A writ of habeas corpus is a procedure for obtaining a judicial determination of the legality of an individual's custody. This collection includes petitions for writs of habeas corpus and the writs themselves, showing the names of petitioners, persons to be brought to court, nature of dispute or alleged crime, dates of writs and accompanying documents, names of judges, and names of persons that the writs are filed against. Petitioners include indentured servants, Freedom Seekers, free persons of color, convicted prisoners, those awaiting trial, relatives of prisoners, parties in child custody disputes, and relatives of army recruits and draftees.
Lancaster County Archives has Habeas Corpus dockets:
1799-1978, ten volumes, record of writs of Habeas Corpus written.
1895-1983, 43 boxes, original petitions.
Notes
LancasterHistory is committed to preserving and providing access to materials chronicling Lancaster County's heritage. As a historical resource, this document reflects the racial prejudices and actions of the era. In order to maintain the historical integrity and context of collection items, LancasterHistory does not censor historical documents or edit language, titles, or organization names when transcribing original content.
Additional Notes
Person of color.
Petitioner: Thompson, John.
Filed against: Ehler, John. Occupation: sheriff and jailor.
Petition, includes warrant of commitment.
Commitment paper.
Habeas corpus, includes answer and decision.
3 items, 2 pieces
Access Conditions / Restrictions
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Copyright
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Credit
Courtesy of Lancaster County Archives and LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Case Number
397.000
Classification
RG 01-00 2313
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Digitization of this document was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 202010016624, 2020-2023.
Maria Hess Burkholder, wife of John H. Burkholder. Written on back: "Maria Burkholder, grandmother Landes' sister". Possibly the sister of Hettie Hess Landes.
Possibly James Etter, uncle of John Christian Etter. Written on back: "James".
Provenance
This collection of photographs is from the estate of Esther Etter Rebman, and is mostly of the Etter, Falk and Kriegelstein families. Some of the photographs may have belonged to her aunt, Mary Etter (b. 1897, d. 1960).
Carte de visite. Unidentified couple, possibly George W. Etter and his wife, Elizabeth Mischlich Etter.
Provenance
This collection of photographs is from the estate of Esther Etter Rebman, and is mostly of the Etter, Falk and Kriegelstein families. Some of the photographs may have belonged to her aunt, Mary Etter (b. 1897, d. 1960).
Carte de visite of an infant in a long white gown. Written on back: "Charley 3 months and 4 days old weighing 17 1/2 lbs. For mother from Katie". Possibly Charles Bonine, son of Archibald F. Bonine and Katherine Kauffman Bonine.
