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Cases

Habeas petitions described a broad range of carceral, institutional, and interpersonal confinement over the long nineteenth century, including those used to demand due process, resist enslavement, challenge child removal and reservation confinement, avoid deportation, present child custody claims and protest child marriage, and to challenge institutionalization and detention in private and state institutions. As a legal mechanism borrowed from British common law and guaranteed as a civil right in US federal and state constitutions, habeas provides a lens on a diverse community of legal actors.

Our encoding practice allows us to identify petitions in these three categories and to indicate where those categories overlap. In addition to these three general categories, our team has identified the specific carceral charge being challenged as well as the particular forms of institutional and interpersonal confinements being questioned.

You may also browse or search petitions by location and/or jurisdiction to learn more about the myriad complaints petitioners brought before judges in Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, and Washington between 1812 and 1924. Each case entry includes a full citation, a summary, links to people with a role in the case, a list of other people named, and any sites of significance. Visitors wanting access to full case files can contact the cited repository for information about obtaining copies. Those without institutional affiliations may request image scans from Dr. Jagodinsky directly. The Glossary defines the attributes used to structure data from the habeas petitions. The Code Book explains the relational structure of the data and functionality of the database website.

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  • between 11 and 20 pages 589

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Length of Case File : between 11 and 20 pages

589 results

In the Matter of the Petition and Application of J. H. McConnell for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: December 12, 1898
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: fraud
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the application of Fred L. Smith for a writ of Habeas Corpus on behalf of Minnie Tarlton

  • Earliest record date: December 10, 1898
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: prostitution | Carceral: vagrancy
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the Matter of the application of Estella Meyers for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: December 13, 1898
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: grand larceny
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

On the Matter of the Application of Thomas Scott and James McGregor for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: June 25, 1898
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: assault with intent to wound
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the matter of the application of Jack Norton for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: January 12, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: selling liquor without a license
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

Application of Fred L. Smith for a Writ of Habeas Corpus on Red Johnson

  • Earliest record date: January 12, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: wrongful imprisonment
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

Application of Alice Bigelow for a Writ of Habeas Corpus on Behalf of Edith and Edna Bigelow, her Daughters

  • Earliest record date: March 22, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Institutional: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the Matter of the Application of Abraham Jacobs for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: March 25, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: fugitive from justice
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Custody transferred to third party

In the matter of the application of Stella S. Joy for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: June 3, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Interpersonal: spousal custody
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the Matter of the Illegal confinement of Adelaide Shawl and Hazel Shawl

  • Earliest record date: June 10, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Interpersonal: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In The Matter of the Application of C. Larson for Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: July 12, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: unlicensed ticket scalping
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the matter of the illegal confinement of Nellie Louisa Lopez

  • Earliest record date: July 17, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Institutional: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Custody transferred to third party

In the matter of the application of Stephen Lyts for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: July 19, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: grand larceny
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the application of George Davis for writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: July 2, 1898
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: forgery
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the Matter of the Application of Angelo Rose for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: August 28, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: wrongful imprisonment
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the Matter of Angelo Rose for Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: August 1, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: wrongful imprisonment
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

Dennis Griffin v. Julia Sullivan and John Sullivan in a petition for writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: October 13, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Interpersonal: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody | new custody arrangement reached

In the matter of the Pet of Ed Larson for Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: October 11, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: larceny | Carceral: petty larceny
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the Application of Edward Filger for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: October 20, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: forgery
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In Re Petition of Do Gin for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: November 18, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: forgery
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the Matter of the Application of Walter Britton and John Trigg for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: December 21, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: drunk and disorderly
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the Matter of the Application of Dora Foster for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: December 28, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: prostitution
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the Matter of the Application of Lola Williamson for Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: December 28, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: prostitution
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the Matter of the Application of Leon Richardson for Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: December 28, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: prostitution
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In re Petition of G. W. Vail for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: December 29, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: assault and battery
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the matter of the Petition for Habeas Corpus on behalf of Mary Josephine Marshall

  • Earliest record date: October 12, 1899
  • Petition type(s): Institutional: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the matter of the application of Peter Britton for writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: February 23, 1900
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: cause unspecified
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the application of Phillip McGovern for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: January 15, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: cause unspecified
  • Petition outcome: Writ dismissed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the application of James Nelson for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: January 31, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: unlawfully collecting and removing garbage, ashes, filth, and other refuse matter without a contract
  • Petition outcome: Petition withdrawn
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the Matter of the Petition of David Brown for Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: March 7, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: violation of Sunday Ordinance
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the application of James Conety for a writ of Habeas Corpus for the body of James Simpson Conety, a minor under the age of twenty one years

  • Earliest record date: March 9, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Institutional: underage military enlistment
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the Application of Priss Evans for a writ of habeas corpus

  • Earliest record date: March 10, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: assault
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the application of Thomas Walton for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: July 15, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Institutional: insanity
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the matter of the application of G. M. Briggs for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: September 6, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: Engaging in a commission business without a license
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Released on bail

In the matter of the application of William J. Gurley for a writ of Habeas Corpus for Garnett C. Porter

  • Earliest record date: October 11, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: fugitive from justice
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the application of May Andrews for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: October 31, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: grand larceny
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the application of W. S. Fuller for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: November 4, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: fugitive from justice
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the application of William Harrison for writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: October 19, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: vagrancy
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the Matter of the Application of George Nelson for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: November 21, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: assault
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the application of Albert T. Ryan on behalf of Fred Bonnis for writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: December 17, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: fugitive from justice
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the Matter of the Application of Ernest P. Kinloch, By W. S. Summer, United States District Atty., For a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: December 16, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: insanity
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody | custody transferred to third party

In the matter of the application of Lewis G. Walsh for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: February 13, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: painting on private bill boards
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the application of Joseph Lewis for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: March 1, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: obstructing a street
  • Petition outcome: Writ dismissed
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the matter of the application of James Brown for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: March 4, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: posting bills or advertisements
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the application of Andrew Knup for writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: March 16, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: assault and battery
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the application of Ruby Gertrude Denny a minor for writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: April 2, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Institutional: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: New custody arrangement reached

In the matter of the application of Fred S. Soggs for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: June 11, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: statutory rape
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the application of Schuler Becker for writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: May 7, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: peddling without a license
  • Petition outcome: Writ dismissed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the app of Florence Garrison et ux for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: June 2, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: assault and battery
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the Matter of the Application of Sarah Dee for a Writ of Habeas Corpus for Harry Dee

  • Earliest record date: October 28, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Interpersonal: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown
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