Inquest Documents for Will, 1741
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:21:25 PM
Added description
Description
Inquest Documents for Will, 1741
Overview
The Inquest Documents for Will, 1741 is a digital collection from the Connecticut State Library that preserves the original paper record and report of a colonial inquest held in Milford, Connecticut, on January 31, 1741. The collection consists of two high‑resolution JPEG images—one of the sworn inquest record and one of the accompanying report—along with a Pinax metadata file that catalogs the documents and links them to the library’s New Haven County Superior Court (NHSC) database.Background
In the early 18th century, Milford’s civil authorities convened a jury of inquiry to investigate the sudden death of a Negro slave named Will. Will was owned by Thomas Hunt of Barmous Match and had been brought to Milford from New York by Henry Carney. The case was discovered by David Clark near Clarks Orchard, a location south of the Milford‑Stratford road. The inquest was part of the Connecticut colonial legal system and is now a key primary source for scholars studying African‑American and slave history in New England.The Connecticut State Library’s “Black, African American, and Indigenous History” project (BAAI) has digitized this material as part of its effort to make NHSC files accessible. The Pinax metadata records the names of the twelve jurors—Joseph Smith, Nathanell Camp, Samuel Brisco, Josiah Tibbetts, Sam O’Gunn Jr., Sam O’Gibbs, Noah Baldwin, Thomas Canfield, Phenihus Porter, Elenecer Botichfor, and Samuel Peck—who sworn to determine the cause of death.
Contents
- RG003NHSCBAAIPSInquestsWill001.jpg – OCR‑extracted text of the sworn inquest record, including the jurors’ signatures and the verdict that Will’s death was caused by “excessive cold.”
- RG003NHSCBAAIPSInquestsWill002.jpg – OCR‑extracted text of the formal report of the inquest, dated Jan. 31, 1741.
- pinax.json – Metadata file linking the images to the NHSCBAAICasesPapersSubject index and providing provenance, creator, and subject information.
Scope
The collection covers a single event: the January 31, 1741 inquest into the death of a Negro slave in Milford, Connecticut. It is geographically confined to Milford (and the surrounding area of Clarks Orchard) and temporally limited to the early 18th century. The documents focus on the legal procedures of the time, the identification of the deceased, the determination of cause of death, and the roles of the jurors and slaveholder. The collection is a valuable resource for researchers of colonial law, African‑American history, and the lived experiences of enslaved people in New England.Entities
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Entity Relationships
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Raw Cheimarros Data
@file_pinax:metadata {title: "Inquest Documents for Will, 1741", creator: ["Joseph Smith","Nathanell Camp","Samuel Brisco","Josiah Tibbetts","Sam O'Gunn Jr.","Sam O'Gibbs","Noah Baldwin","Thomas Canfield","Phenihus Porter","Elenecer Botichfor","Samuel Peck"], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1741_01_31, language: "en", subjects: ["Inquest","Death Investigation","African American History","Slave","Milford","Connecticut"]}
@connecticut_state_library:organization {full_name: "Connecticut State Library"}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_will_001_jpg:file {type: "image", description: "OCR of inquest record for Will, 1741"}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_will_002_jpg:file {type: "image", description: "OCR of report of inquest on death of a Negro man, 1741"}
@milford:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}
@connecticut:place {country: @united_states}
@stratford:place {state: @connecticut, country: @united_states}
@clarks_orchard:place {description: "Orchard near the road from Milford to Stratford"}
@will:person {status: "Negro slave", died: @date_1741_01_31, ethnicity: "African American", slave_of: @thomas_hunt}
@thomas_hunt:person {occupation: "slaveholder"}
@david_clark:person {role: "discoverer"}
@henry_carney:person {origin: @new_york, role: "brought Will to Milford"}
@excessive_cold:concept {description: "Cause of death determined by the inquest"}
@will_inquest:event {when: @date_1741_01_31, where: @milford, description: "Inquest into the death of Will, a Negro slave of Thomas Hunt"}
@will_inquest -> took place in -> @milford
@will_inquest -> involved -> @will
@will_inquest -> involved -> @thomas_hunt
@will_inquest -> discovered by -> @david_clark
@will_inquest -> location of discovery -> @clarks_orchard
@will_inquest -> cause_of_death -> @excessive_cold
@joseph_smith:person {full_name: "Joseph Smith"}
@nathanell_camp:person {full_name: "Nathanell Camp"}
@samuel_brisco:person {full_name: "Samuel Brisco"}
@josiah_tibbetts:person {full_name: "Josiah Tibbetts"}
@sam_ogunn_jr:person {full_name: "Sam O'Gunn Jr."}
@sam_ogibbs:person {full_name: "Sam O'Gibbs"}
@noah_baldwin:person {full_name: "Noah Baldwin"}
@thomas_canfield:person {full_name: "Thomas Canfield"}
@phenihus_porter:person {full_name: "Phenihus Porter"}
@elenecer_botichfor:person {full_name: "Elenecer Botichfor"}
@samuel_peck:person {full_name: "Samuel Peck"}
@sam_ogunn:person {full_name: "Sam O'Gunn", role: "Justice of the Peace"}
@will_inquest -> jurors -> [@joseph_smith, @nathanell_camp, @samuel_brisco, @josiah_tibbetts, @sam_ogunn_jr, @sam_ogibbs, @noah_baldwin, @thomas_canfield, @phenihus_porter, @elenecer_botichfor, @samuel_peck]
@sam_ogunn -> certified -> @will_inquest {role: "Justice of the Peace"}
@file_pinax -> documents -> @will_inquest
@file_pinax -> includes -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_will_001_jpg
@file_pinax -> includes -> @file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_will_002_jpg
@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 -> indexed_by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subjectMetadata
Files (2)
OCR Text
Milford January 31st A.D. 1740-41 We the subscribers being taken by a Constable with a writ from the Civil Authority in Milford, and under of Bonds of a Fain of a jury of inquiry to make diligent Enquiry into the Cause of the untimely death of a Negro man, first found, or discovered by David Clark at a place called Clarks orchard, or near thereunto Southward of the Road which leads from Milford to Stratford, about the distance of two miles, from the Town of Milford, and from said Road about forty rods, on this day it being the Negro which came to Milford with Henry Carney of New York with which he so Carried was the Slave of Thomas Hunt of Barmous match whose name was Will, we according to our oath us binding thereunto, to make true presentment, by our Verdict declare we are agreed and do judge said Negro Will's death was occasioned by Excessive Cold so long as we think. Joseph Smith Nathanell Camp Samuel Brisco Josiah Tibbetts Sam O'Gunn Jr. Sam O'Gibbs Noah Baldwin Thomas Canfield Phenihus Porter Elenecer Botichfor Samuel Peck jurors of inquiry The above subscribing jurors were Sworn on the day of the above date before they Entered on to service of inquiry as aforesaid Sworn, Certified and attested to by Sam O'Gunn Justice of Peace
OCR Text
Report of Inquest on Death of a Negro Man Milford Jan. 31, 1741
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:21:25 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:54:37 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:41:37 AM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:34:28 AM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Inquest_Documents_Will_1741"
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