RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_Dick_001.jpg

Inquest Documents for Dick, 1760

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:19:50 PM

Added description

Description

Inquest Documents for Dick, 1760

Overview

This is a two‑document collection of primary legal records from the New Haven County Superior Court, preserved by the Connecticut State Library. The items were produced on August 9, 1760, following the drowning death of “Dick,” a negro servant in Branford, Connecticut. The collection comprises a jury verdict and a return to the Superior Court, both rendered in English and digitized as high‑resolution JPEG images.

Background

The case reflects the colonial legal procedures for inquests into sudden deaths. In 1760, Branford’s local jurors—David Rose, John Russell Jull, Nathan Palmer, Daniel Barker, John Byrleton, David Harrison, John Russell, Solomon Rock, David Hope Sr., Daniel Barker Jenner, Noah Harrison, Timothy Russell, Jon Th Russell, and Mr. Jas’ Rose—were appointed to examine the circumstances. The documents are part of the Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County Superior Court (NHSC) project, specifically the Black, African American, and Indigenous History (BAAI) retrospective, which aims to digitize and contextualize court records involving African American and Indigenous individuals.

Contents

  • Verdict of Jury (Image 001): The jurors declare the death “casual by drowning in water.” The text lists all jurors’ signatures and the date, August 9, 1760.
  • Return to Superior Court (Image 002): A formal report addressed to the Honorable Superior Court of New Haven, summarizing the inquest findings. The return is dated August 1760 and references the case “Rich b. Negroman,” indicating the formal name used in court filings.

Both documents are accompanied by metadata indicating their provenance, language, and subject headings (inquest, drowning, African American history, legal documents, Branford, New Haven County).

Scope

The collection covers a single inquest event in Branford, Connecticut, in August 1760. It is geographically confined to New Haven County and thematically focused on colonial legal procedures, the treatment of African American individuals in the legal system, and the documentation of accidental deaths. The collection does not include ancillary records such as the original death certificate, witness statements, or subsequent legal actions beyond the return to the Superior Court.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@inquest_documents_for_dick_1760:collection {title: "Inquest Documents for Dick, 1760", creator: [@david_rose, @john_russell_jull, @nathan_palmer, @daniel_barker, @john_byrleton, @david_harrison, @john_russell, @solomon_rock, @david_hope_sr, @daniel_barker_jenner, @noah_harrison, @timothy_russell, @jon_th_russell, @mr_jas_rose], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1760_08_09, language: "en", subjects: ["Inquest", "Drowning", "African American History", "Black History", "Legal Documents", "New Haven County", "Branford"], description: "Collection of inquest documents related to the death of Dick, a negro man servant, who drowned in Branford, Connecticut in August 1760. The documents include the verdict of the jury of inquest and a return to the Superior Court.", place: [@branford_ct, @new_haven_county_ct]}

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

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

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

@connecticut:place {country: @united_states}

@dick_inquest:event {date: @date_1760_08_09, location: @branford_ct, subject: "death of Dick, a negro man servant", verdict: "casual death by drowning"}

@verdict_of_jury:document {type: "Verdict", date: @date_1760_08_09, related_event: @dick_inquest, content: "It was casual death by drowning in water."}

@return_to_superior_court:document {type: "Return", date: @date_1760_08_00, related_event: @dick_inquest, destination: @new_haven_superior_court}

@new_haven_superior_court:organization {jurisdiction: @new_haven_county_ct}

@david_rose:person {full_name: "David Rose"}

@john_russell_jull:person {full_name: "John Russell, Jull"}

@nathan_palmer:person {full_name: "Nathan Palmer"}

@daniel_barker:person {full_name: "Daniel Barker"}

@john_byrleton:person {full_name: "John Byrleton"}

@david_harrison:person {full_name: "David Harrison"}

@john_russell:person {full_name: "John Russell"}

@solomon_rock:person {full_name: "Solomon Rock"}

@david_hope_sr:person {full_name: "David Hope, Sr."}

@daniel_barker_jenner:person {full_name: "Daniel Barker Jenner"}

@noah_harrison:person {full_name: "Noah Harrison"}

@timothy_russell:person {full_name: "Timothy Russell"}

@jon_th_russell:person {full_name: "Jon th Russell"}

@mr_jas_rose:person {full_name: "Mr Jas' Rose"}

@david_rose -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@john_russell_jull -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@nathan_palmer -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@daniel_barker -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@john_byrleton -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@david_harrison -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@john_russell -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@solomon_rock -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@david_hope_sr -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@daniel_barker_jenner -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@noah_harrison -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@timothy_russell -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@jon_th_russell -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@mr_jas_rose -> juror in -> @dick_inquest:event

@dick_inquest:event -> produced -> @verdict_of_jury:document

@dick_inquest:event -> returned to -> @return_to_superior_court:document

@file_pinax -> documents -> @inquest_documents_for_dick_1760:collection

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_dick_001_jpg -> depicts -> @verdict_of_jury:document

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_dick_002_jpg -> depicts -> @return_to_superior_court:document

Metadata

Files (2)

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_Dick_001.jpgJPEG
443.97 KB
OCR Text

Branford August 9th, 1760 We, the subscribers being appointed a jury of inquest on Dd. Kody of Dick, a negro man servant to Docon'thol Russell of S. Manford, who came to a sudden & untimely death, having first sworn as of law directs, bring in our verdict that it was casual death by drowning in water. David Rose Jon th Russell, Jull Nathan Palmer Daniel Barker John Byrleton David Harrison John Russell Solomon Rock (Juror) David Hope, Sr. Daniel Barker Jenner Noah Harrison Timothy Russell Jon th Russell Mr Jas' Rose

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_Dick_002.jpgJPEG
368.32 KB
OCR Text

Return of the Jury of Inquest on Rich b. Negroman August 1760 Branford To the Honorable Superior Court Now Sitting for New Haven

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:19:50 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:49:34 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:40:35 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:03 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Inquest_Documents_Dick_1760"

Parent

01KBKZYYE5EFZPNF1GE631JA3Z

No children (leaf entity)