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 African-Americans, convicted prisoners, those awaiting trial, relatives of prisoners, parties in child custody disputes, and relatives of army recruits and draftees. Handwritten, handwritten on printed forms, and a very few typewritten.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection, Title and Object ID, Box #, Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
These papers are cataloged individually and may be searched in the online collection database. https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please request at Reference Desk or Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Copyright
Copies of historic Lancaster County, Pennsylvania government records held by LancasterHistory may be published without special permission. There is no fee for publication. Proper credit lines are encouraged in the interest of good documentation.
Credit
Courtesy of Lancaster County Archives and LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Record of habeas corpus proceedings, showing dates of issue and return, names of defendant and custodian of prisoner, nature of writ, time and place of delivery, and disposition. Incomplete index in the back of the docket. Handwritten.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection, Title and Object ID, Box #, Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please request at Reference Desk or Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Copyright
Copies of historic Lancaster County, Pennsylvania government records held by LancasterHistory may be published without special permission. There is no fee for publication. Proper credit lines are encouraged in the interest of good documentation.
Credit
Courtesy of Lancaster County Archives and LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The Jacob Smith Collection consists of the daybooks and papers of Jacob and Abraham Smith. The daybooks contain notes on workers' attendance, assignments, pay, mill equipment, and names of people with whom Abraham boarded. There is also a court order appointing six men to study the feasibility of a road from Jacob Smith's mill to Manor's skating rink.
Admin/Biographical History
The original grist and sawmill was built by Jacob Smith in 1774 on Pequea Creek, about eight miles from Lancaster. The stone mill was built by Jacob Smith circa 1800. The mill remained the property of Mr. Smith and his heirs until 1846, when it was purchased by Abraham Mylin. Mylin built an addition and put in another water wheel. Subsequent owners were Benjamin Harnish in 1857, Jacob B. Good in 1868, and Thomas Baumgardner in 1870. Mr. Baumgardner repaired the mill and put in new machinery. Later owners were Jacob Herr, Henry Hess, Edwin Diffenderfer, Enos Harnish, Sumner Brown, Clayton Hilton, and H. F. Eshleman.
Ellis, Franklin and Samuel Evans. 1883. History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia: Everts & Peck. p. 1011.
Petitions from landowners to the Court of Common Pleas requesting an order to the sheriff to issue deeds for property purchased at the previous sheriff's land sales. Petitions show names of petitioner, former owner, and former sheriff; signature of petitioner; a brief description of the property; location; purchase price; and date. Most are handwritten on printed forms.
System of Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year, then alphabetically by purchaser's name.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection, Title and Object ID, Box #, Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Petitions to Make Sheriff's Deeds may be searched in the online collection database. https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please request at Reference Desk or Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Copyright
Copies of historic Lancaster County, Pennsylvania government records held by LancasterHistory may be published without special permission. There is no fee for publication. Proper credit lines are encouraged in the interest of good documentation.
Credit
Courtesy of Lancaster County Archives and LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Petition for a pardon, charged with stealing a watch.
Additional names: Henry Slaymaker, L. Robert, Charles Smith, Jacob Weirish, Hugh White, John Franklin, James Harris, John Ross, [unknown signature], [unknown signature], Jacob Kimmel, William Miller, Robert McCord, Andrew Shriver.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
