Inquest Documents for Peter Negro, 1718
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:20:21 PM
Added description
Description
Inquest Documents for Peter Negro, 1718
Overview
This is a digital collection of two scanned images of colonial inquest documents concerning the death of Peter Negro, an African American man found dead in Wallingford, Connecticut, in 1718. The collection is held by the Connecticut State Library and is part of the New Haven County Superior Court (NHSC) files, specifically the Black, African American, and Indigenous (BAAI) subset. The documents are presented in a PINAX metadata record and include the jury list, oath, and the formal report of the inquiry.Background
In the early 18th‑century Connecticut colony, inquests were convened to determine causes of death and to record findings for legal and administrative purposes. The case of Peter Negro is notable for its documentation of an African American individual’s death in a period when such records were rare. The inquest was administered by Justice of the Peace Thomas Yale and heard by a jury of twelve local men, whose names are recorded in the first image. The event took place on May 24, 1718, on the land of Moses Maxwellman in Wallingford, within New Haven County.Contents
- RG003NHSCBAAIPSInquestsPeter001.jpg – OCR‑extracted text of the jury list and oath administered by Thomas Yale.
- RG003NHSCBAAIPSInquestsPeter002.jpg – OCR‑extracted text of the formal report dated May 1, 1718, titled “Report of a Jury of Inquiry.”
Scope
The collection covers a single inquest event (May 24, 1718) in Wallingford, Connecticut, and the associated report dated May 1, 1718. It focuses on the death investigation of an African American individual and includes legal documentation such as jury composition and procedural details. The material is relevant to scholars of early colonial legal history, African American history, and the administrative practices of New Haven County in the early 1700s. The collection does not include any additional case files or subsequent legal actions related to Peter Negro.Entities
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Entity Relationships
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Raw Cheimarros Data
@connecticut:place {type: "state", country: @united_states}
@new_haven_county:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}
@wallingford:place {county: @new_haven_county, state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}
@connecticut_state_library:organization {location: @new_haven_county, type: "state library"}
@peter_negro:person {ethnicity: "African American", role: "deceased"}
@thomas_yale:person {occupation: "justice of the peace"}
@james_munson:person {occupation: "juror"}
@william_frederick:person {occupation: "juror"}
@jacob_johnson:person {occupation: "juror"}
@james_donham:person {occupation: "juror"}
@theophilus_yall:person {occupation: "juror"}
@daniel_hall:person {occupation: "juror"}
@moses_maxwellman:person {occupation: "juror"}
@thomas_beach:person {occupation: "juror"}
@isaac_cuttof:person {occupation: "juror"}
@caleb_lewis:person {occupation: "juror"}
@john_miles:person {occupation: "juror"}
@lumbert_johnson:person {occupation: "juror"}
@inquest_event_1718_05_24:event {date: @date_1718_05_24, location: @wallingford, subject: @peter_negro, outcome: "natural death"}
@inquest_event_1718_05_24 -> had juror -> [@james_munson, @william_frederick, @jacob_johnson, @james_donham, @theophilus_yall, @daniel_hall, @moses_maxwellman, @thomas_beach, @isaac_cuttof, @caleb_lewis, @john_miles, @lumbert_johnson]
@inquest_event_1718_05_24 -> administered oath by -> @thomas_yale
@inquest_event_1718_05_24 -> documented in -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_peter_001_jpg:file {type: "image", content: "OCR text of jury inquest"}
@inquest_report_1718_05_01:document {date: @date_1718_05_01, location: @wallingford, subject: @peter_negro, title: "Report of a Jury of Inquiry"}
@inquest_report_1718_05_01 -> documented in -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_peter_002_jpg:file {type: "image", content: "OCR text of report"}
@inquest_documents_collection:document {title: "Inquest Documents for Peter Negro, 1718", created: @date_1718_05_24, institution: @connecticut_state_library, description: "Collection of inquest documents related to the death of Peter Negro in Wallingford, Connecticut, 1718. Includes jury findings and report.", subjects: ["Inquest", "Death investigation", "African American history", "Legal documents", "Wallingford (Conn.)"], place: [@wallingford, @new_haven_county]}
@inquest_documents_collection -> contains -> @inquest_event_1718_05_24
@inquest_documents_collection -> contains -> @inquest_report_1718_05_01
@file_pinax:file {title: "Inquest Documents for Peter Negro, 1718", type: "metadata", format: "PINAX"}
@file_pinax -> describes -> @inquest_documents_collection
@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept {description: "Subject-index field for New Haven County Superior Court files involving Black, African American, and Indigenous cases and papers"}Metadata
Files (2)
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_Peter_001.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
We whose names are under written being summon'd of a jury of inquest upon the body of Peter Negro being found in Moses Maxwellman land in Wallingford: we judge that if the Peter Negro died a natural death. Wallingford May 24, 1718: The oath was administered to the jury by me Thomas Yale justice peace James Munson William Frederick Jacob Johnson James Donham Theophilus Yall Daniel Hall Moses Maxwellman Thomas Beach Isaac Cuttof Caleb Lewis John Miles Lumbert Johnson
RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_Peter_002.jpgJPEG
OCR Text
Report of a Jury of Inquiry at Wallingford May 1, 1718 Peter - a Negro.
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:20:21 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:52:20 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:40:56 AM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:38 AM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Inquest_Documents_Peter_Negro_1718"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)