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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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Repository : Washington State Archives, Puget Sound Regional Branch (Bellevue, Washington)

359 results

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Unknown

  • Earliest record date: November 7, 1884
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: cause unspecified
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

United States of America vs. Leonard Martin

  • Earliest record date: May 1, 1885
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: unlawfully soliciting business
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

Thomas Reddington and Patrick Gallagher v. William Cochrane

  • Earliest record date: September 15, 1887
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: first degree murder
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

Thomas and Catherine Gilbert v. William Cochrane

  • Earliest record date: May 2, 1888
  • Petition type(s): Institutional: imprisoned for longer than term
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

Territory of Washington v. Chin Chung. Application for Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: November 10, 1882
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: drug use | Carceral: opium use | Carceral: refusal or inability to pay fine
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

Territory of Washington v. Arlington and Johnson

  • Earliest record date: January 23, 1885
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: drug use
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

Peter Nelson et al. v. Lewis V. Wycoff

  • Earliest record date: April 28, 1875
  • Petition type(s): Institutional: detaining sailors aboard ship
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

M. T. Ward v. L. V. Wyckoff

  • Earliest record date: July 14, 1879
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: debt
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

King County v. William Hughs and Micheal Broderick

  • Earliest record date: October 5, 1876
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: refusal to pay bail
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

John W Harding vs G. W. L. Allen

  • Earliest record date: December 23, 1878
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: refusal to pay bail
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

Jennie Miller Powers v. Mary Elizabeth Miller and R. J. Miller

  • Earliest record date: April 9, 1888
  • Petition type(s): Interpersonal: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

James McGarth and William Herbert v. King County

  • Earliest record date: March 17, 1880
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: passing counterfeit currency
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the Matter of Thomas Rice for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: April 16, 1890
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: Habitual Drunkenness
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of Thomas Fountain for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: November 13, 1891
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: assault with a deadly weapon
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the Matter of the restraint of Gee Lee and other Chinamen

  • Earliest record date: February 7, 1886
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: immigration
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the petition of William Jewett for Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: April 5, 1889
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: crime of seduction
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the Matter of the Petition of Thomas Ball for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: December 13, 1905
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: failure to pay
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the petition of Swan Larson for writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: August 17, 1903
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: no charge
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the petition of Sarah B. Leray for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: June 8, 1903
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: larceny
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the Matter of the Petition of Robert Gillis for writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: September 22, 1904
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: fugitive from justice
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the matter of the petition of P. D. Hughes for a writ of Habeas Corpus for Frank Richards

  • Earliest record date: February 18, 1903
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: cause unspecified
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the petition of M. Bartlett for a writ of Habeas Corpus for L. Bartlett

  • Earliest record date: December 20, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Interpersonal: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the Matter of the Petition of Joseph Mifford for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: February 14, 1889
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: cause unspecified
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the Matter of the Petition of John S. Burnell for Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: January 31, 1906
  • Petition type(s): Interpersonal: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Custody transferred to third party

In the Matter of the Petition of John O'Day for Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: September 19, 1906
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: cause unspecified
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the Petition of J. D. Crary for a Writ of Habeas Corpus for William Setter

  • Earliest record date: March 19, 1903
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: grand larceny
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the petition of Ida King for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: April 2, 1903
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: larceny
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the Matter of the Petition of Hugh J. O'Neill for Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: June 22, 1905
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: fraudulent sale of railroad tickets
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the matter of the petition of Fritz Lee for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: September 16, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: cause unspecified
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the Petition of Frank E. Sims for Habeaus Corpus for F. W. Beyer

  • Earliest record date: December 10, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Carceral
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the Petition of Frank E. Sims for Habeaus Corpus for F. W. Beyer

  • Earliest record date: December 10, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Carceral
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the petition of Eugene Lukenger for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: June 6, 1903
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: cause unspecified
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the petition of custody of & welfare of Patrick Quinn, Leo Quinn and Mary Quinn, neglected and abused children

  • Earliest record date: October 10, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Institutional: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Custody transferred to third party

In the Matter of the Petition of Celia I. Dougherty for Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: September 25, 1906
  • Petition type(s): Interpersonal: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the Matter of the Petition of Cassie Hartman for Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: February 5, 1906
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: disturbing the peace | Carceral: provoking an assault
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the Matter of the Petition of Bertha Kuzek for Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: September 2, 1905
  • Petition type(s): Interpersonal: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the Petition of Ben Gabriel for Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: May 31, 1904
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: being in possession of stolen goods
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the Petition of A.L. Parks for Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: November 2, 1892
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: assault and battery
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the Petition of Abe Townsend for Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: May 1, 1894
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: vagrancy
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus of O. D. Moore

  • Earliest record date: December 20, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: bootlegging | Carceral: peddling without a license
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the Matter of the Petition for writ of Habeas Corpus for the person of Nan Oy a Chinese woman

  • Earliest record date: February 20, 1888
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: immigration
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Deported

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 Petition for Habeas Corpus of Mazie Zeigler

  • Earliest record date: November 5, 1906
  • Petition type(s): Interpersonal: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

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 Imprisonment C. C. Smith Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: August 18, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: being a disorderly person
  • 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 Yu Gum and Yu Hung for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: May 7, 1886
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: immigration
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the application of Wong Yuen for a writ of habeas corpus

  • Earliest record date: June 25, 1903
  • Petition type(s): Interpersonal: spousal custody | Interpersonal: child custody
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the matter of the application of Wong Sam et al. for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: April 10, 1888
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: immigration
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown
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