RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_Sunk_003.jpg

Inquest and Verdict of Peter Sunk, an Indian

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:20:54 PM

Added description

Description

Inquest and Verdict of Peter Sunk, an Indian

Overview

This digital collection preserves the original inquest and verdict documents concerning the sudden death of Peter Sunk (also known as Hoase), an Indigenous person, who was shot in 1735. The collection, created by the Jury of Augusta and housed by the Connecticut State Library, comprises two primary documents—an inquest record from Derby and a verdict from Augusta—along with high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF images of each page and accompanying OCR text. The material is indexed under the subject terms “Inquests,” “Verdicts,” “Death,” “Indigenous People,” “Legal Documents,” and “Colonial America.”

Background

The documents originate from the New Haven County Superior Court, a repository of colonial legal records. They were produced during the early colonial period of Connecticut, a time when Indigenous peoples were increasingly subject to colonial legal processes. The collection is part of the library’s New Haven County court project that focuses on Black, African American, and Indigenous history (BAAI), and is catalogued under the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject concept.

Contents

  • Inquest Document (Derby, May 4 1735): A sworn account of the circumstances of Peter Sunk’s death, detailing the bullet’s trajectory and the jury’s observations. The OCR transcript reproduces the original text, including the alias “Hoase” and the description of the fatal wound.
  • Verdict Document (Augusta, 1735): The formal judgment rendered by the Jury of Augusta, listing the jury members—Francis French, John Davis, Micah Benman, Joseph Johnston, Thomas Bassett, Daniel Fuller, Sam Plum, Ebenzer Catfield, Nathaniel Worster, Silvester Worcester, Nathan Davis, and Samuel Humphrey—and the final decision.
  • Images: JPEG and TIFF scans of both documents, providing visual fidelity for researchers.
  • Metadata: Full descriptive record, including creator, creation date, subjects, and place information.

Scope

The collection covers a single legal proceeding in 1735, documenting the inquest and verdict for the death of an Indigenous individual in colonial Connecticut. It is geographically limited to Derby (inquest) and Augusta (verdict) and temporally confined to the year 1735. The material is relevant to scholars of colonial law, Indigenous history, and the legal treatment of non‑European peoples in early America. The collection does not include related case files, witness statements, or subsequent legal actions beyond the verdict.

Entities

(loading...)

Entity Relationships

(loading...)

Raw Cheimarros Data

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

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_sunk_003_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_sunk_004_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_sunk_003_tif:file {type: "Image/Asset"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_sunk_004_tif:file {type: "Image/Asset"}

@connecticut_state_library:organization {full_name: "Connecticut State Library"}

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

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

@jury_of_augusta:organization {type: "jury", location: @augusta}

@peter_sunk:person {ethnicity: "Indigenous", role: "deceased", alias: "Hoase"}

@francis_french:person {full_name: "Francis French"}

@john_davis:person {full_name: "John Davis"}

@micah_benman:person {full_name: "Micah Benman"}

@joseph_johnston:person {full_name: "Joseph Johnston"}

@thomas_bassett:person {full_name: "Thomas Bassett"}

@daniel_fuller:person {full_name: "Daniel Fuller"}

@sam_plum:person {full_name: "Sam. Plum"}

@ebenzer_catfield:person {full_name: "Ebenzer Catfield"}

@nathaniel_worster:person {full_name: "Nathaniel Worster"}

@silvester_worcester:person {full_name: "Silvester Worcester"}

@nathan_davis:person {full_name: "Nathan Davis"}

@samuel_humphrey:person {full_name: "Samuel Humphrey"}

@inquest_document:document {date: @date_1735_05_04, location: @derby, description: "Inquest of the sudden death of Peter Sunk"}

@verdict_document:document {date: @date_1735, location: @augusta, description: "Verdict of the Jury of Augusta on the death of Peter Sunk"}

@sunk_inquest_collection:collection {title: "Inquest and Verdict of Peter Sunk, an Indian", creator: @jury_of_augusta, institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1735_05_04, subjects: ["Inquests","Verdicts","Death","Indigenous People","Legal Documents","Colonial America"], places: [@augusta, @derby]}

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

@sunk_inquest_collection -> contains -> @inquest_document

@sunk_inquest_collection -> contains -> @verdict_document

@sunk_inquest_collection -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject

@file_pinax -> documents -> @sunk_inquest_collection

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_sunk_003_jpg -> image of -> @inquest_document

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_sunk_004_jpg -> image of -> @verdict_document

@peter_sunk -> involved in -> @inquest_document

@peter_sunk -> involved in -> @verdict_document

@francis_french -> member of -> @jury_of_augusta

@john_davis -> member of -> @jury_of_augusta

@micah_benman -> member of -> @jury_of_augusta

@joseph_johnston -> member of -> @jury_of_augusta

@thomas_bassett -> member of -> @jury_of_augusta

@daniel_fuller -> member of -> @jury_of_augusta

@sam_plum -> member of -> @jury_of_augusta

@ebenzer_catfield -> member of -> @jury_of_augusta

@nathaniel_worster -> member of -> @jury_of_augusta

@silvester_worcester -> member of -> @jury_of_augusta

@nathan_davis -> member of -> @jury_of_augusta

@samuel_humphrey -> member of -> @jury_of_augusta

Metadata

Files (4)

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_Sunk_003.jpgJPEG
499.77 KB
OCR Text

Derby May 4th 1735 We the subscribers being a jury of Inquest summoned by the Constable & under restriction of a solemn oath of jury of Inquest provided by law of this Colony to settle upon & search, or tryal of the sudden & violent death of Peter Sank, alias Hoase an Indian fellow, whom we find very lately to be shot thro'g body by a large bullet which went in at his back parts near his ribs & went as we judge thro' the trunk of his body & to skin on the contrary side which we judge was occasion of his sudden & violent death. Francis French John Davis Micah Benman Joseph Johnston Thomas Bassett Daniel Fuller Sam. Plum Ebenzer Catfield Nathaniel Worster Silvester Worcester Nathan Davis Samuel Humphrey

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_Sunk_004.jpgJPEG
396.24 KB
OCR Text

The Jury of Augusta's verdict on the sudden death of Peter Sunk the Indian 1735

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:20:54 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:54:17 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:41:17 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:34:41 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Inquest_Verdict"

Parent

01KBKZZ53D1SRGD9T9DPXPFFW8

No children (leaf entity)