RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_Quaste_001.jpg

Inquest into the Death of George, Servant of Timothy Sharp, 1770

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:20:39 PM

Added description

Description

George, Servant of Timothy Sharp – 1770 Inquest Records

Overview

This collection is a digitized record of the 31 July 1770 inquest into the death of George, a Black servant of Timothy Sharp, found dead on 30 July 1770 at the mouth of Stony River in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The materials comprise a scanned image of the original inquest document (JPEG and TIFF), an OCR‑extracted transcription, and a PINAX metadata file that records bibliographic and provenance details. The collection is housed by the Connecticut State Library and is part of the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject database, which indexes New Haven County Superior Court files related to Black, African American, and Indigenous cases.

Background

In the 18th‑century New England legal system, inquests were convened by local juries to determine the cause of sudden or suspicious deaths. The Haverhill Inquest Jury, composed of 15 jurors—including Sarah Hemingway Esq., Samuel Hemingway Justice of Peace, and others—concluded that George died by suicide, having cut his throat with a knife. The jury’s findings were addressed to the Superior Court, underscoring the formal procedural context of the case. The Connecticut State Library’s digitization project preserves this record as part of a broader effort to make New Haven County court documents accessible, particularly those involving African American and Indigenous individuals.

Contents

* Scanned images – A high‑resolution JPEG and a TIFF of the original inquest record, preserving the handwritten text and layout. * OCR transcription – Machine‑readable text extracted from the image, providing a searchable version of the jury’s statement. * Metadata – A PINAX JSON file containing bibliographic fields (creator, date, subjects, place, institution) and controlled subject terms such as “Inquests,” “African American history,” and “Suicide.” * Juror list – Names of all 15 jurors, indicating their titles and roles, embedded in the OCR and metadata.

Scope

The collection covers a single event (the 1770 inquest) and is geographically bound to Haverhill, Massachusetts, though the record is held in Connecticut. It focuses on legal documentation of a death involving a Black servant, offering insight into early colonial attitudes toward African American individuals. The materials are limited to the inquest record itself and its digitized representations; related court filings or subsequent appeals are not included.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {type: "Metadata (PINAX)"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_quaste_001_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_quaste_001_tif:file {type: "Image/Asset"}

@inquest_1770:event:event {date: @date_1770_07_31, location: @haverhill, institution: @connecticut_state_library, description: "Inquest records and findings regarding the death of George, a Black servant of Timothy Sharp, found dead on July 30, 1770, in Haverhill."}

@george:person {ethnicity: "Black", role: "servant", status: "deceased"}

@timothy_sharp:person {role: "employer"}

@haverhill:place {state: @massachusetts, country: @united_states}

@massachusetts:place {country: @united_states}

@stony_river:place {part_of: @haverhill}

@connecticut_state_library:organization {type: "State Library", location: @connecticut}

@connecticut:place {country: @united_states}

@sarah_hemingway:person {title: "Esq.", role: "juror"}

@samuel_hemingway:person {title: "Justice of Peace", role: "juror"}

@reckard_jarver:person {role: "juror"}

@same_forbes:person {role: "juror"}

@amherst_bradby:person {role: "juror"}

@woodley:person {role: "juror"}

@samuel_tuttle:person {role: "juror"}

@william_guekun:person {role: "juror"}

@norcom_berry:person {role: "juror"}

@john_allen:person {role: "juror"}

@john_now:person {role: "juror"}

@moy_bradley:person {role: "juror"}

@thomas_smith:person {role: "juror"}

@josiah_bradley:person {role: "juror"}

@haverhill_inquest_jury:organization {type: "Jury of Inquest", location: @haverhill, members: [@sarah_hemingway, @samuel_hemingway, @reckard_jarver, @same_forbes, @amherst_bradby, @woodley, @samuel_tuttle, @william_guekun, @norcom_berry, @john_allen, @john_now, @moy_bradley, @thomas_smith, @josiah_bradley]}

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

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

@new_haven_county_superior_court:organization {type: "Superior Court", jurisdiction: @new_haven_county}

@george -> servant of -> @timothy_sharp

@george -> died on -> @date_1770_07_30 {cause: "suicide", location: @stony_river}

@george -> examined in -> @inquest_1770:event

@inquest_1770:event -> conducted by -> @haverhill_inquest_jury

@file_pinax -> documents -> @inquest_1770:event {title: "Inquest into the Death of George, Servant of Timothy Sharp, 1770"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_quaste_001_jpg -> image of -> @inquest_1770:event

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_quaste_001_tif -> image of -> @inquest_1770:event

Metadata

Files (2)

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OCR Text

We the subscribers being a Jury of Inquest on the body of a negro man named George, late servant of our Timothy Sharp, of Haverhill, said negro being found dead on the 30th day of July, anno Domini 1770 at the mouth of Stony River in Haverhill, being sworn by Sarah Hemingway Esq., having viewed said body and heard all the evidence that could be produced, are of the opinion that said negro came his death by laying violent hands on himself, by cutting his throat by a knife or some like instrument certified by us the subscribers, this 31st Day of July 1770. To the Honorable Superior Court Samuel Hemingway Justice of Peace (Reckard Jarver) Same Forbes Amherst: Bradby and Woodley Samuel Tuttle William Guekun Norcom Berry John Allen John Now Moy Bradley Thomas Smith Josiah Bradley

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:20:39 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:52:20 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:41:07 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:32 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Inquest_George_Sharp_1770"

Parent

01KBKZYYN00J3TBKBSKCQ88865

No children (leaf entity)