RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_Mary_Coffe_001.jpg

Arrest Warrant and Escape Notice for Mary Coffe Case

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:20:28 PM

Added description

Description

Arrest Warrant and Escape Notice for Mary Coffe Case

Overview

This digital collection preserves two primary documents from the early 18th‑century New Haven County Superior Court: an arrest warrant dated 22 June 1719 and an escape notice issued in 1720. Both documents are rendered as high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF images, each accompanied by machine‑generated OCR text. The collection is part of the Connecticut State Library’s New Haven County Superior Court (NHSC) files, specifically the “Black, African American, and Indigenous History” (BAAI) subset, and is indexed under the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject field.

Background

The case concerns Mary Coffe, an Indian woman murdered in Durham, New Haven County. The arrest warrant was issued by Sheriff Joshua Hoggis and signed by Assistant James Wadsworth, directing the constable of Durham to take a negro servant of Mr. Hez Fallcott into custody. The escape notice, dated 1720 and authored by William Fox, reports that the prisoner has fled and cannot be located. These documents illustrate the legal procedures applied to a racially mixed crime in colonial Connecticut and reflect the broader historiographical focus on Black, African American, and Indigenous experiences within the colonial court system.

Contents

  • Arrest Warrant (22 June 1719) – A formal order for the arrest of the negro servant of Mr. Hez Fallcott, with instructions to deliver him to the county office and prison.
  • Escape Notice (1720) – A brief report stating that the prisoner has escaped and is untraceable.
  • Metadata – English language, created 1719‑1720, place: Durham, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States.
  • Digital Assets – JPEG and TIFF images of each document, both with OCR‑extracted text.
  • Subject Headings – Arrest Warrant, Escape Notice, Crime, Murder, Indian, Negro, Servant, New Haven County.

Scope

The collection covers a narrow, well‑defined period (1719‑1720) and geographic area (Durham, New Haven County). It focuses on a single criminal case involving a murder of an Indian woman and the subsequent arrest and escape of a negro servant. The documents are primary sources for scholars studying early colonial justice, race relations, and the legal treatment of Indigenous and African‑descended peoples in New England. The collection does not include court transcripts, trial records, or broader case files, but it is linked to the larger NHSC BAAI database for contextual research.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax:file {title: "Arrest Warrant and Escape Notice for Mary Coffe Case", type: "Collection", creators: [@joshua_hoggis, @james_wadsworth], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created_start: @date_1719_06_22, created_end: @date_1720, language: "en", subjects: ["Arrest Warrant","Escape Notice","Crime","Murder","Indian","Negro","Servant","New Haven County"], description: "Collection containing an arrest warrant and escape notice related to the case of Mary Coffe, an Indian woman who was murdered. The documents pertain to the arrest of a negro man servant of Mr. Hez Fallcott, who was accused of the murder.", places: [@durham, @new_haven_county]}

@joshua_hoggis:person {role: "Sheriff"}

@james_wadsworth:person {role: "Assistant"}

@william_fox:person {role: "Mentioned in escape notice"}

@hez_fallcott:person {full_name: "Mr. Hez Fallcott"}

@mary_coffe:person {ethnicity: "Indian", role: "Victim"}

@negro_servant:person {description: "Negro man servant of Mr. Hez Fallcott"}

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

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

@connecticut_state_library:organization {type: "State Library"}

@arrest_warrant:document {type: "Arrest Warrant", case: @mary_coffe, date: @date_1719_06_22, issuer: @joshua_hoggis, signer: @james_wadsworth}

@escape_notice:document {type: "Escape Notice", date: @date_1720, author: @william_fox, subject: @negro_servant}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_mary_coffe_001_jpg:file {ocr_text: "To the Constable of the Town of Durham in the County of New Haven. Greeting. In his Majesty's name you are hereby required to take into your care, and safely to convey unto the Goal in 1st County Office a negro man, the Servant of Mr. Hez: Fallcott of 1st Durham, which Office hath lately murdered Mary an Indian woman, Servant unto the 1st Mr. Fallcott, as 1st Office hath owned, who you are to deliver unto the keeper of the 1st Goal in the prison, and the 1st prison keeper is hereby in his Majesty's name required to take the 1st Coffee into his custody and him safely keep until His Majesty's Superior Court Shall Sit in 1st County, and then to observe such orders as shall then be given by 1st Court. Laile not. Dated in Durham, June 22nd in the fifth year of her Majesty's Reign. Anno Domini 1719. The 1st Constable is directed to take a man with him for his assistance. Signed pr James Wadsworth Assistant."}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_mary_coffe_002_jpg:file {ocr_text: "The within mentioned prisoner hath made his escape & cannot be found. Joshua Hoggis sheriff 1720 William Fox Negroes (illegible) who made his escape"}

@file_pinax -> contains -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_mary_coffe_001_jpg

@file_pinax -> contains -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_mary_coffe_002_jpg

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_mary_coffe_001_jpg -> depicts -> @arrest_warrant

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_mary_coffe_002_jpg -> depicts -> @escape_notice

@negro_servant -> accused_of -> @murder:concept {victim: @mary_coffe}

@hez_fallcott -> employer_of -> @negro_servant

@durham -> located_in -> @new_haven_county

@arrest_warrant -> issued_by -> @joshua_hoggis

@arrest_warrant -> signed_by -> @james_wadsworth

@escape_notice -> authored_by -> @william_fox

@file_pinax -> subject_index -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept

@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept {description: "Subject terms for New Haven County Superior Court files involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals"}

Metadata

Files (4)

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_Mary_Coffe_001.jpgJPEG
518.38 KB
OCR Text

To the Constable of the Town of Durham in the County of New Haven. Greeting. In his Majesty's name you are hereby required to take into your care, and safely to convey unto the Goal in 1st County Office a negro man, the Servant of Mr. Hez: Fallcott of 1st Durham, which Office hath lately murdered Mary an Indian woman, Servant unto the 1st Mr. Fallcott, as 1st Office hath owned, who you are to deliver unto the keeper of the 1st Goal in the prison, and the 1st prison keeper is hereby in his Majesty's name required to take the 1st Coffee into his custody and him safely keep until His Majesty's Superior Court Shall Sit in 1st County, and then to observe such orders as shall then be given by 1st Court. Laile not. Dated in Durham, June 22nd in the fifth year of her Majesty's Reign. Anno Domini 1719. The 1st Constable is directed to take a man with him for his assistance. Signed pr James Wadsworth Assistant.

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_Mary_Coffe_002.jpgJPEG
444.21 KB
OCR Text

The within mentioned prisoner hath made his escape & cannot be found. Joshua Hoggis sheriff 1720 William Fox Negroes (illegible) who made his escape

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:20:28 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:50:44 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:40:55 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:33:45 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Arrest_Warrant_and_Escape_Notice"

Parent

01KBKZZ2D383NZAZV0KP1BRBG0

No children (leaf entity)