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.
Recognizance, charged with assault and battery on Samuel Hawthorn and also for rescuing and forcibly taking from him his servant girl, African-American, Poll.
Additional name: George Fehl.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
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 In order to maintain the historical integrity and context of collection items, LancasterHistory does not censor historical documents or edit language, titles, or organization names when transcribing original content.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
African-American.
Also: James Harkless, pilot from Middletown; Tobias.
Recognizance, suspicion of assault and battery on John Swenk, with intent to kill and rob.
Recognizance, suspicion of robbing John Erisman.
Depositions and examinations of Glasgow Paines, Henry Kann, Christina Kann, Isaac Dunbar, William Shepler, John Hurdow, Daniel Erisman, John Longenecker, John Sharer, John Swenk.
14 items, 14 pieces
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
