This collection contains letters, envelopes, and business and miscellaneous papers, dated 1851-1872, which belonged to Abraham H. Good and his wife, Dianna Good. Amos Breneman, Daniel Gingrich and Martha Bishop have the most prolific correspondence, being friends of the couple. Correspondence ranges between the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Virigina, North Carolina and South Carolina
Admin/Biographical History
Abraham H. Good was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on April 13, 1831 to parents Christian Good (1794-1880) and Magdalena Gartz (1803-1875). He married Dianna Grenier (1831-1900), also of Lancaster County, and had seven children. As a Lancaster county resident from birth until death, Good joined a volunteer company for the Union army in 1862. He would travel up and down the east coast with the company until the end of the Civil War. Post-war, he returned home to Lancaster County and was named Justice of the Peace of Marctic Township.
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. Handwritten, handwritten on printed forms, and a very few typewritten.