Inquest Documents for London, a Negro Man, 1713
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:20:09 PM
Added description
Description
Inquest Documents for London, a Negro Man, 1713
Overview
This collection comprises the official inquest records concerning the death of London, a Negro man owned by Mr. Lewis Lizon, who was found to have hanged himself on September 24, 1713. The material is held by the Connecticut State Library as part of the New Haven County Superior Court files and is indexed under the BAAI (Black, African American, and Indigenous) subject heading. It includes the jury’s written report, the inquest findings, and high‑resolution scans of the original documents in both JPEG and TIFF formats.Background
In the early 18th century, New England courts routinely investigated deaths of enslaved individuals. The inquest into London’s death was convened in Milford, New Haven County, and recorded by a jury of twelve men. The case reflects the legal and social attitudes toward slavery, mental health, and suicide in colonial Connecticut. The Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County project focuses on uncovering such records to illuminate African American and Indigenous histories within the region.Contents
- Jury Report (September 24, 1713): A written statement declaring that no mortal wound was found and that London had hanged himself with a chain.
- List of Jurors: Miels Messin, William Adams, Jeremiah Brad, Samuel Baldwin, George Allen, Thomas Hibbert, Andrew Sanford, Joseph Clark, Nath. & Terrand Jm., Joseph Smith, Joseph Bryan, and Ebenezer Bryan.
- Photographic and TIFF scans: Two JPEG images (RG003NHSCBAAIPSInquestsLondon001.jpg and 002.jpg) and corresponding TIFF files (RG003NHSCBAAIPSInquestsLondon001.tif and 002.tif) provide digitized reproductions of the original documents, including OCR‑extracted text.
- Metadata: The collection is catalogued under the subject index “Nhsc Baai Cases Papers Subject,” linking it to broader court records involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals.
Scope
The collection covers a single inquest event dated September 24, 1713, in Milford, Connecticut. It includes all surviving official documents related to the case, their digital reproductions, and associated metadata. The material is limited to the inquest report and does not contain ancillary court filings, personal correspondence, or subsequent legal proceedings. It is valuable for scholars studying colonial legal practices, slavery, and the historical experiences of African Americans in New England.Entities
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Entity Relationships
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Raw Cheimarros Data
@inquest_documents_london:collection {title: "Inquest Documents for London, a Negro Man, 1713", creator: @jury_of_enquiry, institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1713_09_24, language: "en", subjects: ["Inquest","Death","Suicide","Slavery","African American History","Legal Documents"], place: @milford}
@london:person {description: "Negro man whose death was investigated in 1713"}
@lewis_lizon:person {full_name: "Lewis Lizon"}
@jury_of_enquiry:organization {type: "Jury"}
@miels_messin:person {full_name: "Miels Messin"}
@william_adams:person {full_name: "William Adams"}
@jeremiah_brad:person {full_name: "Jeremiah Brad"}
@samuel_baldwin:person {full_name: "Samuel Baldwin"}
@george_allen:person {full_name: "George Allen"}
@thomas_hibbert:person {full_name: "Thomas Hibbert"}
@andrew_sanford:person {full_name: "Andrew Sanford"}
@joseph_clark:person {full_name: "Joseph Clark"}
@nath_terrand_jm:person {full_name: "Nath. & Terrand Jm."}
@joseph_smith:person {full_name: "Joseph Smith"}
@joseph_bryan:person {full_name: "Joseph Bryan"}
@ebenezer_bryan:person {full_name: "Ebenezer Bryan"}
@milford:place {county: @new_haven_county, state: @connecticut}
@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept {description: "Subject index field for New Haven County Superior Court files concerning Black, African American, and Indigenous cases and papers"}
@file_pinax:file {format: "PINAX", related_to: @inquest_documents_london}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_london_001_jpg:file {format: "JPEG", ocr_text: "We whose names are under written being summoned a Jury for Inquiring into the cause of the Death of London a Negrow man, belonging to Mr. Lewis Lizon, upon Search do not find any mortal wound upon his body: But doe Judge that his Hanging himself with a chaine was the cause of his Death.\n\nMiels Messin\nWilliam Adams\nJeremiah Brad\nSamuel Baldwin\nGeorge Allen\nThomas Hibbert\n\nAndrew Sanford\nJoseph Clark\nNath. & Terrand Jm.\nJoseph Smith out\nJoseph Bryan\nEbenezer Bryan\n\nLented in Milford Septemr 24th 1713"}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_london_002_jpg:file {format: "JPEG", ocr_text: "Jury of Enquiry's Report on London Negros 1713"}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_london_002_tif:file {format: "TIFF"}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_london_001_tif:file {format: "TIFF"}
@london -> subject of -> @inquest_documents_london
@lewis_lizon -> owned -> @london
@jury_of_enquiry -> investigated -> @london
@jury_of_enquiry -> includes -> [@miels_messin, @william_adams, @jeremiah_brad, @samuel_baldwin, @george_allen, @thomas_hibbert, @andrew_sanford, @joseph_clark, @nath_terrand_jm, @joseph_smith, @joseph_bryan, @ebenezer_bryan]
@inquest_documents_london -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject
@file_pinax -> documents -> @inquest_documents_london
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_london_001_jpg -> depicts -> @inquest_documents_london
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_london_002_jpg -> depicts -> @inquest_documents_london
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_london_001_tif -> depicts -> @inquest_documents_london
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_london_002_tif -> depicts -> @inquest_documents_londonMetadata
Files (4)
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_London_001.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
We whose names are under written being summoned a Jury for Inquiring into the cause of the Death of London a Negrow man, belonging to Mr. Lewis Lizon, upon Search do not find any mortal wound upon his body: But doe Judge that his Hanging himself with a chaine was the cause of his Death. Miels Messin William Adams Jeremiah Brad Samuel Baldwin George Allen Thomas Hibbert Andrew Sanford Joseph Clark Nath. & Terrand Jm. Joseph Smith out Joseph Bryan Ebenezer Bryan Lented in Milford Septemr 24th 1713
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_London_002.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Jury of Enquiry's Report on London Negros 1713
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:20:09 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:50:39 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:40:44 AM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:13 AM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Inquest_Documents_London_Negro_1713"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)