Noah Durand Confession and Bond Collection
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:20:52 PM
Added description
Description
Noah Durand Confession and Bond Collection
Overview
The Noah Durand Confession and Bond Collection is a small archival set of digitized legal documents from colonial Connecticut, preserved by the Connecticut State Library. It comprises scanned images of an inquest record and a bond of recognizance issued in 1735, together with associated metadata that places the materials within the NHSC BAAI (New Haven County Superior Court – Black, African American and Indigenous) subject index. The documents are in English, dated 1735, and relate to an accidental shooting incident in Derby, New Haven County.Background
In the early 18th‑century colonial period, Noah Durand was charged with the accidental shooting of Peter Indian Sunk, a Native American. The case was overseen by Justice of the Peace Saml Gunn, who recorded the inquest on 4 May 1735 in Derby and later issued a bond on 1 September 1735 in Nifford. The bond, amounting to 1,000 pounds in current bills of public credit, was signed by Durand and surety Francis Trench. The collection reflects the legal procedures of the time and the interactions between colonial settlers and Indigenous peoples.Contents
- Inquest Record (May 4 1735) – A handwritten account of Durand’s confession, the circumstances of the shooting, and the testimony of witnesses, including Native American witnesses.
- Bond of Recognizance (September 1 1735) – A formal bond guaranteeing Durand’s appearance before the Superior Court, signed by Durand and Trench, recorded by Gunn.
- Digital Files – High‑resolution JPEG and TIFF scans of both documents, accompanied by OCR‑derived text.
- Metadata – Descriptive fields (creator, date, subjects, place, institution) and relational links to the NHSC BAAI subject index.
Scope
The collection covers the specific legal episode of 1735 involving Noah Durand, Peter Indian Sunk, and the local court system in Derby and Nifford, New Haven County. It is limited to the inquest and bond documents and their immediate context; it does not include subsequent court proceedings, trial transcripts, or unrelated colonial records. The materials provide insight into colonial legal practices, the role of Native Americans in court cases, and the administrative procedures of the New Haven County Superior Court during the colonial era.Entities
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Entity Relationships
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Raw Cheimarros Data
@connecticut_state_library:organization {type: "State library", location: @connecticut:place}
@noah_durand_confession_and_bond_collection:collection {title: "Noah Durand Confession and Bond Collection", creator: ["Noah Durand", "Saml Gunn"], institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1735_05_23, language: "en", subjects: ["Inquests", "Accidental shooting", "Legal documents", "Native American history", "New Haven County", "Colonial America"], description: "Collection of documents related to the inquest and bond of Noah Durand for the accidental shooting of Peter Indian Sunk in Derby, New Haven County, in 1735.", place: ["Derby, New Haven County, Connecticut", "Nifford, New Haven County, Connecticut"]}
@noah_durand:person {full_name: "Noah Durand"}
@saml_gunn:person {full_name: "Saml Gunn", role: "Justice of the Peace"}
@francis_trench:person {full_name: "Francis Trench"}
@peter_indian_sunk:person {full_name: "Peter Indian Sunk", ethnicity: @native_american:concept}
@native_american:concept {description: "Indigenous peoples of North America"}
@derby:place {county: @new_haven_county, state: @connecticut}
@nifford:place {county: @new_haven_county, state: @connecticut}
@new_haven_county:place {state: @connecticut}
@connecticut:place {country: @united_states}
@nangantogue_river:place {location: @new_haven_county}
@colonial_america:concept {description: "Period of American history prior to independence"}
@inquest_of_noah_durand:event {date: @date_1735_05_04, location: @derby, recorded_by: @saml_gunn, description: "Inquest of Noah Durand for the accidental shooting of Peter Indian Sunk."}
@bond_of_noah_durand:document {type: "Bond", amount: "1000 pounds", currency: "Current Bills of Publick Credit", date: @date_1735_09_01, parties: [@noah_durand, @francis_trench], recorded_by: @saml_gunn, purpose: "Surety for appearance before Superior Court regarding shooting of Peter Indian Sunk"}
@nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject:concept {description: "Subject terms for New Haven County Superior Court files involving Black, African American, and Indigenous individuals"}
@file_pinax:file {type: "metadata", format: "PINAX"}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_sunk_007_jpg:file {type: "image", format: "JPEG", ocr: true}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_sunk_008_jpg:file {type: "image", format: "JPEG", ocr: true}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_sunk_007_tif:file {type: "image", format: "TIFF", ocr: false}
