Scope and Contents:
This collection contains one letter written by David Conrad Neir to his parents, Nathan and Eliza Neir, on November 19, 1855, from Springfield, Illinois. In this letter David writes about his time in Springfield spent visiting acquaintances and shares news of friends and family members. He also discusses property in the West, the prices of land and crops in Illinois, and his plans to look at land in Iowa and Minnesota.
David Conrad Neir (also spelled Neer) was born in 1825 in Loudoun County, Virginia. He later moved to Columbus, Texas, where he opened the very first store in the neighboring town of Oakland in 1857. After moving back to Virginia, Neir married Sallie E. Potts in 1886. He died in 1904.
The Library purchased this collection in 2017.