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State Supreme Court Cases

Index

History

The Indiana State Supreme Court has generously partnered with the Indiana State Archives in sponsorship of a new database of Indiana Supreme Court cases.

The cases begin with the first session in 1817 with Indiana’s entrance into the Union. Territorial Cases will soon be added. Researchers will notice some overlapping of court proceedings between the territorial period and statehood.

These historic cases involve freedom suits, Native American land claims, railroads, numerous criminal appeals, and legal disputes.

Ma-son-pe-con-gah v. Jones, case involving a Native American.

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The Project

Supreme Court cases before conservation.The database was created using an old system of index cards. Phase I of this enormous undertaking spans until approximately 1872. Future projects will include more recent records.

The database is the first step in providing greater access to these invaluable records, which help to document the growth of Indiana.

Supreme Court cases before conservation.The next step will involve volunteers who will painstakingly unwrap the documents, which have been folded for nearly two centuries. Many cases will require conservation work, such as dry cleaning, mending, humidification, and flattening. As the documents are examined and conserved, volunteers will add additional information to the database.

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Tips for Searching the Database

  1. Try a variety of spellings. Individual names have been spelled numerous ways over the years. Even if your family name has remained constant throughout history, the clerk recording the case might have recorded a slightly different variation.
  2. Term Years. Even if you feel certain about the term year of a particular case do not disregard other possibilities. Term years overlap calendar years and can lead to confusion.
  3. County names. Indiana counties have changed many times since statehood. Some counties no longer exist. The county of Richardville, named for Chief Richardville of the Miami Nation, is present day Howard County. The counties’ sizes, shapes, and even locations have altered drastically over the years. View the maps for a quick look at the evolving county boundaries of Indiana.
  4. Check back frequently. As volunteers process these delicate documents additional information, keywords, and corrections will be added.

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The Supreme Court Database

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