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_sunk_008_tif:file {type: "image", format: "TIFF", ocr: false}
@file_pinax -> documents -> @noah_durand_confession_and_bond_collection
@noah_durand_confession_and_bond_collection -> indexed by -> @nhsc_baai_cases_papers_subject
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_sunk_007_jpg -> depicts -> @inquest_of_noah_durand
@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_sunk_008_jpg -> depicts -> @bond_of_noah_durand
@inquest_of_noah_durand -> involved -> [@noah_durand, @peter_indian_sunk, @saml_gunn, @francis_trench]
@bond_of_noah_durand -> signed by -> [@noah_durand, @francis_trench]
@bond_of_noah_durand -> recorded by -> @saml_gunn
@noah_durand -> residence -> @derby
@peter_indian_sunk -> ethnicity -> @native_american
@inquest_of_noah_durand -> location -> @derby
@bond_of_noah_durand -> location -> @nifford
@inquest_of_noah_durand -> subject -> @colonial_america
@bond_of_noah_durand -> subject -> @colonial_americaMetadata
Files (4)
OCR Text
Derby in County of New-Haven May 4 23rd A.D. 1735 Before Saml Gunn Justice of Peace On this present day, Noah Durand of St Derby personally appearing before me & subscribing one of his Majesty's officers by virtue of of Peace for & within the said County of New-Haven, he voluntarily declared that in night, the fore part the long following last day past, he Durand was by Nangantogue river on a Catt Ted Thursday 4th New and being something below a place Colonel Fuller's Cattle rock against a lower end of Island, he Durand having his gun with him reason thought he heard a deer only west side of a river, strictly viewed of place, & judged as he saith that he discovered the white of a deer's tail towards the Caking of which which still appeared to him like troops of a deer as he thought, & took up his gun to his shoulder & aimed at it as he thought, & took aim again & many times thought he did not clear enough discern it; it being a cloudy moon light evening, but when afterwards thought if deer would move away, after three times trying to shoot his gun went off. He immediately heard a man say you have killed me, it proved to be Peter Indian Sunk, as he Durand thought by his voice, upon which in a great surprize he Durand ran a Catt Ted river, in a fright endeavoured to give him water and spoke to him, but got no answer, but within a very short time after he & his companions began breathing and innocuously. Durand by it next means sought to acquaint of next settler by sending word in night season by a messenger coming to of subscriber, and again himself appearing with Indians declaration as to here made, if Indians being South or Durand again examined when, if Sagamore & other Indians were present, who again gave the same account, as before, also he Durand was enquired of what there ever was any quarrel between he Durand & the decest Indian, who replies, there never was any, then they Indians being present was enquired of whether they knew of any, all replied there was none, that not being a considerable number of English men who made it some reply, all being at Surgeon's house, upon all it before mentioned considerations, the de Noah Durand is certified to your Bond for his appearance before of next Superior Court to certify at St New-Haven on first Tuesday of September next, to of sum of one thousand pounds in Current Bills of Publick Credit & to abide judgment of of Court there in. Saml Gunn Justice of Peace Derby in County of New-Haven May 4 23rd 1735 Then & there personally appeared Noah Durand principally, & Francis Trench Surety both of St Derby & acknowledged themselves bound in a rare cognizance of claim of one thousand pounds in Current Bills of Publick Credit of this Colony payable to of Publick Treasurer of this Colony of the de Noah Durand appear not before of next Superior Court to be stayed at St New-Haven on first Tuesday of September next, and abide the proceedings of Court against him of Noah Durand with regard to the shooting of above mentioned Indian, Bank Acknowledged Before me Saml Gunn Justice of Peace for District of agreed County of New-Haven Noah Durand Francis Trench Nifford September 9th anno Domini: 1735 all the foregoing proceedings is a true copy of of Entries made by of Subscriber in of matter of of above Capt taken out hand Composed, Certified & attested Pr Saml Gunn Justice of Peace
OCR Text
Noah Durand's Confess on and recognizance
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:20:52 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:52:30 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:41:18 AM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:34:44 AM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Confession_and_Bond"
Parent
No children (leaf entity)