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1748, language: "en", subjects: ["Inquest","Death investigation","Drowning","African American history","Black history","Legal documents","New Haven County","Milford","Slave records"], description: "Collection of documents related to inquests conducted by the New Haven County Superior Court in 1748, including the inquest into the death of Quommong (also referred to as Quenmaney), a young Black man who drowned in Milford, Connecticut, and the inquest on Suddon and Coeke, a Negro man.", place: [@milford, @new_haven_county]}

@file_pinax -> documents -> @inquest_quommong_1748:event

@file_pinax -> documents -> @inquest_suddon_coeke:event

@inquest_quommong_1748:event -> indexed under -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@inquest_suddon_coeke:event -> indexed under -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@william_pickett -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@tho_gibb -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@samuel_ouattamens -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@stephen_caldwell -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@cl_bennet -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@james_davidson -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@john_miles -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@john_mervin_jnr -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@leslie_mallib -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@joshua_conwell -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@joseph_bryan -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@miles_mervin -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@john_fawler -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@new_haven_county_superior_court -> contributed to -> @file_pinax

@inquest_quommong_1748:event -> involved -> @quommong

@inquest_quommong_1748:event -> overseen by -> @john_fawler

@inquest_quommong_1748:event -> summoned by -> @jw_fawler_constable

@inquest_quommong_1748:event -> had jury -> [@william_pickett, @tho_gibb, @samuel_ouattamens, @stephen_caldwell, @cl_bennet, @james_davidson, @john_miles, @john_mervin_jnr, @leslie_mallib, @joshua_conwell, @joseph_bryan, @miles_mervin, @willm_jullitt_the_gill, @sam_l_dratt_junr, @stephen_baldwin, @charles_bennett, @quincy_davidson, @john_mott, @lewis_mullett, @joshua_rowell, @jos_bryen, @miley_mervin_junr]

@inquest_suddon_coeke:event -> participants -> [@suddon, @coeke]

@new_haven_county_superior_court -> recorded -> @inquest_suddon_coeke:event

@inquest_quommong_1748:event -> subject -> "death investigation"

@inquest_suddon_coeke:event -> subject -> "Negro man inquest"

@inquest_quommong_1748:event -> location -> @milford

@inquest_suddon_coeke:event -> location -> @milford

@inquest_quommong_1748:event -> date -> @date_1748_07_09

@inquest_suddon_coeke:event -> date -> @date_1748_07

@file_pinax -> indexed under -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

---

Metadata

Version History (9 versions)

  • ✓ v9 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:25:34 PM
    "Added description"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 3:05:41 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 6:44:49 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:34:39 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 2 groups"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:34:38 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM13RVD2ZD9346P7VGFYKF8"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:34:37 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM13QH2BWKHZAEV35FDEJJ9"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:22:44 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 3 files"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:50 AM · View this version
    "Set parent to 01KBKZYT0EP3B3FKJHAY6X008T"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:34 AM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

Files were grouped by the specific inquest case they document, as indicated by both filename patterns and OCR content. The primary division is between the Quommong/Quenmaney case (002 and 001 files) and the Suddon & coeke case (003 files). Each group includes both JPEG and TIFF versions of the documents along with their reference files. This organization preserves the archival relationship between different file formats of the same document while maintaining clear separation between distinct legal cases.

## Groups Created

- **Inquest_on_Quommong_1748**: Documents related to the inquest into the death of Quommong (also referred to as Quenmaney), a young Black man who drowned in Milford in July 1748.
- **Inquest_on_Suddon_and_coeke_1748**: Documents related to the inquest into the death of Suddon & coeke, an elderly Black man in Milford in July 1748.

Parent

01KBKZYT0EP3B3FKJHAY6X008T

Children (2)