Case Summary
Alma Oharra was born to Mary J. Harmon and her husband in 1884. At some point she was committed to the House of the Good Shepherd, a home for "delinquent girls" in Omaha, as well as a convent. Her mother filed a writ of habeas corpus for her daughter on January 24, 1918, when Alma was 34. Mary did not share a surname with her daughter because at some point before the filing of the writ, her marriage with Alma's father dissolved. The writ of habeas corpus, set to be executed "forthwith," was directed at the Mother Superior, Sister M. Raphael Moran. (This is her religious name, not the one she was born with, as it is stated multiple times throughout the case that her real name remains unknown.) The writ was approved by judge Willis S. Sears, and Alma appeared before Judge George S. Day in the Douglas County District Court, but the result of the case is unknown. However, 1930 census records indicate that an Alma O'Hara, born the same year as the Alma Oharra mentioned in this case, was still an "inmate" at the House of the Good Shepherd in Omaha, indicating that Harmon was unsuccessful in reclaiming her daughter.
Case Information
Petition type(s)
Petition subtype(s)
Sites of significance
Outcome
Writ allowed
Fate of bound party
Unknown
Case Citation
Douglas County District Court, Omaha, NE, RG230: Douglas County Records, Subgroup 10: District Court, 1855-1972, Series: Criminal Appearance Docket Books, Vol. 20: ca.1917-1919, p. 68; Douglas County District Court, Omaha, NE, RG230: Douglas County Records, Subgroup 10: District Court, 1855-1972, Series 7: Criminal Case Files, 1897-1920, Reel 77: Doc. 20-31 to 20-146, Dec. 22, 1917 - Mar. 12, 1918, No. 20-68
Source material(s)
Docket |
Case File
Length of case file
Between 11 and 20 pages
Repository(s)
State
