RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_WillCamMary_001.jpg

Inquest, Writ, and Summoning of Jury for Mary Will (Mary Cams) Case Collection

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 3:21:22 PM

Added description

Description

Inquest, Writ, and Summoning of Jury for Mary Will (Mary Cams) Case Collection

Overview

This collection comprises the original 1763 legal documents relating to the inquest and jury summons for the death of Mary Will, also known as Mary Cams, an Indian Squaw found dead in the township of Derby or Milford, Connecticut. The materials include a handwritten summons issued by Justice of the Peace Charles French to the Sheriff of New Haven County, dated February 24 1763, and its scanned reproductions (JPEG and TIFF). The collection is housed by the Connecticut State Library and is part of the New Haven County Superior Court files that focus on Black, African American, and Indigenous (BAAI) cases.

Background

In the mid‑18th century, New Haven County courts routinely recorded inquests into deaths that raised legal or moral questions. Charles French, serving as a Justice of the Peace, drafted the summons to compel a jury of twelve “able and discreet men” to investigate Mary Will’s death. The summons was directed to the Sheriff of Northaven (New Haven County) and instructed the jury to meet at the Old Tullingmill in Derby or the Indian Fields in Milford. The case illustrates early colonial legal procedures concerning Native American persons and the use of jury inquests.

Contents

  • Summons Document (1763‑02‑24): Handwritten text, including the sheriff’s name, location details, and jury instructions.
  • Digital Reproductions: A high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF of the original summons, both containing OCR‑extracted text.
  • Metadata: Cataloguing information (creator, institution, subjects, place, date) and provenance details linking the collection to the NHSC BAAI Cases Papers Subject index.

Scope

The collection covers a single case from February 24 1763, focusing on the legal process of an inquest into a Native American death in New Haven County. It is geographically limited to Derby, Milford, and the broader county. The materials are in English and pertain to legal documentation, Native American history, and the early colonial justice system. The collection does not include subsequent trial records or broader court proceedings beyond the summons.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

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

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_willcammary_001_jpg:file {type: "Image/Asset with OCR", format: "JPEG"}

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_willcammary_001_tif:file {type: "Image/Asset", format: "TIFF"}

@mary_will_inquest_collection:collection {title: "Inquest, Writ, and Summoning of Jury for Mary Will (Mary Cams) Case Collection", creator: @charles_french, institution: @connecticut_state_library, created: @date_1763_02_24, language: "en", subjects: ["Inquest","Summoning of Jury","Legal Documents","Native American History","New Haven County","Derby","Milford","Indian Fields"], description: "Collection of documents related to the inquest and summoning of a jury for the case of Mary Will, also known as Mary Cams, an Indian Squaw found dead in the Township of Derby or Milford.", place: [@derby_ct, @milford_ct, @new_haven_county_ct]}

@charles_french:person {full_name: "Charles French", role: "Justice of the Peace", creator_of: @mary_will_inquest_collection}

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

@derby_ct:place {city: "Derby", state: "Connecticut", country: @united_states}

@milford_ct:place {city: "Milford", state: "Connecticut", country: @united_states}

@new_haven_county_ct:place {county: "New Haven County", state: "Connecticut", country: @united_states}

@mary_will:person {also_known_as: @mary_cams, ethnicity: "Native American", status: "Indian Squaw", death_date: @date_1763_02_24, death_place: @derby_ct}

@mary_cams:person {full_name: "Mary Cams"}

@summons_document:document {date: @date_1763_02_24, author: @charles_french, recipient: @northaven_sheriff, subject: @mary_will, location: @old_tullingmill, alternate_location: @indian_fields, instruction: "Summon twelve able and discreet men to inquire of the cause and manner of death and render a verdict as the law directs"} 

@northaven_sheriff:person {title: "Sheriff of New Haven County"}

@old_tullingmill:place {description: "Old Tullingmill at the South end of the Township of Derby"}

@indian_fields:place {description: "Indian Fields in the bounds of the Township of Milford"}

@twelve_able_and_discreet_men:group {description: "Twelve able and discreet men summoned to serve as jurors"}

@summons_document -> summons -> @twelve_able_and_discreet_men

@file_pinax -> documents -> @mary_will_inquest_collection

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_willcammary_001_jpg -> depicts -> @summons_document

@file_rg003_nhsc_baai_ps_inquests_willcammary_001_tif -> related to -> @summons_document

@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"}

@new_haven_county_superior_court_files:collection {abbreviation: "NHSC", institution: @connecticut_state_library, focus: @baai}

@baai:concept {full_name: "Black, African American, and Indigenous"}

Metadata

Files (2)

RG003_NHSC_BAAI_PS_Inquests_WillCamMary_001.jpgJPEG
489.45 KB
OCR Text

To the Sheriff of the County of Northaven his Deputy or either Constable of the Town of Derby Within R County Greeting This Majesties Name you are hereby required to Summon Twelve Able and Discreet Men to appear forthwith at or near the Place of the Old Tullingmill at the South end of the Township of Derby or in the Indian Fields So called in the Bounds of the Township of Milford there to Enquire of the Cause and Manner of the Death of Mary Will otherwise Called Mary Cams an Indian Squaw that is there found Dead and there to Make up your Verdict as the Law Directs and also you are to give them Notice that they are not to fail under the Penalty of the Law in Such Case Made and Provided hereof fail not and Due return make dated at Derby Feb 24 d. 4th Mo. 1763 Charles French Justice of Peace

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 3:21:22 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 2:54:46 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 6:41:36 AM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 6:35:09 AM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Inquest_Writ_Summoning_Jury"

Parent

01KBKZZ2FSP2FPGMFK9TESH4DG

No children (leaf entity)