Mary Coffe Inquest and Murder Case Collection

Version: 10 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:25:18 PM

Added description

Description

Mary Coffe Inquest and Murder Case Collection (1719‑1749)

Overview

This archival collection preserves the primary documentary record of the New Haven County Superior Court’s investigation into the death of Mary Coffe, an Indian woman and servant of Mr. Hez Talcott. The material spans the original 1719 inquest, subsequent arrest and escape notices, and a 1749 inquest correspondence that revisits the case. It is part of the Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County Superior Court (NHSC) files, specifically the Black, African American, and Indigenous History (BAAI) subset, and is indexed under the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject field.

Background

Mary Coffe was found dead near S. & Pallcott’s house in Durham, Connecticut, on 15 June 1719. The court convened a jury on 15 June, issuing a verdict on 17 June that the victim died from a gunshot wound. The case was later revisited in 1749 when a “Negro man” was accused of the murder, prompting a new inquest. These documents illustrate the colonial legal procedures applied to racially mixed crimes and are preserved to highlight Indigenous and African‑American experiences in early Connecticut.

Contents

  • 1719 Inquest Memorandum – scanned JPEG/TIFF images, OCR‑extracted text, and Pinax metadata detailing the jury, verdict, and circumstances.
  • Arrest Warrant (22 June 1719) – order issued by Sheriff Joshua Hoggis, signed by Assistant James Wadsworth, directing the constable to arrest the negro servant of Mr. Talcott.
  • Escape Notice (1720) – report by William Fox noting the prisoner’s escape.
  • 1749 Inquest Correspondence – handwritten report titled “Report of the Jury of Inquest on the corpse of the Indian Woman murdered at our Town”, compiled by court clerk James Wedworth, with accompanying images and OCR text.
  • Metadata and Subject Indexing – Pinax JSON record, subject headings, and linkage to the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject field.

Scope

The collection focuses on the Durham and New Town jurisdictions of New Haven County, covering the period 1719‑1749. It contains only the inquest‑related documents for the Mary Coffe case and does not include trial transcripts, broader court files, or unrelated case records. The material is valuable for scholars of colonial legal history, Indigenous studies, and African‑American history, offering insight into early 18th‑century justice and race relations in Connecticut.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {title: "Mary Coffe Inquest and Murder Case Collection", type: "Collection", creator: [@samuel_parsons, @samuel_fairchild, @robert_coe, @joseph_norton, @samuel_norton, @john_coe, @nathan_camps, @joseph_camps, @john_sutlief, @timothy_parsons, @david_robinson, @caleb_leeward, @joshua_hoggis, @james_wadsworth, @james_wedworth], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1719_06_17, language: "en", subjects: ["Inquest","Jury Report","Verdict","Murder Investigation","Indian Woman","Mary Coffe","Gunshot Wound","Arrest Warrant","Escape Notice","Crime","Murder","Servant","Indigenous people","African Americans","Legal correspondence"], description: "A collection of documents related to the inquest, jury report, and verdict for Mary Coffe, an Indian woman and servant of Mr. Hez Talcott, found dead near S. & Pallcott's house in Durham, Connecticut, on June 15, 1719. The collection includes arrest warrants, escape notices, and correspondence related to the New Haven County Superior Court inquests, including reports on the murder of an Indian woman in 1749.", place: ["Durham, Connecticut","New Haven, Connecticut","New Town, Connecticut","New Haven County"]} {start: @date_1719_06_17, end: @date_1749_07_02}


@file_pinax -> created by -> [@samuel_parsons, @samuel_fairchild, @robert_coe, @joseph_norton, @samuel_norton, @john_coe, @nathan_camps, @joseph_camps, @john_sutlief, @timothy_parsons, @david_robinson, @caleb_leeward, @joshua_hoggis, @james_wadsworth, @james_wedworth]


@file_pinax -> contains -> @arrest_warrant


@file_pinax -> contains -> @escape_notice


@file_pinax -> contains -> @inquest_report_document


@file_pinax -> contains -> @inquest_jury_report_and_verdict


@file_pinax -> contains -> @inquest_correspondence_collection:collection


@file_pinax -> subject_index -> @subject_field


@file_pinax -> subject_index -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept


@hez_talcott:person {full_name: "Hez Talcott", role: "Employer"} 


@hez_talcott -> employer_of -> @negro_servant


@mary_coffe -> subject of -> @indian_woman_murder_case


@mary_coffe -> subject of -> @inquest_jury_report_and_verdict


@indian_woman_murder_case -> victim -> @mary_coffe


@indian_woman_murder_case -> accused -> @negro_man


@indian_woman_murder_case -> investigated by -> @new_haven_county_superior_court


@indian_woman_murder_case -> constable -> @richard_newman

Metadata

Version History (10 versions)

  • ✓ v10 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:25:18 PM
    "Added description"
  • v9 · 12/4/2025, 3:05:29 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 6:44:34 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:49 AM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 3 groups"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:47 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM1279Z0BPMGSN3P2MAQVNN"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:46 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM1260WDWA35WVM4D1AD9KR"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:45 AM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBM124QFZVAGBDBYYFT7PAJV"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 6:22:32 AM · View this version
    "Added OCR to 4 files"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:45 AM · View this version
    "Set parent to 01KBKZYT0EP3B3FKJHAY6X008T"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:14:35 AM · View this version
    "Initial snapshot"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

The files were organized into three distinct groups based on their content and purpose: 1) The official jury report and verdict detailing the examination of Mary Coffe's body, 2) Documents related to the arrest and subsequent escape of the accused murderer, and 3) Correspondence sent to the Superior Court regarding the case. This grouping separates the legal documentation by function while maintaining the chronological and procedural relationship between the documents. All files were successfully grouped based on their clear content relationships.

## Groups Created

- **Inquest_Jury_Report_and_Verdict**: Documents containing the jury's official report and verdict on the death of Mary Coffe, including descriptions of the body and conclusions about the cause of death.
- **Arrest_Warrant_and_Escape_Notice**: Documents related to the arrest warrant for the accused murderer (a Black man) and subsequent notices about his escape from custody.
- **Correspondence_to_Superior_Court**: Letters sent to the Superior Court judges regarding the case, including updates about the escaped prisoner and the jury's findings.

Parent

01KBKZYT0EP3B3FKJHAY6X008T

Children (3)