RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Executions_MountainJoseph_002.jpg

Execution Return for Joseph Mountain

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:18:31 PM

Added description

Description

Execution Return for Joseph Mountain (1790) Collection

Overview

This collection comprises the official “Execution Return” documenting the hanging of Joseph Mountain in New Haven, Connecticut, dated October 20, 1790. It includes a textual record, a high‑resolution JPEG image of the return, and a TIFF scan of the same document. The materials are held by the Connecticut State Library and are part of the New Haven County Superior Court Files (NHSC) series, specifically the Black, African American, and Indigenous History (BAAI) subset.

Background

The return was authored by Sheriff Jno W. Smith, who served as the local law‑enforcement officer responsible for carrying out the execution. The document is a primary source for legal historians studying 18th‑century criminal justice in Connecticut. It is cataloged within the NHSC BAAI database, which indexes cases and papers involving African American and Indigenous individuals. The collection was digitized under the Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County court project, a National Heritage Preservation Grant initiative aimed at preserving and making accessible court records from the period.

Contents

  • Textual metadata (JSON): Provides bibliographic details (title, creator, date, subjects, description, place).
  • JPEG image (RG003NHSCBAAIPSExecutionsMountainJoseph002.jpg): A scanned photograph of the return, including OCR‑extracted text that reads: “New Haven Oct 20th, 1790… I took the body of the within mentioned Joseph Mountain from the Prison and carried him to an open and convenient place for execution… Test: Jno W. Smith Sheriff.”
  • TIFF scan (RG003NHSCBAAIPSExecutionsMountainJoseph002.tif): A high‑resolution, lossless scan of the same document for archival preservation.
  • Entity‑relationship JSON: Links the return to the NHSC BAAI database, identifies the individuals involved, and records the provenance of the images.

Scope

The collection covers a single legal event—Joseph Mountain’s execution—within the broader context of New Haven County’s criminal justice system in the late 18th century. It is geographically limited to New Haven, Connecticut, and temporally confined to October 20, 1790. The materials focus on the procedural aspects of the execution, the role of Sheriff Smith, and the documentation practices of the time. They do not include ancillary court transcripts, sentencing records, or personal correspondence related to the case.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@execution_return_joseph_mountain:document {title: "Execution Return for Joseph Mountain", creator: @jno_w_smith, institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1790_10_20, language: "en", subjects: ["Execution","Legal Documents","New Haven County","Joseph Mountain","Crime and Punishment"], description: "Document certifying the execution of Joseph Mountain by Sheriff Jno W. Smith in New Haven, Connecticut on October 20, 1790.", place: @new_haven}


@jno_w_smith:person {full_name: "Jno W. Smith", role: "Sheriff"}

@joseph_mountain:person {full_name: "Joseph Mountain", status: "executed"}

@new_haven:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}

@connecticut:place {country: @united_states}

@connecticut_state_library:organization {name: "Connecticut State Library"}

@new_haven_county_superior_court_files:organization {name: "New Haven County Superior Court Files", abbreviation: "NHSC"}

@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept {description: "Subject column for New Haven County Superior Court files related to Black, African American, and Indigenous cases and papers"}


@execution_return_joseph_mountain -> part of -> @new_haven_county_superior_court_files

@new_haven_county_superior_court_files -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject


@joseph_mountain -> executed by -> @jno_w_smith {when: @date_1790_10_20, where: @new_haven}


@file_pinax:document {type: "metadata", format: "PINAX", refers_to: @execution_return_joseph_mountain}


@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_executions_mountainjoseph_002_jpg:document {type: "image", format: "jpg", ocr_text: "New Haven Oct 20th, 1790\nThat by virtue of the within warrant I took the body of the within mentioned Joseph Mountain from the Prison and carried him to an open and convenient place for execution and there caused him to be hanged with a rope about his neck between the heavens and the earth until he was dead.\nTest: Jno W. Smith Sheriff"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_executions_mountainjoseph_002_jpg -> depicts -> @execution_return_joseph_mountain

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_executions_mountainjoseph_002_tif:document {type: "image", format: "tif", note: "No OCR text available"}

Metadata

Files (2)

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Executions_MountainJoseph_002.jpgJPEG
286.15 KB
OCR Text

New Haven Oct 20th, 1790 That by virtue of the within warrant I took the body of the within mentioned Joseph Mountain from the Prison and carried him to an open and convenient place for execution and there caused him to be hanged with a rope about his neck between the heavens and the earth until he was dead. Test: Jno W. Smith Sheriff

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:18:31 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:45:31 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:39:38 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:30:41 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Execution_Return_Joseph_Mountain"

Parent

01KBKZY57F7AZZ7FFHCSJCP1JP

No children (leaf entity)