People
Meet the many people who argued for and against carceral, institutional, and interpersonal confinement in the petitions filed in County and District Courts throughout the American West over the long nineteenth century. Browse or search people by name, demographic characteristics, case role, and/or relationships described in each petition. Our encoding practice for people features data pulled from the available case files and in some instances additional data from supplemental sources is also included. Only people with case roles are indexed here, while all persons named in a case are listed on the case page. 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.
Featured story: Lucía Martínez: Yaqui Arizona, 1854-1900
Basic Search
Simply enter the word you wish to find and the search engine will search for every instance of the word in the journals. For example: Fight. All instances of the use of the word fight will show up on the results page.
Wildcard Searches
Using an asterisk (*) will increase the odds of finding the results you are seeking. For example: Fight*. The search results will display every instance of fight, fights, fighting, etc. More than one wildcard may be used. For example: *ricar*. This search will return most references to the Aricara tribe, including Ricara, Ricares, Aricaris, Ricaries, Ricaree, Ricareis, and Ricarra. Using a question mark (?) instead of an asterisk (*) will allow you to search for a single character. For example, r?n will find all instances of ran and run, but will not find rain or ruin.
Capitalization
Searches are not case sensitive. For example: george will come up with the same results as George.
Phrase Search
Searching for a specific phrase may help narrow down the results. Rather long phrases are no problem. For example: "This white pudding we all esteem".
Subsequent Searches
Because of the creative spellings used by the journalists, it may be necessary to try your search multiple times. For example: P?ro*. This search brings up numerous variant spellings of the French word pirogue, "a large dugout canoe or open boat." Searching for P?*r*og?* will bring up other variant spellings. Searching for canoe or boat also may be helpful.
Filter by:
Race or Ethnicity
- Unknown 20
- White 4
- Indigenous 3
- Black 1
- Irish 1
Age Category
- Adult 13
- Minor 10
- Unindicated 4
Relationships
- court-appointed guardian of 28
- judged by 15
- attorney for 14
- parent of 10
- attorney against 6
- in the disputed interpersonal custody of 6
- married to 3
- superintendent of 3
- an Indian ward of 2
- grandparent of 2
- in legal custody of 2
- Indian Agent of 2
- opposing attorney to 2
- relative of 2
- an institutional ward of 1
- attorney with 1
- child of 1
- former inlaw of 1
- inlaw of 1
- parent-appointed guardian of 1
- presumed relative of 1
- represented by 1
- sibling of 1
Cases
- In the matter of the app of Josie Celestine et ux for a writ of Habeas Corpus 3
- In the matter of the application of J. T. Brown for a writ of Habeas Corpus 3
- Application of M. E. Smith for Writ of Habeas Corpus 2
- By the Habeas Corpus Act in the matter of Horatio Napoleon Marsden 2
- Habeas Corpus in the matter of John Medford 2
- In Re application of Theodore Hill for a Writ of Habeas Corpus by his mother Zoa G. Zeroz in his behalf 2
- In the matter of application of Effie Norland for writ of Habeas Corpus 2
- In the Matter of the Application and petition of Edward Thacker, for writ of habeas corpus 2
- In the matter of the application of Can- ah- couqua for a writ of habeas corpus 2
- In the matter of the application of Columbia George for a writ of habeas corpus 2
- In the Matter of the Application of Euphemia Eastwick for a Writ of Habeas Corpus 2
- In the matter of the application of Lelah Puc-Ka-Chee, and Ta-Ta-Pi-Cha, for a writ of habeas corpus 2
- In the Matter of the Application of Milton F. Lamaster for Writ of Habeas Corpus 2
- Ex Parte: Donald McKarrecher - Writ of Habeas Corpus 1
- In re Application of John F. Decker, for a writ of habeas corpus 1
- In Re: Ex Parte - Turner Jackson Petitioner for a Writ of Habeas Corpus 1
- In the Matter of the Application and Petition of Charles T. Altis for Habeas Corpus 1
- In the Matter of the Application and Petition of Donald Warner and Floyd Warner for Habeas Corpus 1
- In the Matter of the Application and Petition of Earl J. Sorenson for Habeas Corpus 1
- In the Matter of the Application and Petition of Earl L. Sorensen for Habeas Corpuss 1
- In the matter of the application and petition of George Schriner for Habeas Corpus 1
- In the Matter of the Application and Petition of Jesse Cain for Habeas Corpus 1
- In the Matter of the Application and Petition of Nathan Boynum, for Habeas Corpus 1
- In the Matter of the Application of Edward Butler, for Habeas Corpus 1
- In the matter of the application of Helen Ruth Kelley for a writ of Habeas Corpus 1
- In the matter of the application of Hew G. Durham for a writ of Habeas Corpus on behalf of Sylvia May Durham 1
- In the matter of the application of Indian, Peters, for a writ of habeas corpus 1
- In the Matter of the Application of L. L. H. Austin for a Writ of Habeas Corpus 1
- State of Nebraska on the relation of Lille Walton, Cora Walton, Ernest Glenn Walton, Ledonia Walton, and Bessie Walton and Petition of Hiatt Elmer Walton, father of said children, for habeas corpus 1
28 results
Download JSON Download CSVLaMaster, Milton
- Birth date: January 1, 1828
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Bound party, petitioner
Marsden, Horatio Napoleon
- Birth date: January 1, 1837
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Bound party, petitioner
Medford, John
- Birth date: January 1, 1845
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Black
- Case role(s): Bound party
Moriarty, Margaret
- Birth date: January 1, 1876
- Birth place: Nebraska
- Sex: Female
- Race or ethnicity: White, Irish
- Case role(s): Respondent
Thacker, Addie
- Birth date: January 1, 1895
- Birth place: Nebraska
- Sex: Female
- Race or ethnicity: White
- Case role(s): Bound party
Smith, Edna M.
- Birth date: January 1, 1903
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Female
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Bound party
(Baby Norland; Jack Moriarty)
- Birth date: January 1, 1915
- Birth place: Nebraska
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: White
- Case role(s): Bound party
Brewer, Sylvia
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Female
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Holding party
Brown, J. T.
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Petitioner
Hill, Theodore
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Bound party
George, Columbia (Pa-no-tal-Kan-it)
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Indigenous
- Case role(s): Petitioner, bound party
McLean, Nancy Ann
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
Whedon, Charles O.
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Respondent attorney, petitioner attorney
Puc-Ka-Chee, Lelah
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Female
- Race or ethnicity: Indigenous
- Case role(s): Petitioner, bound party
Kelly, William A.
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Respondent
Hopkins, Charles. B.
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Respondent, responding party, holding party
Thayer, William P.
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Petitioner
Eastwick, Benjamin C.
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Bound party
Sidwell, George
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Respondent, holding party
Towle, Wilbur W.
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Petitioner attorney, petitioner, respondent attorney
Sidwell, Mary
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Female
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Respondent, holding party
George, Annie (Sidwell)
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Female
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Bound party
Malin, W. G.
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: White
- Case role(s): Respondent
Barton, John
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Petitioner
Platt, Harrison G.
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Responding party
McLean, Forest
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Bound party
Zeroz, Zoa G.
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Female
- Race or ethnicity: Unknown
- Case role(s): Petitioner
Con- ca- dach
- Birth date: N.D.
- Birth place: Unknown
- Sex: Male
- Race or ethnicity: Indigenous
- Case role(s): Bound party
